CIE Offers Study Abroad Programs, Travel Opportunities

On Feb. 9, 2022, Millikin’s Center for International Education (CIE) held their annual Global Opportunities Fair. They believe that their program is more important than ever.

“I think it’s important for the actual future of the world and the United States, as dramatic as that sounds,” Briana Stephens Quintenz, the director of the CIE, said. “I think it’s important mainly because of the political climate that we’re in right now…I think that’s why students need to continue to cross borders and meet people that solve problems differently than them and speak a different language than them and all that stuff.”

The CIE coordinates study abroad programs, travel opportunities and relationships between American students and international students. They help American students with their study abroad experiences, and they serve as the touchpoint for international students on Millikin’s campus.

Even with the travel challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CIE has grown over the past few years and continues to expand.

“Millikin invested in [the program], and they decided that global citizenship was something they wanted to be a part of Millikin’s mission,” Stephens Quintenz said. “When I started at Millikin seven years ago, we had, like, 38 international students in total on campus. And this semester, we have 116.”

Stephens Quintenz believes that the Office of Admission, which has upped its international recruitment efforts, is partly to thank for this growth. The Office of Admission and the CIE have worked together to hold conferences and develop relationships with more international schools and study abroad programs. 

Millikin currently has 38 active exchange partners, which has increased the number of American students who can go abroad and the international students who can come to Millikin.

Stephens Quintenz advocates for everyone to travel, but she recognizes there are often challenges that prevent students from studying abroad, especially the expense. She encourages students to attend the CIE’s next Global Opportunities Fair or reach out to their office to get more information about programs, scholarships and opportunities.

“No one goes abroad and says, ‘I wish I wouldn’t have done that.’ They all have this great, life-changing experience,” Stephens Quintenz said. “I just want that to be something that every student has an opportunity to do because it’s life-changing. It’s an investment in their future.”

For more information about the CIE’s programs, reach out to the CIE or visit their office on the second floor of the University Commons.