Study Abroad Opportunities Continue to Grow for UM Students

January 2009

It has been a year of firsts for the UM Study Abroad Office. A record enrollment combined with new programs and international partners has Ole Miss students sharpening their linguistic skills and even learning how to identify wildlife or paint in watercolor in faraway places such as Bangkok, Tanzania, and the Caribbean.

In the 2007-08 academic year, nearly 700 UM students enrolled in a study abroad program of some kind. This is a considerable jump from the 2006-07 academic year when 583 UM students enrolled in a program.

Thirty-one percent of students receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in the May 2008 graduation participated in at least one study abroad program while enrolled at UM. Programs range from two weeks to two semesters.

“This shows we are offering more programs that students are receptive to,” Study Abroad Advisor Vanessa Cook said. “We are increasing our exchange options, which allow students to study abroad at a cost comparable to what they would spend staying on campus.”

Besides providing more affordable programs, advisors in the office help students search for additional financial aid and scholarships to fund programs abroad, Cook said. Students who study on UM programs are also allowed to apply their university, state, and federal aid toward their abroad experience.
The study abroad slate this summer includes language initiatives in Russian, Japanese and German. The Study Abroad Office is also working with the Trent Lott Leadership Institute to sponsor programs in Argentina, South Africa, and Japan. These programs, while geared toward the interests of public policy leadership majors, are open to all students on the UM campus.

An increased number of international partners has created more exchange and study abroad options this summer in Sweden, South Korea, Japan, Russia, Germany, and Argentina, according to Study Abroad Advisor Ruth Maron. The Study Abroad Office currently coordinates programs with more than 60 partner universities. The office initiates these partnerships based on students’ needs and academic interests.

“Studying abroad was something I always wanted to do,” said Willow Nero, a senior French and journalism major who spent her fall semester in France. “I made friends and gained a perspective on French culture and American culture that I don’t think I could have gained here.”

The nature of study abroad programs is changing and international community service has recently become an interest of many students studying abroad.
“We felt the need for students to engage with the local communities in their respective countries and cities instead of studying in classroom isolation,” Maron said. “The staff and professors of study abroad felt it would be good for the students to see life through others’ perspectives.”

Last summer, five UM students and social work Professor Kim Shackelford traveled to the community of Ambergris Caye in Belize, where they volunteered at the Holy Cross Anglican School in San Pedro — a community built over a lagoon and lacking stable electricity, roads, water and sewer systems. Most homes are 10-by-10-foot buildings on stilts that house as many as seven people. Residents walk on planks to get from one building to another. Students conducted surveys for public health research and worked one on one with learners at a local school.

More than 100 students plan to study abroad this semester, and the Study Abroad Office is busily advising students for what they hope will be another banner year for enrollment and international awareness. To help students make summer decisions, the Study Abroad Office will be hosting international representatives on campus during the Mississippi Gathering from February 21-25. The representatives will be available to meet with students regarding study abroad options in their respective country as well as how UM students can apply to graduate schools abroad.

• “Biodiversity Conservation in Thailand”
  Both biology majors and non-majors have the opportunity to spend ten days working with Thai students and biology Professor David Reed in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary. Students will receive training in plant and animal identification, identifying tracks, and the forest types in Southeast Asia while gaining practical experience in field work. During the program’s final week, students will be in Bangkok attending lectures related to their experience in the field as well as a course on Thai culture. Other excursions while in Bangkok include visiting Buddhist temples and crocodile breeding facilities, as well as the Lumpini Boxing Stadium to see a traditional Muay Thai fight.
• “Watercolor in Barbados”
  Students will spend four weeks with art Professor Paula Temple studying “plein-air” watercolor in UM’s first art program in the Caribbean. No newcomer to study abroad, this new program will be Paula Temple’s third location to teach her craft. She previously has taken groups to London and Sicily. Student work developed on the program will be exhibited in Oxford during the Fall 2009 semester.
• “Digital Photography on Safari”
  The adventurous and the artistic have the opportunity to visit the crater highlands of Tanzania this summer with art Professor Brooke White. This is an intensive on-site course focusing on capturing images of the landscape and animals of Tanzania using digital photography. Students will learn about the cultural and ecological history of Tanzania while building a portfolio during their safari camp experience.
• “Archaeological Fieldschool in Belize”
  Join anthropology Professor Gabriel Wrobel on a dig in Belize. Participants will take artifacts from discovery, to analysis, to cataloging and shipping, to archives. This program is designed to expand the student’s knowledge of excavation and survey techniques by participating directly in the on-going research at the cave site. This is also a great opportunity for students to connect with professionals in the field and learn the rigors of life on site.
  

Click here for more information on the Office of Study abroad.

(Andrew Abernathy)