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CIS boasts record number of students studying abroad 4:19 p.m., Jan. 23, 2004--The number of students studying abroad reached an all-time high this Winter Session, according to UDs Center for International Studies (CIS).
This Winter Session, about 1,000 students are taking courses in dozens of countries, including Peru, Australia, England, France, China, Cuba, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Tanzania and Argentina. When you realize that one in four students at the University studies abroad, thats tremendous, Lesa Griffiths, director of CIS and a professor of animal science, said. Studying abroad has become part of the campus culture. A lot of the interest is generated by word of mouth; students who come back from their semester abroad always create a bit of a buzz around campus, and that kind of enthusiasm is contagious. But, a lot of the interest, too, grows from the diversity of the program, and thats due to the push created by faculty. Because the study abroad program is cross-curricular (meaning that any student in any major can participate), faculty members from any discipline interested in spearheading a study-abroad program are supported in their efforts to get such a program up and running. The way that a campus becomes internationalized is through faculty, Griffiths said, and the way a college can encourage those internationalizing efforts is through support of that faculty. The reason why the Universitys study abroad program is so successful is because of its diversity. This diversity is driven by the faculty, who are in turn supported by the resources in place for them. Article by Becca Hutchinson To learn how to subscribe to UDaily, click here. |