Vision
To ensure that all Grinnell students have opportunities to engage in transformative, global learning experiences through credit-bearing semester and year-long Off-Campus Study programs.
Mission
In accordance with the Institute for Global Engagement’s mission of fostering Grinnell’s global education learning goals, the Office of Off-Campus Study is dedicated to providing credit-bearing semester and year-long experiences that combine academic rigor with experiential learning as part of a student’s individualized curriculum. Students are encouraged to gain multiple perspectives about their home and host communities as well as themselves in meaningful ways.
We pursue our mission of advancing the elements of a liberal arts education by:
- Articulating and demonstrating the value of long-term global learning to encourage academic exploration, intercultural understanding, language acquisition, responsible engagement with host communities and their environments, pre-professional opportunities, and personal development,
- Providing individualized advising to help students select programs that best meet their academic, personal and pre-professional goals, in partnership with faculty Campus Program Advisers, academic advisers, other campus partners, and our team of Global Envoy peer advisers,
- Promoting equity of access and supporting students before, during and after their experiences in close collaboration with campus partners including the Financial Aid Office, Office of the Registrar, the Center for Careers, Life & Services, and Student Affairs,
- Maintaining a featured list of high-quality programs and working intensively with program partners to monitor academic quality, support services, and their local impact as well as to advocate for students as needed,
- Representing Grinnell in the field of international education at the local, regional and national levels to ensure continued visibility and recognition of the College’s efforts, successes, and commitment to global learning and social responsibility.
Grinnell College’s Office of Off-Campus Study strives to meet the Forum on Education Abroad’s Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad and Code of Ethics for Education Abroad.
Semester and Year-Long Study Outside of Grinnell
The Office of Off-Campus Study manages semester and year-long study outside of Grinnell by:
- coordinating the advising that informs a student’s plans,
- overseeing the internal approval of those plans,
- monitoring communications with program providers from pre-departure through return, and
- utilizing student experiences to inform future students’ opportunities.
- monitoring developments with our providers, trends in the field of education abroad, and global events.
- advocating on behalf of our students’ well-being and coordinating responses with campus offices and families.
- connecting Grinnell faculty with and leveraging the global network that we maintain through the students we send out into the world and professional contacts we develop.
- managing Grinnell’s own semester-long program, Grinnell-in-London.