University of Minnesota researchers released study results Wednesday indicating that students who study abroad are much more likely to become globally engaged citizens afterwards. Gerald Fry , professor of International and Intercultural Education, and researcher to the study, emphasized the importance of having hard evidence to measure the impact of studying abroad long term. For the study, researchers led by University professors Michael Paige and Fry, who are part of the UniversityâÄôs Study Abroad for Global Engagement project, electronically surveyed more than 6,000 graduates of 22 colleges who had studied overseas within a 50-year time span, according to a Powerpoint presentation created by researchers. âÄúWeâÄôre very excited about what we found,âÄù Paige said. âÄúWe are enthusiastic about the study and we are delighted, of course, that it was at the University of Minnesota, the home base of this work.âÄù Of the people surveyed, Fry said more than half of them wanted to be interviewed because the experience had a âÄúlasting and impacting effect.âÄù âÄúThey, themselves, saw that this was such an important experience,âÄù Fry said. Participants of the study attributed their level of global engagement to their experiences studying abroad, he said. In the study, global engagement is defined as a combination of six characteristics: global leadership, global values, philanthropic donations, volunteerism and domestic and international civil engagement. Fry said he and Paige started discussing the topic back in 2001. He said they were both very conscious that studying abroad had benefits for the individual who goes abroad in terms of their education and career. âÄúThen we were beginning to think more broadly about that; were there going to be benefits that go beyond the individual?âÄù he said. âÄúWhat are the benefits to society in large if people study abroad?âÄù The study was also inspired by a book, âÄúThe Shape of the River,âÄù by William G. Bowen and Derek Bok, which looked at what happened to people who had benefited from affirmative action. Fry and Paige decided to look at the last 50 years and see what happened to people who studied abroad and how it might have an impact on their life and global engagement, he said. âÄúThis is something thatâÄôs important to the country and even beyond the country; these are people that get involved,âÄù he said. âÄúThatâÄôs pretty important.âÄù Fry said he and Paige were curious to see if studying abroad had any impact on global engagement. Both researches looked at what Fry calls the âÄúfour Ds:âÄù Demographics, duration, destination and depth. Fry said, in terms of this study and in relation to global engagement, the duration of time spent overseas did not make much difference. Fry said there has been a lot of research on study abroad and most of it focuses on what happens during the experience and the process, but this study differs. âÄúWhat is unusual about this study is that it looks at what its impact is over this long period of time, over 50 years,âÄù said Fry. Fry said they looked at the occupational and educational impacts of study abroad, and said those appeared to be âÄúvery significant, but that wasnâÄôt so surprising.âÄù Fry said colleges and universities should think seriously about whether study abroad should be an integral part of liberal education. âÄúCarlson requires study abroad for all our students,âÄù Fry said. âÄúOur study indicates that is probably a wise policy.âÄù The Carlson School of Management announced in September that starting with the freshman class of 2008, all of its undergraduates must fulfill an “international experience” requirement before graduation.