Peek through AUM's 'new window to the world'

Study abroad opportunities multiplying at AUM

Through two new efforts at AUM, the AUM Global Experiences Abroad Office, a unit within the Office of International Affairs, and the campus Study Abroad Committee, made up of faculty representatives from the five schools, the university is experiencing phenomenal growth in organized, faculty-led study and travel abroad programs.

This spring alone, AUM faculty are taking students to several locations around the world, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Costa Rica, Belize and Italy. Plans are already underway for several trips in spring 2013, which tentatively include Mexico, Japan, Sweden, and Ireland.

Students also are expressing interest in individual study abroad programs. Three AUM students are making plans to study at Ulsan University in South Korea for the 2012-13 academic year under a new agreement with AUM, and another student is preparing for a possible yearlong academic experience at Yonsei University, one of Korea's premiere academic institutions.

There are countless benefits for both faculty and students through study abroad:

• Opportunities to enhance the course content of certain courses with meaningful cultural experiences;
• Improving the multicultural quotient of AUM students, making them potentially more competitive in the job market;
• Providing a richer campus experience for AUM students.

And the best benefit of all? It may be that AUM now has a program that assists students in defraying some of the costs associated with such travel, making international experiences more affordable and realistic.

Students may also be able to use financial aid to pay for study/travel abroad programs.

Faculty interested in exploring faculty-led study and travel abroad opportunities should contact the Office of International Affairs at 244-3375.

March 19, 2012