A Challenging, But Rewarding Road: Reflecting on the Past, Present and Future of Study Abroad

Gary Rhodes, Ph.D., is a Professor and the Chair of the Graduate Education Division, Coordinator of the Higher Education Administration and Leadership (HEAL) Graduate Certificate Program & Director of the Center for Global Education in the College of Education at California State University at Dominguez Hills (CSUDH). Prior to that, he was Associate Dean, International at CSUDH (2015 – 2018); Director of the Center for Global Education at UCLA (2010 – 2015), Director of the Center for Global Education and Designed International Student Outreach at Loyola Marymount University (2004 – 2010), Interim Director of the University of California Education Abroad Program Office at UCLA (2003 - 2004), Director of the Center for Global Education at the University of Southern California (USC) (1998 – 2004); Program Coordinator in the Office of Overseas Studies (1989 – 1998) at USC; and Graduate Assistant and Interim Technical Advisor for the Support to Primary Education Project in Cameroon for USC (1988 – 1989).  He is on the Executive Board of the US and International Pierre de Coubertin Committees (Coubertin is the founder of the Modern Olympics). As Director, Center for Global Education (www.globaled.us: 1998 – Present) he has been awarded many grants, done research, developed resources, & published and presented widely on education abroad issues; including health & safety, legal issues, integrated learning before, during & after study abroad, as well as international learning & understanding through the Olympic movement & the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.  He received Fulbright Specialist Awards to India and South Africa. He earned his graduate degrees at USC and his undergraduate degree at the University of California at Santa Barbara. Email: garymrhodes@gmail.com

Lisa Loberg, Ed.D., is the Associate Director of Exchange and Study Away at ArtCenter College of Design in Southern California. She has nearly 20 years of experience in International Education, leading offices and developing institutional partnerships and programs abroad. Her experience also includes a Semester at Sea in 2014 as Outreach Coordinator for the fall voyage. Lisa serves as the private institution representative for California Study Abroad (Cal Abroad), a regional organization for study abroad professionals throughout California. She was a co-founder of the Lessons From Abroad organization (LFA), which continues to provide networking opportunities, re-entry programming, and resources, along with regional conferences to support study abroad returnees throughout the United States. She is also a Research Associate for The Center for Global Education, an international resource center for faculty, staff, students, and families. She currently serves on the advisory boards for the American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS) and the American College of the Mediterranean (ACM). She earned her Master’s in French from Boston College, where she also got her start teaching and working in study abroad, and Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research examines factors of student participation in study abroad. Email: lisaloberg1@gmail.com