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.
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