Diversity Abroad—a membership consortium that inspires and supports educators, policymakers, and other stakeholders in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in and through global education and exchange—kicked off its annual this week, drawing hundreds of participants to Chicago from across the nation.
The annual meeting—now in its 11th year—comes as many universities are struggling to rebound after the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily halted study abroad programs across the world.
Andrew Gordon is the Founder and CEO of Diversity Abroad
“Some institutions have rebounded, and they are even above their pre-COVID numbers as far as outbound student mobility as well as inbound international students and you have other institutions where it’s the opposite,” said Andrew Gordon, a social entrepreneur, and the Founder and CEO of Diversity Abroad. “They’ve actually dropped, and they have not rebounded from their COVID numbers.”
The upscale in the numbers, said Gordon who founded Diversity Abroad 17 years ago, is largely due to resource allocation and the student leaders who have championed the importance and benefits of education abroad programs. “There’s work as a field, as a sector that we have to do in order to ensure that equitably, our numbers are rebounding.”
Centering student equity and pushing institutions to be more intentional in building inclusive student success, is a central part of the five-day convening.
“The imperative has been there, but now even moreso,” said Gordon adding that it is critically important to expand outreach to populations who have been historically served equitably in international education.
