Illinois Abroad and Global Exchange
As the campus study abroad office, the mission of Illinois Abroad and Global Exchange is to offer students quality programs and comprehensive support throughout their education abroad experience. IAGE's vision is to foster intercultural competence and inspire global engagement for students by serving as an innovative and collaborative partner.
About Us
Illinois Abroad and Global Exchange (IAGE) facilitates education abroad programs in locations around the world. IAGE firmly believes that international education is transformative. Not only does it foster global competencies, but also allows students to enhance their skill-sets, broaden their perspectives, and gain a deeper understanding of their given fields. As the campus study abroad office, IAGE programs are open to students from all academic fields, backgrounds, and identities. IAGE seeks to be inclusive in their approach to study abroad and introduces students to a multi-faceted understanding of their disciplines and a broader set of tools with which to solve complex problems.
The IAGE portfolio includes: exchange programs, direct enroll programs, provider programs, customized short-term programs, and signature programs. IAGE also serves as a collaborative partner across campus, providing support and guidance to students, faculty, staff, partner institutions, and colleagues in the study abroad offices across campus. IAGE accomplishes this through their core services of Program Development, Program Management, Partner Relations, Business, Outreach and Marketing, and Systems.
The mission of the field of international education is to facilitate opportunities for students to develop global competencies. However, historic and current participation data reflects gaps in ensuring students of all backgrounds have access and support to study abroad. As international educators, IAGE is committed to removing those inequities while expanding access to global opportunities for all students as a means to social justice and equity. It is IAGE's responsibility to acknowledge that we are part of a system that was built on and has perpetuated inequality and exclusion. IAGE strives to ensure that programs with host communities around the world are mutually beneficial and sustainable, while acknowledging the patterns of access and privilege that may be perpetuated through education abroad.
In alignment with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Abroad and Global Exchange is committed to fostering an inclusive campus community, engaging in meaningful dialogue, training staff, and taking actionable steps to break down barriers to serve students from historically marginalized communities and underrepresented backgrounds within study abroad seen in the data set below.
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In order to make progress toward these goals, IAGE has identified the following key initiatives:
- Membership and alignment of unit practices with Diversity Abroad and the Forum on Education Abroad.
- Implementing training and advising standards for all full time staff.
- Ongoing development of resources for students of different identities, including the Identity and Inclusion resource pages and redesign of the Illinois Abroad Ambassador program.
- Seeking ethical partnerships within the Global South.
IAGE will measure success by tracking efforts in analyzing, identifying, and implementing procedural and programmatic changes, as well as engagements from stakeholders with IAGE resources, programs, and events.
Illinois International
IAGE is a unit of Illinois International. To support campus internationalization and global learning, Illinois International's units offer engaging programs, academic initiatives, and administrative services under the leadership of the Associate Chancellor and Vice Provost for Global Affairs & Strategies.
