Elmhurst College has entered into a School of Record partnership with The Education Abroad Network (TEAN), an organization specializing in study abroad and internship programs throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

The partnership allows TEAN to offer academic credit for its longstanding internship programs, and to create new academic opportunities for students from across the U.S. who enroll in TEAN programs. For Elmhurst College, the partnership raises its visibility nationally by making it an academic hub for study abroad programming, and also gives Elmhurst faculty more opportunities for international engagement.

Under the school of record relationship, Elmhurst College will serve as TEAN’s sole academic partner, meaning that students from across the country who participate in TEAN’s internship programs will follow Elmhurst College’s internship curriculum; and that customized TEAN programs will be vetted through Elmhurst’s academic approval structure.

“We are excited to partner with this high-quality organization and further build on Elmhurst College’s growing international profile,” said Gail Gilbert, director of international education at Elmhurst. “The ability to serve as a curriculum model and expand collaborative international opportunities for Elmhurst College faculty, staff and students is a true benefit to the College.”

The Education Abroad Network, based in Chicago, had worked previously with Elmhurst College faculty in the nursing, intercultural studies and kinesiology programs.

“Through this new partnership, we are excited to expand on this collaboration with more Elmhurst academic departments and faculty,” said Chris Shepherd, a director and co-founder of TEAN. “We are also looking forward to offering our program participants a range of new academic opportunities, particularly for underrepresented groups, throughout our network in Asia-Pacific.”

TEAN has been developing, designing, and delivering study abroad programs throughout the Asia-Pacific region, especially Australia and New Zealand, for more than 20 years. When the organization recently began to seek a partner to become its school of record, “we quickly realized that (Elmhurst and TEAN) had similar core values and academic standards, and that we both prioritize individual attention and care for every single student,” Shepherd said. “For these reasons, Elmhurst was the perfect fit for us.”