by Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service
St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn., retained its position as the
top baccalaureate institution in the United States by number of
students who studied abroad in the 2004-2005 academic year. The
Institute of International Education, with funding from the U.S.
Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs,
has issued its Open Doors 2006 report. Among its top 20
institutions by Carnegie type, St. Olaf topped the list of
"institutions by total number of study abroad: top 20
baccalaureate institutions, 2004." St. Olaf is one of 28
colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA).
According to the report, St. Olaf had 657 students studying
abroad in 2004. The College of St. Benedict/St. John's
University, St. Joseph, Minn., was next on the list with 569
students studying abroad. Lee University, Cleveland, Tenn., was
third with 555 students; Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Mich., had
527 students studying abroad; and the University of Richmond,
Richmond, Va., was fifth with 505 students. Three other ELCA
colleges made the top 20: Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn.,
ranked 7th with 461 students abroad; Luther College, Decorah,
Iowa, ranked 11th with 430 students abroad; and Gustavus Adolphus
College, St. Peter, Minn., ranked 17th with 397 students.
A St. Olaf news release said the college was one of four
Minnesota baccalaureate colleges recognized for sending more than
40 percent of its students abroad.
- - -
About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
