The Whitworthian

Issue date: 12/4/07 Last Updated: 1/16/08

The first of five international satellite campuses could be built in Costa Rica as early as 2010, with another center in East Africa within the next 10 years.

"In every place there are going to be some challenges. I think part of what we're trying to do is develop a strong program that's a good model for us to build on and use for other places," said Vice President for Academic Affairs Michael Le Roy.

Whitworth is looking abroad during a time when more than 200,000 American students are studying overseas every year, a 70 percent increase since 1995, according to the Institute of International Education.

A group of faculty will get together in the spring to discuss the possibility by Le Roy. While Le Roy said he has a good idea of what the program would look like, Whitworth does not have any land in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica was ranked No. 10 in 2005 on a list of most popular places U.S. students like to study, according to the Institute of International Education. About 5,000 studied there in 2005 whereas 9,000 studied in Mexico. Britain tops the list at No. 1 followed by Italy, Spain and France.

"We're talking about something in Latin America because Spanish is in such strong demand," Le Roy said.

Le Roy said Costa Rica will be a good site for Whitworth because of the ability to teach general education requirements, Core 350, Spanish science course, history and culture among other subjects.

Extending time abroad

Le Roy said he would like to increase the number of students who spend significant time abroad, instead of just on an academic study tour, which is contrary to national trends.

The number of students studying for an academic year abroad has declined over the past 10 years, according to the Institute of International Education. The number of students studying abroad for just one semester has remained about the same, while shorter terms have been steadily increasing.

Whitworth follows this trend as most students travel abroad during Jan Term through Whitworth programs. If satellite campuses were established, Le Roy said regular exchange programs and Jan Term programs would continue.

Some big name higher education institutions are looking to Asia and the Middle East for satellite campuses, including New York University and Carnegie Mellon University.

Le Roy visited Oman in the Middle East last year, but said it is going to take a lot longer to build a program there.

"I think we're trying to understand what it would take to be in every part of the world," Le Roy said.

But smaller private schools such as Whitworth have established campuses beyond Asia and the Middle East to Latin America and other parts of the world.

"I would love it if students were more interested in Asia. But they're not," Le Roy said. "Students don't come thinking of those places. They come thinking about Europe and Latin America, and maybe if they are really exotic they will think of Africa."

Pepperdine University's program, which Le Roy said he is looking to as a model, has campuses in Heidelberg, Germany; London, U.K.; Florence, Italy; Lausanne, Switzerland; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Shanghai, China; and Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Pepperdine's mission for international education is to provide students a life-changing international experience designed for intellectual, social, personal and spiritual transformation.

Immersed in culture

Le Roy said while the Costa Rica program is largely undeveloped at this point, he knows he wants students to be immersed in the culture.

"There would be home-stays and a lot of interaction with the local people in those contexts," Le Roy said. "It will be different for each person."

Some places will be easier and some places will be harder to build in. Latin America will be easier because of contacts Whitworth already has there, Le Roy said.

The center would facilitate an immersive cross-cultural experience, not just what Le Roy calls academic tourism.

"What we've had a lot of is academic tourism," Le Roy said. "We have developed that quite well. Academic tourism is a great first entry into study abroad."

The program will have little cost since Whitworth plans to lease the land, Le Roy said.

"If you have 30 students with their tuition, we know that these programs can operate in the developing world context pretty well," Le Roy said.

If the program becomes successful, Le Roy said he hopes a donor would step up and help Whitworth purchase the site.

'Educating for Shalom'

The focus of the program would be "Educating for Shalom."

"The idea would be the shalom ideal of peoples from all different backgrounds learning to work, live and be together," Le Roy said.

Le Roy said there would be a theological basis to the program, but that would not exclude non-Christian students.

East Africa Initiative

Instructor in theology Moses Pulei is developing a program for a possible center in East Africa.

The East Africa Initiative, which is meant to establish a Whitworth connection with Africa, is focused on East Africa, but will probably spread to other places, Pulei said.

"Right now, our goal is to connect with both civic leaders and church leaders in Tanzania and have our relationship in a way that can serve the church," Pulei said.

Pulei said there is an opportunity for students to do research and get involved in environmental issues in Tanzania.

Pulei said right now a program in Tanzania is just a possibility as he is not sure if this is feasible or not.

Pulei will travel this January with three Whitworth students around Tanzania to see how feasible it would be to establish a Whitworth program there.

The group will travel to Moshi, Arusha and Manduli where they will interact with schools and local leaders.

Pulei said he is not against establishing a center in Tanzania, but would rather have students come and do independent study with Whitworth professors coming and going, much like the Central America Study program.

Pulei hopes to take the first Jan Term trip to Tanzania in 2009. After establishing a Jan Term program, students would eventually study for a semester.

"People are excited in Tanzania. People are excited here," Pulei said. "So I've been trying to see how we can work with both of them."

Recent Closures

Le Roy said Whitworth will only be building sites where student interest is greatest to avoid closures.

During the 1990s, Concordia University in Portland had to close its first satellite campus in Japan after a downturn in the Japanese economy and problems with the government.

Concordia Provost Mark Wahlers, who used to be director of the Japanese campus, said Concordia has been in Asia for 30 years.

"It's a very good idea to do these branch campuses but working in a foreign environment you have some things you can anticipate and things you can't anticipate," Wahlers said.

Wahlers warned Whitworth to be careful about where it sets up a campus abroad.

"You have to someone you can trust to navigate this wherever you go," Wahlers said. "You have to go where your relationships are."

Le Roy said he is aware of the closures of satellite campuses and plans to avoid this trend by being aware of student demand.

"A lot of times these programs have been created by faculty with interests in this area, which doesn't work," Le Roy said.

Le Roy said nearly anywhere in Latin America has a demand for Whitworth students.

"If we think something is going to be successful, we're going to look at it."

Contact Jessica Davis at jessica.davis@whitworthian.com.

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