Inspired alum pays it forward to support study abroad

(all photos courtesy Chas Ryan)

One of the goals of the University of Maine is to provide its students with a well-rounded educational experience, one that extends beyond a particular course of study.

For some, that includes studying abroad. However, the number of Black Bears who venture out of the country during their UMaine experience is relatively small.

Charles “Chas” Ryan wants to help change that.

Chas is a University of Maine graduate from the Class of 1984. In his time since leaving Orono, he has crisscrossed the globe in his United States Air Force career and for decades as a national security consultant in the private sector. Throughout his career, Chas’ international travels – both professional and personal – have given him a deep appreciation for the educational value of travel. To him, the cultural and personal growth experiences from working, living, and traveling abroad are
irreplaceable credits from the school of life.

His understanding of that value – combined with a respect for the foundation of education that in no small part springs from being the child of educators (including a former Associate Dean for UMaine’s College of Education) – has led him to seek ways in which to encourage the next generation of students to embrace the possibilities of studying abroad.

To that end, Chas started the Global Exploration and Language Opportunities Fund through the UMaine Foundation to further his goals of helping current students gain some of the perspective he has from international travel. He also serves on the Advisory Board for the Office of International Programs, which gives him yet another way to encourage and celebrate the vast educational value that academic travel experiences can bring.

In the following Q&A, Chas talks about his undergraduate experience and what he “wish he knew”
about studying abroad, as well as delving into the myriad ways in which travel changed and expanded
his perspective. He also shares his thoughts on how to encourage current students to embrace the
opportunities available regarding study abroad. To borrow an old advertising tag line, study abroad
opportunities are “closer than you think.”

(responses edited lightly for length and clarity)

You have said you regret not studying abroad as a student – did you actively choose not to go
abroad, and if so, what led you to that choice? Or was it not even on your radar? 

Actively choosing is difficult to use in this context. I was immature and lacked understanding of the value that study abroad would offer. I certainly do not recall it ever coming up while I was in high school from guidance counselors. Maybe my parents, but it never registered with me. Therefore, a challenge is to nudge the maturity of undergraduates that may not think study abroad is viable or even possible. Our goal should be to share and emphasize how foreign study will make a person more valuable for any career.

How did your own post-college travel experience influence your personal journey? 

Given that I was on active-duty military, I gained an appreciation for living in different places shortly after graduation. Some personal travel and then overseas assignments in my mid-to-late twenties planted the seed. Those assignments introduced me to other cultures and languages and enriched my appreciation for other things and people, and by extension made me smarter. They helped me overcome my fears of travel and foreign languages and gave me confidence to go anywhere.

What are some of the ways, obvious or subtle, in which our students benefit from studying
abroad? Why is the experience valuable to them, regardless of their career plans? 

An obvious way is to be introduced to other languages, ways of life, how other people live, and their
respective governments and laws. Ideally, this “education” or soft skill would help any student with an understanding of new experiences in their career even if they never decide to travel abroad again. The subtle education is the confidence to try something new. Fear of the unknown is a great inhibitor in education and study abroad and getting out of one’s comfort zone can provide the confidence needed when a student returns to Orono to take a different course on campus, consider graduate school, or pursue a career in the government or with an NGO.

Do you have any thoughts on specific ways to encourage students to study abroad? 

How are we doing with the basics of awareness and the “realm of the possible”? I can talk for hours about what foreign travel and study has done for me but that won’t resonate very well with an undergraduate or high school student. How well do our academic advisors (aka faculty) approach study abroad? I would not restrict any study abroad to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. I think that any of our academic advisors should be able to extoll the value of foreign study. When is the optimal time to go? After freshman year? Finances can be a roadblock and the fund is one way to address this but do students have concerns about how to pay for it? If we can dispel those fears and offer solutions, then we are a step closer.

Awareness and fundraising are two areas where alumni can encourage the study abroad experience.
As an institution, we are way behind the other New England land grant schools with UMaine students experiencing international study at less than half the rate of our near peers. We can do so much better. For alumni that have thought about a fund to support study abroad, or are looking for ways to help students in this area, I asked the UMaine Foundation to help me spread the message to anyone who has thought about starting a fund to support study abroad or are looking or ways to help our students. I think people would be surprised at how achievable it is, or how much even small gifts add up to make a real impact on a student’s education.

I also encourage alumni to be willing to share their study abroad experience with current students or
with the Office of International Programs. For alumni to share how their experiences helped them
personally and professionally would be key to sending the message that the University wants to
improve our standing in this educational category.

Is there anything you would like to share with fellow alumni that we did not ask you about?

Thanks for asking. What I want to share is something I was told years ago by one of my mentors and that is we all have a responsibility to help others achieve their goals. An extension of this is to manage and nurture our respective career areas by looking for opportunities to support and “train our replacements” because that is the key to an organization or team’s success. In this case, we are looking for ways to educate.

One thing is for certain – Chas Ryan’s passion regarding the value of international study is undeniable. Through his work with OIP and with the Foundation, he is finding ways to express that passion in a manner that can only help raise awareness (and funding) for the next generation of study abroad students.