Study-abroad directors meet on campus for the first time

From left, Lizzie Terry, Jorge Fernández-Barrientos Martín, Viviane Akoka, Richard Freemantle and Mayra Herra

4:21 p.m., June 23, 2005--The five resident study-abroad directors from London, Paris, Granada in Spain, Siena in Italy and San Jose in Costa Rica, who act as guardians of UD’s most precious export--its students--met on campus from June 8-10 for a retreat designed to give them firsthand knowledge of UD and its systems. It was the first time all five have met face-to-face.

The Center for International Studies (CFIS) arranged and coordinated the retreat for Lizzie Terry, London Centre; Viviane Akoka, Paris; Jorge Fernández-Barrientos Martín, Granada, Spain; Richard Fremantle, Siena, Italy; and Mayra Herra, San Jose, Costa Rica.

Resident directors went on a campus tour, had an issues-brainstorming session and met with CFIS personnel to discuss the center’s database and computing system, financial aid, expectations for study abroad faculty, safety, security and research and development and how UD study abroad fits into campus and national trends.

The three-day retreat also included meetings with University administrators to review UD’s Honors Program, financial systems, and how the University handles judicial matters and crisis situations. There were sessions with faculty from the Spanish, French and Italian foreign languages and literatures programs that lead study-aboard trips.

Akoka said she’s corresponded via e-mail with the other directors. “I’ve been a resident director for 10 years, and this is the first time I’ve met the others in-person. This is a link that is important in the sense of human relationships. It tells me, I’m not an island,” she said.

The Paris program accommodates study-abroad students throughout the year. Akoka is directly responsible for the fall and spring semester students, while the UD faculty who travel with students during Winter and Summer Sessions take on this responsibility.

Akoka, who has been Paris director since 1995, has a master’s degree in sociology from the Sorbonne, a master’s in French as a second language and is a certified social and clinical psychologist. She also is a gourmet cook who hosts Thanksgiving dinner for her study-abroad students and their friends and families. Last year, she had 45 guests for dinner.

Terry, director of the London Centre, runs one of the larger programs with approximately 38 students during spring semester and up to 120 during Winter Session. With the help of an assistant, Sara Dennis, Terry provides students with everything from hairdryers to help with homework. “They talk to me about everything, really,” she said.

She and Dennis help students find housing, health care and financial aid; provide support; book class trips and outings; and meet them at the airport.

Terry has been with the London Centre since 1998. She has a bachelor’s degree in the history of art from the University of East Anglia and a master’s degree in the history of modern architecture from University College London. She’s lived in London for more than 10 years and said she loves showing students the town. “They study at the best theatres in London, the best galleries. We use London as a classroom,” she said.

In southern Spain, Martin directs the Granada program. Martin, the father of four, said he feels as though he’s filling the role of a parent when students arrive. As senior lecturer at the University of Granada, Martin authored more than 40 books on teaching English. He has given up teaching, though, so that his role as counselor, friend and confidant is not compromised by having to judge students, he said.

“I decided not to teach when I became resident director to avoid being second father, tutor, adviser and as teacher, their judge. I prefer being close to them, as though they were my kids,” Martin said.

Granada has a four-semester program. For the fall and spring semesters, Martin begins the stay with a week-long trip to Madrid, in the heart of Spain, and Barcelona on the east coast. It is how he introduces his students to Spanish culture.

“During that week, we have special sessions. I talk to them about the culture and any problems they might have. I tell them we are like a family, and must help each other,” he said. He hosts 15 to 20 students per semester.

As resident directors, there is no such thing as 9 to 5, Herra said.
“We are available to students and teachers all of the time. If a student needs us at 2 a.m., we are there for them,” she said.

Herra is in charge of the Costa Rica program and said the best part of working for UD is being able to share her country and culture with students from other nations. “When they share with Costa Ricans, they learn from each other.”

She has worked for the University for almost 20 years, 12 years as resident director. Herra teaches a course in Latin American literature and has a master’s degree in linguistics from the University of Costa Rica. When she’s not hosting UD students, she spends time on her coffee farm outside of San Jose with her husband and daughter.

A writer and art historian, Fremantle has directed the Siena program since 1995. It is the smallest of the study-abroad programs, only available during the spring semester, with 10 to 20 students. He earned his degrees from Columbia University and studies at the University of London’s Courtauld Institute of Art.

During spring semester, he teaches a course on the history of Florentine Renaissance painting, from Giotto to Michelangelo. Students study artworks in Rome, Naples, Venice and Pisa.

“They see a lot of central Italy. They say they learn even more on the trips than in the classroom,” Fremantle said.

Article by Barbara Garrison
Photos by Kathy F. Atkinson

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