Pellissippi State Community College landed at No. 3 in the nationwide ranking of credit-bearing, study-abroad opportunities at community colleges, according to the Institute of International Education’s annual Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange.
The report analyzed data from 2022-23 on study abroad and international student enrollment.
Tracey Conner Bradley
“I think it speaks to the longevity of Pellissippi’s place in the world of international education, as one of the leaders for community colleges,” said Tracey Conner Bradley, executive director of the Tennessee Consortium for International Studies (TnCIS) at Pellissippi State. “It’s been an important priority and initiative for the college.”
Study abroad is considered a “high-impact practice” at Pellissippi State, which means it’s part of a larger statewide initiative to encourage evidence-based and intentional learning to benefit student outcomes.
It’s the most impactful of all the high-impact practices, Bradley said.
“Employers are beginning to recognize the importance of a study-abroad experience and international experience,” she said. “We’re seeing employers that are hiring at a higher rate for students who have international experience, that the latter have higher starting salaries and that they are placed in promotion-track positions.”
According to the Open Doors report, Pellissippi State has more international students than any other community college in Tennessee. Many of its peers are still recovering from the effects of the pandemic in that metric, Bradley said.
“Pellissippi is recovering at a faster rate. Part of that is due to our relationship with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.”
Last year Pellissippi State held the No. 1 spot among community colleges for study abroad, and Bradley attributed its fall to competition with schools that have a higher enrollment, and the number of study-abroad programs resuming normal operations following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Since TnCIS began in 2007, Pellissippi has sent nearly 2,400 students abroad in credit-bearing programs.
“We do this because we know it is impactful to the students during their undergraduate education,” Bradley said. “And now we’re seeing important data that shows us that employers are looking for graduates that have these experiences as well.”
Pellissippi State Community College is a public community college based in Knox and Blount counties in Tennessee and operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. The college operates four campuses: Hardin Valley, Blount County, Strawberry Plains and Magnolia Avenue.
