Connecting Minnesota and the World
The 17 members of the Minnesota Private College Council (MPCC) have a tradition of connecting Minnesota to the world. This tradition will be on display at the MPCC booth at the NAFSA 2007 Annual Conference, "Preparing Global Citizens," held May 29 – June 1 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. This gathering of professionals in international education and exchange draws more than 7,000 participants from 90 countries.
Many of Minnesota's Private Colleges have a long history of educating international students. "Colleges like Macalester, St. Olaf and St. Scholastica have made education abroad part of their core goals in education,” says Marlene Johnson, NAFSA executive director. "This area of the country is an excellent place to highlight educational programs that have an international focus.”
Beyond attending the conference, representatives from MPCC campuses have been helping plan this sizable event and Augsburg College and the University of St. Thomas have signed on as sponsors. Visibility for our colleges also will come from Macalester Professor Jack Weatherford's plenary speech and Concordia College's pre- and post-conference sessions in Chinese and Arabic.
MPCC will be sharing these key facts at the NAFSA conference:
- More than 1,700 international students study at our institutions.
- Nearly three out of five Minnesota college students who study abroad attend one of our institutions. That's more than 4,500 students.
- Many of our members lead the nation in participation rates for students in study abroad programs.
- China is a growing focus for our study abroad efforts with 16 programs in place, including one added this year with United International College — a unique liberal arts institution in Zhuhai (see related story).
Welcoming International Students
Minnesota's Private Colleges are committed to welcoming international students. While students at our institutions come from more than 60 nations, Minnesota sees the greatest number of students coming from China, India, Nepal, South Korea and Japan.
The following table sums up the international students studying at Minnesota's Private Colleges in 2005-2006*:
| Augsburg College | 66 |
| Bethany Lutheran | 29 |
| Bethel University | 28 |
| Carleton College | 112 |
| College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University | 163 |
| College of St. Catherine | 80 |
| College of St. Scholastica | 79 |
| Concordia College-Moorhead | 145 |
| Concordia University-St. Paul | 9 |
| Gustavus Adolphus College | 37 |
| Hamline University | 247 |
| Macalester College | 269 |
| Minneapolis College of Art and Design | 17 |
| Saint Mary's University of Minnesota | 111 |
| St. Olaf College | 33 |
| University of St. Thomas | 343 |
| Grand total | 1,768 |
*Source: Institute of International Education, Open Doors Report 2006. Institutions may have more current numbers available.
Sending Students Abroad
Of the Minnesota college students who study abroad, 58 percent attend Minnesota's Private Colleges. This contribution to international exchange far exceeds our size in the market, given that we enroll 18 percent of the state's college students.
The following table sums up the study abroad numbers for Minnesota's Private College students participating in study abroad programs in 2004-2005*:
| Augsburg College | 167 |
| Bethany Lutheran | 8 |
| Bethel University | 315 |
| Carleton College | 343 |
| College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University | 569 |
| College of St. Catherine | 239 |
| College of St. Scholastica | 102 |
| Concordia College-Moorhead | 461 |
| Concordia University-St. Paul | 7 |
| Gustavus Adolphus College | 397 |
| Hamline University | 327 |
| Macalester College | 240 |
| Minneapolis College of Art and Design | 20 |
| Saint Mary's University of Minnesota | 91 |
| St. Olaf College | 657 |
| University of St. Thomas | 786 |
| Grand total | 4,729 |
*Source: Institute of International Education and MPCRF. Institutions may have more current numbers available.
The strength of our study abroad programs can be attributed in part to the liberal arts emphasis on global diversity and awareness. Our institutions also are committed to preparing students to be good citizens and exemplary leaders through international education.
Visit our campus Web sites to find out more about study abroad programs and international admission. View the MPCC handout for NAFSA 
PDF (499 KB)