Recent events around the globe have forced directors to postpone or change some OU study abroad programs, OU study abroad officials said.
OU Education Abroad and the OU Arabic Flagship Program both had to change trips to Egypt because of protests in the African country.
The Flagship Program typically conducts a summer program and a year-long program to Alexandria, Egypt, program coordinator Heidi Logsdon said. Usually, both of these programs depart for Alexandria in June.
"Flagship temporarily shifted its summer program to Meknes, Morocco," Logsdon said. "The year-long program is returning to Alexandria, Egypt, but departure has been postponed until September."
The program leaders made these decisions after carefully consulting with their outside exchange program manager to make sure it was the best for student safety, Logsdon said.
OU is one of five universities to offer the five-year program, designed to train students in Arabic, Logsdon said.
Besides the Flagship program, OU Education Abroad also had to make changes to its programs because of uprisings in Egypt.
OU Education Abroad had set up a trip to Cairo through an outside program, which decided to postpone the trip until fall 2012 because of safety concerns, director Alice Kloker said.
However, OU offers other programs to similar destinations.
Education Abroad still has Arabic studies programs located in Turkey, Jordan and Morocco, as well as in Granada, Spain, Kloker said.
Also, the department is currently trying to set up a program with Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Kloker said.
Programs in Europe have not been affected by protests thus far. In the spring, about eight students were suspended from going to Japan because of the earthquake, but students are now involved in Japanese programs this semester, Kloker said.
Despite unstable conditions around the world, OU study abroad participation rates have climbed 28 percent since 2008, from 646 to 830 students, according to the first International Profile published this year by the College of International Sciences.
Factors that contribute to the rising number of students going abroad include an increase in programs and scholarship opportunities, and the development of the Arezzo, Italy, program — one of the most popular destinations — according to a report by Zach Messitte, dean of the College of International Studies.
In April 2009, students voted to add a student fee to contribute to a study abroad scholarship, according to Daily archives. OU President David Boren has added funds to the Presidential International Travel Fellowships, according to Messitte's report.
"I think it is a little too early to know if this fee has directly contributed to [OU] students going abroad, but I am confident that in the future years, it certainly will," Kloker said.
Europe remains the most popular travel destination, accounting for 75 percent of students in the 2010-2011 school year, according to the profile. The college and Education Abroad hope to encourage more trips to Asia, Africa and Latin America, Messitte said in the report.