People of color face systemic inequities at US institutions of higher education, including Purdue.  Similarly, US students of color are historically under-represented in study abroad, as documented for decades. 

As a step to proactively address racial and ethnic inequities, we are implementing the Equity in Recruitment Initiative.  This effort asks program leaders to develop, deliver, and evaluate strategies to help diversify our programs.  We in the Purdue Study Abroad community value the perspectives and experiences that Black, Indigenous, and students of color bring to our global classrooms.  Through focused outreach efforts, together we are committed to better informing and more specifically appealing to Purdue students of color. 

A simple component has been added to our application for program approval.  Program leaders will now develop and commit to executing a specific outreach strategy to recruit students of color.  All efforts to make Study Abroad a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable learning opportunity will be collected.

The goal of this initiative, in parallel spirit to others at Purdue involving Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, is to have study abroad demographics mirror those of Indiana.  Yet, when only 1 in 4 Purdue students studies abroad, our approach must be multifaceted if we are to reach true equity.

While international students certainly contribute to the cultural diversity of our campus, the Equity in Recruitment Initiative is intentionally directed towards domestic students who do not identify as White.