University of Minnesota homepage
Learning Abroad Center

Education Abroad Network (EAN)

The University of Minnesota Twin Cities Education Abroad Network includes and serves professional advisers, student services staff, faculty members, administrators, and others involved with education abroad. Meetings will be organized and convened by the Learning Abroad Center, but the agenda will be open to issues and topics identified by the entire group and relevant to a majority of participants. Preference will be given to sharing of practices, benchmarking, and updates to foster communication and expanded, multidisciplinary collaboration in regard to study abroad. Meetings are usually held twice a year, once in the fall and once in the spring.

Upcoming Meetings

Fall 2026 EAN Meeting

Date & Time: November 3, 2026, 10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Location: (Hybrid Meeting) Education Sciences Building, Room 325 & Via Zoom
Agenda: Mental Health & Wellbeing Abroad: Supporting Students Across Borders

Join staff from our program center in Montpellier, France for a 90 minute discussion on supporting student mental health and well being abroad. This EAN meeting will explore cross cultural perspectives on mental health challenges students may face and the support that is available to them abroad, with strategies informed by ongoing trainings and collaboration between onsite staff, the DRC, and Laura Dupont Jarret in the GPS Alliance. 

Light refreshments will be provided for in-person attendees! We encourage those who are unable to attend in person to join us via Zoom. 

Register for the Fall 2026 meeting

EAN Advisory Board Members

Past EAN Topics

Spring 2026 EAN Meeting

Topic: New Gopher Gateway Introduction & Learning Abroad Center Program Updates 

Tuesday, April 28th, 2026

Christine Anderson and Lindsey Lahr from the LAC, along with other campus collaborators, presented the LAC’s new program initiative for incoming UMTC students: Gopher Gateway: Global Experiences for First-Year Students!

Studying abroad as an incoming first-year student can ignite a student's passion for learning and bridge the transition into college by helping them establish social and academic support networks and understand college-level expectations in an exciting, supported setting.

Students get a head start on earning college credit and spend 10 days abroad in London or southern France right before Welcome Week begins! Gopher Gateway makes it possible for incoming first-year students to experience life abroad, earn academic credit toward their degree, and find community with like-minded peers.

The Learning Abroad Center  also announced some new and exciting program development within its suite of programs, namely, the new Health, Sport, & Wellbeing in Buenos Aires & Patagonia program in partnership with the department of Kinesiology. 
 

Spring 2025 EAN Meeting

Topic: Student Mental Health and Studying Abroad

Wednesday, April 16

Join EAN and the Learning Abroad Center for our Spring Meeting. Dr. Laura Dupont-Jarrett from the GPS Health & Safety will be joining us to discuss Student Mental Health Abroad.

In recent years, higher education institutions have increasingly recognized the importance of supporting student mental health, both on-campus and in global contexts, especially study abroad programs. While study abroad offers numerous personal and academic benefits, it is crucial to acknowledge and address the mental health struggles that may arise. Cultural adjustment, homesickness, language barriers, and the challenge of navigating a new educational system can present some unique mental health challenges for all students.

Dr. Laura Dupont-Jarrett is the Mental Health Abroad Strategist and Educator with the Global Programs & Strategy Alliance. She will be sharing how students with mental health concerns and conditions can successfully study abroad, the resources available and how we have been approaching mental health and study abroad at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

The Learning Abroad Center will provide lunch for this in person meeting. We ask that you RSVP to the link below no later than Wednesday April 9 so that we can get an accurate headcount for lunch.

Fall 2024 EAN Meeting

Topic: Why University of Minnesota Students May Want to Consider Studying Abroad during Fall Semester

Wednesday, October 2

EAN and the Learning Abroad Center would like to welcome you all back to campus with an in person interactive discussion over lunch. We will be talking about the benefits of studying abroad during the fall semester, discussing some potential opportunities for involvement in EAN and we will have a sneak preview of the Spring Semester topic, Student Mental Health and Studying Abroad with Dr. Laura Dupont-Jarrett.

Many students who plan to study abroad for a semester often believe that Spring is the best time to go without considering some of the substantial benefits of being abroad in the fall. Following a short presentation by Learning Abroad Center staff, we will engage attendees in small group discussions about ways to share and pass the message along that fall could be a great time to be abroad for your studies.

Fall 2022 EAN Meeting

Summer 2022 Spotlight Series

The Education Abroad Network held a Summer Spotlight Series. These half-hour sessions were hosted by Learning Abroad Center staff.

  • May 9th, Global Identity: Connecting your International Experience to your Future
  • May 23rd, Health-Related Programs Abroad
  • June 6th, Internships Abroad
  • June 20th, LAC Seminars
  • July 18th, University Study Abroad
  • July 25th, Minnesota Studies in International Development (MSID)
  • August 8th, Language Learning Abroad

Fall 2021 EAN Virtual Meeting

Topic: Learning Abroad Center Updates

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Agenda

  • General education abroad updates/news
  • Program updates for Winter Break and Spring Semester
  • Health & safety abroad
  • Advising updates

Spring 2021 EAN Virtual Meeting

Topic: What does virtual learning mean for the future of education abroad?

Friday, May 7, 10–11:30 a.m.

Join us for the spring 2021 Education Abroad Network meeting. The focus of the meeting will be on the future of virtual learning in the education abroad context. As we plan for in-person instruction here and abroad, what happens to virtual learning? Is virtual learning an evolution in the field? What are the implications of what we have learned about virtual learning this past year, here and abroad? Please join us for this important conversation.

The last 15 minutes of the meeting updates will be provided to help guide you in your work with students as you prepare for summer orientations and the upcoming academic year

Presenters

  • Martha Johnson, Assistant Dean of Learning Abroad
  • Christine Anderson, Learning Abroad Center Academic Director
  • Beatriz Comte, Academic Coordinator and instructor for the Virtual International Internship course, The Fundación Ortega y Gasset, Argentina

Fall 2020 EAN Virtual Meeting

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

1:00–2:00 p.m. Presentation (Zoom webinar format)
2:00–2:30 p.m. Interactive Q&A/Discussion (Zoom meeting format)

Our fall meeting’s purpose is to provide learning abroad program developments and updates.

Meeting topics

  • Education Abroad in the time of COVID-19
  • Diversity Conversations with Onsite Staff
  • Health & Safety Abroad
  • Advising
  • Virtual International Internships Program overview