In the wake of a controversial article in Monday’s New York Times about possible conflicts of interest in study-abroad programs, Nafsa: Association of International Educators announced today that it would convene a task force to examine how colleges manage study abroad and to make recommendations for changes.

The panel will look at, among other things, how study abroad is financed, how financial aid comes into play, credit-transfer policies, and colleges’ financial relationships with third-party providers, which enroll about 20 percent of the more than 200,000 students who go overseas each year. A Nafsa spokewoman, Ursula Oaks, said that those issues had been of concern to study-abroad professionals for a while, but that the Times article had provided the impetus for discussions to move ahead, “so that the issues could be considered in a systematic way.”

Much of the confusion surrounding institutional management of study abroad stems from its growth from a cottage industry into a big business over the past decade because of mushrooming interest among students, faculty members, college administrators, and public-policy makers. —Beth McMurtrie