The number of students studying abroad in short-term programs has increased both for Whitworth and nationally.
“Nationally, short-term programs are becoming more and more popular,” said Sue Jackson, director of the International Education Center.
Of the 260 students who participated in off-campus study programs during the 2006-07 school year, 217 participated in Jan Term or May Term trips, 40 in semester-long programs and three in year-long programs, according to data from Jackson.
Jackson said short-term programs can be classified as anything from the one-week trip to China over Spring Break with professor of philosophy Forrest Baird to Jan Term or summer exchanges.
The number of Whitworth students studying abroad increased from 155 during the 1995-96 school year to 260 during the 2006-07 school year, according to the data from Jackson.
Whitworth’s goal is to have 75 percent of students participate in a study abroad program before they graduate, according to the 2005-2010 strategic plan.
About 50 percent of graduating seniors have gone abroad, said Michael Le Roy, vice president for Academic Affairs, in an e-mail.
That does not include Whitworth-led study programs in the United States, Jackson said.
“Most of our efforts are focused on semester-long study abroad, by increasing International Exchange Student Program opportunities and also the center we are going to establish overseas by 2010,” Le Roy said in an e-mail. “On a cost-per-day basis, Jan Term programs and traveling study programs are much more expensive than residential programs.”
Professor of sociology Raja Tanas said month-long programs are fine, but experiencing life in another culture for four months can be valuable.
“If students go abroad for four months, there is more time to get over the cultural shock and dig deeper into the culture,” Tanas said.
Professor of Spanish Lindy Scott said he encourages students to take longer-term trips.
He said while studying abroad, students pick up bits and pieces of living they want to incorporate into their own lives.
“Studying abroad is like a tool which you can use to sharpen your area of expertise in order to understand and serve others better,” Scott said.
Junior Katie Tremayne, a double major in Spanish and music, is studying abroad this semester through ISEP at the Pontificia Universidad Catótica de Valparaíso in Valparaiso, Chile.
“Living abroad is a challenge every day,” Tremayne said in an e-mail. “I have had many excellent moments and just as many periods of immense frustration and depression.”
Jackson said Whitworth is an ISEP member.
ISEP includes 275 colleges in 39 countries, according to the organization’s Web site.
The ISEP program allows students to pay regular tuition and room and board at their home institution. About 2,400 students nationally participated in ISEP during the 2006-07 school year, according to the ISEP Web site.
Jackson said she was surprised to see that while the number of students who are majoring in a foreign language is increasing, there is a larger increase in the number of students participating in English-speaking programs while studying abroad.
Seventy-eight students are majoring within the modern language department, according to the Tenth Day enrollment report for spring 2008.
Senior Sean Thrush studied abroad from July through December through ISEP in Australia. He said as a biochemistry major, he did not have time in the academic year to take a language class and wanted to study in an English-speaking country.
“There was a completely non-American worldview, even from a Western perspective,” he said. “It was good to step outside of the U.S. and see how it is represented worldwide.”
Tanas said he has not been able to take students on the Jan Term course “Peoples and Cultures of the Holy Land: Past and Present” since 2000 due to a state department-issued advisory.
“I am quite upset that we are not able to do this,” Tanas said.
He said he first took a group of students to the Holy Land during Jan Term in 1996. He said the course is on the books, but that he has not been able to take students because the university’s insurance will not cover the trip.
The university’s insurance will not cover any trip to an area with a state department-issued advisory, Jackson said.
Tanas said Jan Term trips must be planned two years in advance and he hopes that the advisory will be lifted by January 2010.
He said the final decision regarding the trip must be made by January 2009.
FINANCES
The off-campus studies department works to provide programs that range in cost from normal Whitworth tuition to about $5,000 extra in areas with a high cost of living, according to the off-campus studies department Web site.
Tremayne said she is paying her normal Whitworth tuition, room and board expenses.
"Those transfer to PUCV and my host family," she said. "My financial aid from Whitworth transfers completely."
She said she is paying for her own plane tickets and other travel expenses.
Sixty-one percent of colleges let students apply their financial aid to approved programs operated by organizations outside the institution, according to an October study conducted by the Forum of Education Abroad.
Tanas said he would like to see every student participate in an off-campus studies program. Including this cost in students' tuition would be a way to allow students who do not financially have this opportunity to participate.
Jackson said exchange programs, such as through ISEP, are the cheapest for students.
Students studying abroad through exchange programs are able to keep their Whitworth financial aid, Jackson said.
"Students on non-Whitworth programs can always use their federal financial aid, but we don't allow Whitworth scholarships to be used for non-Whitworth programs," Le Roy said in an e-mail. "Often non-Whitworth programs have their own scholarships for which students can apply."
Jackson said extra expenses include airline tickets, money for other expenses and some form of health insurance. She said these expenses can be too costly for some students.
She said another advantage of official exchange programs is that students pay in U.S. dollars.
"Faculty-led programs are at the mercy of currency fluctuations," she said.
Scott said for Jan term trips, tuition is covered.
He said like any study abroad program, students used different methods of financing the trip, such as through scholarships, summer jobs and parents.
Jackson said there are some scholarships available for students studying abroad.
She said the Gilman scholarship funds travel expenses for students who are receiving Pell grants.
She said all the Whitworth students who have applied for the scholarship have recieved it.
"Only a small percentage of students at Whitworth have Pell grants," she said.
The Boren scholarship is available for undergraduates, Jackson said.
“Students do not have to have a Pell grant in order to be eligible, but must be studying abroad in a non-traditional location," she said.
She said Central America and Asia are examples of such locations.
"We have not had many students go to Asia," Jackson said.
She said scholarships for faculty-led programs are need-based.
"The financial aid department ranks students by need," Jackson said.
She said the amount of financial aid awarded differs depending on the price of the program.
The history, political science and modern language departments give one award per year to a student in that department who is studying abroad, Jackson said.
“There are still students who are still struggling and that’s sad," Jackson said. "Others go on two or three programs.”
Contact Julie Wootton at julie.wootton@whitworthian.com.
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