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We begin the new academic year with a sense of excitement. As of September 2007, more than 900 UCSB students are scheduled to study overseas with the Education Abroad Program in the coming year. This is a new record for UCSB and represents a 26% increase over 2006-07. These students are looking forward to learning at one of the 150 universities in 34 countries that make up EAP, joining a total of nearly 4,500 students from the University as a whole. Western European destinations continue to dominate students’ interests – Italy, Spain, and the UK are the most popular – but the Far East continues to attract a significant number of students, particularly Japan and China. Australian universities are also a strong draw for UCSB students.
The Education Abroad Program enables participants to retain their status as UC students and at the same time partake fully in academic programs abroad. In addition to its traditional immersion programs in foreign universities, EAP has designed a variety of programs to enable students to study abroad for shorter periods, including semester- and quarter-long “language and culture” programs, the UC-designed “great cities” programs (London, Paris, and Rome), and several summer programs, including a new language program in Paris. The “classic” EAP option, however, is the year-long immersion program, in which students are fully enrolled in a university abroad and take courses alongside both foreign and native students in that university. UCSB was recently ranked fifth in the nation among institutions sending the largest numbers of students on year-long programs.
The UCSB campus office of EAP, located in 2431 South Hall, is responsible for recruiting, advising, selecting, and preparing students for their study abroad experience. In the current year it also welcomed some 250 students from our exchange partners abroad; these “reciprocity students” become full members of our academic community. The “academic integration” project, which aims to involve departments more fully in the process of advising and encouraging their majors’ study abroad, is entering its third year. In cooperation with the departments, EAP has now completed advising sheets for 30 different majors or programs.
In other exciting news, EAP Campus Director Michael O’Connell was named Interim Universitywide Director of EAP following the retirement of John Marcum in June 2007. We are delighted to welcome William J. Ashby, former Provost of the College of Creative Studies and Professor of French, as Interim Campus Director, effective September 1. We are also pleased to welcome new Regional Advisors Emily Tom-Atzberger and Camilla Wells, and new Administrative Advisor Namrata Gidwani. Camilla and Namrata will be filling in for Regional Advisor Vivian Thomas who gave birth to a baby boy – Levi Orlando Thomas – on July 16. Emily, Camilla and Namrata join Regional Advisors Tracee Cunningham and Craig Harmelin and Associate Director Susan Berg Arnold in sharing their belief in the value of study abroad to expand students’ academic and personal vision.
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