Study abroad offices nationwide have come under scrutiny for the common use of private middleman companies in offering university abroad programs.

Officials in Washington and a recent New York Times article have called attention to the free trips abroad and direct cash bonuses that many offices receive from particular providers.

“The issue is these companies are providing anything — memberships on boards, paid travel, paid attendance in conferences in nice places, even office supplies — that might get the colleges and universities to favor those companies,” said Jeff Vincent, assistant vice chancellor for federal relations.

The study abroad issue makes up part of a larger investigation into relationships between colleges and universities and private corporations, Vincent said.

The Vanderbilt Global Education Office uses five private providers. Gary Johnston, director of study abroad programs, said no one in his office received any personal benefits from these companies but acknowledged that representatives travel abroad for free when they evaluate and approve many programs.

Free trips abroad are necessary in order for advisers to see programs personally before they are approved, Johnston said. And the use of private companies helps Vanderbilt study abroad provide a level of service it would otherwise be unable to due to its small staff of five.

While college officials may not have done anything illegal, they might have created an unethical perception of favoritism, Vincent said.

“Is the college doing a deal because of favors or bargaining hard to get a study abroad program at the best price? There are various shades of this, and it’s not always illegal, but it’s just not always perceived in the best interest of the students and parents of students who are paying the bills,” Vincent said.

Students who wish to use other private companies to find less expensive options, for example, often cannot transfer their credit or get their trip approved.

“To be candid, it can be a little more difficult for those students,” Johnston said. “But we have no program with exclusivity, and we have contracts with our providers that the legal office looks at.”

This attention comes as the Global Education Office tries to expand the scope and availability of its programs.

An important part of the new initiative, a Fisk-Vanderbilt study abroad grant, will allow students traditionally underrepresented in study abroad education — namely minorities, men, female athletes and engineers — to study abroad in higher numbers.

Increased study abroad opportunities will help make graduates more marketable to a global economy, Assistant Director Marie Martin said, and reflect increased enthusiasm for study abroad programs.

Only 25 percent of Vanderbilt students choose to go abroad, a considerably lower than peer institutions such as Duke, Emory and Georgetown.

“There hasn’t been a culture of study abroad or global education on Vanderbilt’s campus, but that’s really changing,” Martin said.

“Students worry that it doesn’t fit with their major or that it is too expensive, but we are seeing more students come in with a higher expectation.”

—For a map of study abroad opportunities offered at Vanderbilt, click here.