Senate declares 2006 ‘The Year of Study Abroad’
April 30th, 2006 - Posted in Study AbroadThe U.S. Senate has designated 2006 as “The Year of Study Abroad,†and the state of Oregon has followed suit.
Senate Resolution 308 was passed Nov. 10, 2005, declaring that studying abroad can help students share U.S. values as well as create good will for the U.S. around the world.
The resolution provides shocking percentages from a National Geographic global literacy survey.
When looking at a world map, 87 percent of students in the United States, ages 18 to 24, could not locate Iraq on a world map, 83 percent could not find Afghanistan, 58 percent could not find Japan and 11 percent could not even find the United States.
For the state of Oregon, on April 7, Gov. Ted Kulongoski and Secretary of State Bill Bradbury signed a proclamation designating 2006 as the Year of Study Abroad in Oregon.
This proclamation explained Oregon’s needs for “an educated and globally competent and connected population†to increase economic development.
It also invites all Oregonians “to join in this observance.â€
Joseph Hoff, international education coordinator and academic coordinator