Education Abroad Introduction

By Maura McAndrew

While I was sad my time in Italy was cut short, I am immensely grateful I went abroad when I did.

The pandemic presented great challenges for Education Abroad. In March 2020, EA was tasked with bringing all study abroad students home amid safety concerns, travel restrictions and lockdowns. Study abroad programs for summer and fall 2020 were also eventually canceled due to the virus. But staff and students alike adjusted quickly to the situation. Education Abroad hosted its first-ever Virtual Study Abroad Fair and debuted the virtual versions of Italy Week and Mexico Week, two popular biannual events that feature activities related to OU's international study centers, OU in Arezzo, Italy, and OU in Puebla, Mexico. Study Abroad advising also transitioned to a virtual system, and the EA staff developed an interactive chat feature for their website in order to improve communications and recruitment.

By spring 2021, there appeared to be a light at the end of the tunnel, as EA successfully sent five OU students to study in South Korea. Select summer 2021 programs have since been green-lit, and the future of OU study abroad looks bright.

What follows in this section are stories from center directors and students about a study abroad year disrupted. In each of these stories, there is disappointment and sadness, but there is also gratitude, hope and the sense that these experiences have taught us resilience and adaptability. The Education Abroad staff looks forward to serving more students both virtually and in-person in future semesters. We can't wait to see them thrive as they explore the world.