About IFYE

More IFYE History

Dr. Richard Tenney, 1959 IFYE from Ohio to France, presented a Master's thesis at Penn State University in 1967 on "The Influence of the International Farm Youth Exchange Experience on the Educational Development and Occupational Choice of the United States Delegates."

In 1969, Tenney completed a PhD dissertation in Agricultural Education titled, "IFYE Alumni: The Conception and Performance of Roles Promoting International Understanding," with emphasis on international extension and agricultural development.  

Four of Tenney's documents are linked below. The Beginning Article was published in the Winter 2006 issue of the IFYE NEWS and the Impact Articles were published in the Spring 2001 issue, the Summer 2001 issue and the Fall 2001 issue of the IFYE NEWS.  (See the IFYE NEWS archives under the "News and Conferences" tab of this website.)

Tenney's studies show that there is a definite influence on a person who has had an IFYE experience. Please read the interesting conclusions found from Tenney's research and learn more of his international travels along with his wife, Mary Lou, a 1960 IFYE from Ohio to Colombia.

An informal online survey conducted in 2011 by Dr. Betty Jo Smith-Roberts, 1970 IFYE from Kansas to Ecuador, showed similar impacts on lives of IFYEs who answered the survey. With so many opportunities today for global awareness and communication, IFYE is still a viable means of creating interest in promoting international understanding.