Chapter 37: To The Field And Back Again Safely: Contemporary Approaches to International Safety and Security in Higher Education

Over the last decade, UW-Madison has strengthened processes and aligned resources to exercise due diligence on behalf of students and employees who travel abroad. This action reflects trends across higher education that increasingly marks the field of international safety and security with the establishment of a professional organization, recognized expertise, and acknowledged standards of practice. This chapter discusses international risk conceptually in the context of education abroad; offers a summary description of the foundational best practices for organizing international safety and security processes; outlines commonly accessed public and commercial resources; and offers examples of effective institutional models for oversight, decision–making, and response. Representative cases are presented to emphasize several risk–related challenges that face international educators and their institutions today. Safety and security are posited as an endeavor that demands agile and responsive systems to meet dynamic needs. The chapter closes with a discussion of emerging risk–related challenges with the potential to confront international educators in the future.