One member of the Iowa Board of Regents wants Iowa State students to be required to experience another culture before graduation.

In the future, a study-abroad experience should be required for each student attending the three state universities, said regent Nancy Pellett of Atlantic, at the June 18 Board of Regents meeting in Okoboji.

Pellett said she feels students at the three universities — Iowa State, the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa — need to be able to adapt to different cultures.

“We are not at a point where the university would make it a requirement now. But we are living in a pretty small world where foreign trade and culture are becoming really important to us,” Pellett said.

Trevor Nelson, program coordinator for the Office of International Students and Scholars, said he doesn’t feel the three state universities should make studying abroad a requirement for everyone.

“It would make sense, though, for students majoring in foreign language or international studies. Maybe that would be the place to start,” Nelson said.

Edwin Lewis, associate provost and chair of the International Programs Council, said he does not feel studying abroad would ever become a requirement for every student.

“I think practically with the number of students at ISU it would be very difficult to make sure each student had a good experience,” he said.

If studying abroad would become a requirement, Nelson said many issues would have to be raised.

“There would have to be a significant increase in scholarship dollars since many students have to finance their own education,” Nelson said.

The university provided $70,000 for the 569 students that studied abroad for the fiscal year of 1996, and about 5,000 students would be studying abroad each year if it were required, he said.

More programs would have to be offered, Nelson said, and there would have to be an increase in the number of teaching facilities overseas.

“Over the past year there has already been an increase of faculty wanting to teach overseas,” Lewis said.

If all students were required to study abroad, the university would also have to accommodate the physically challenged, Lewis said.

“I would be concerned with meeting their needs,” he said.

Nelson said the study-abroad experience would be difficult to integrate into a student’s academic program.

The university would have to ensure that a student’s graduation would not be delayed.

Pellett said she feels attendance at ISU would increase if study abroad became a requirement.

“This would be an opportunity in a more cost-effective way since it would be offered just slightly above a student’s tuition costs,” she said.

Nelson said the duration of the study-abroad requirement would depend on how long it takes for the student’s academic goals to be reached. “Maybe goals could be reached in 10 days over a spring break — but being gone a semester would be the ultimate program.” Nelson said ISU wants to send 750 students abroad by 2000. During the 1997-98 school year ISU sent 517 students to study abroad. Pellett said all three school have done well with study-abroad programs