Global Learning Opportunities

by Lisa Roberts

From a career planning perspective, traveling overseas has emerged as a priority for college students everywhere. With nearly every industry impacted by the ease of commerce and communication through electronic technologies, job preparation has come to include an awareness of and respect for cultural differences in more courses of study than ever before. As Susan Fitzgerald, Fairfield's director of study abroad programs points out, "Even the smallest company receiving our students' resumes may very well be global."

Fred Zusi '08 in an immersion program at Sophia University in Tokyo.

As a Jesuit institution, Fairfield University seeks to awaken a deeper awareness in students' perception of diversity for a greater cause - social justice. Understanding, embracing, celebrating, and respecting cultural and ethnic differences is the hallmark of a Jesuit education, and has become an even higher imperative in a post-9/11 world. As consciousness is raised on the importance of global awareness, the number of Fairfield students interested in traveling abroad grows exponentially.

In response to this increased demand, the global learning opportunities available at Fairfield are varied and rising. From student club and service opportunities to academically-challenging study abroad programs, the University seeks to expand its international reach for all students. A recent partnership with Universidad Centroamericana is evolving into numerous experiential learning opportunities in Nicaragua; in Latin America, an estimated 220 million of its 512 million population is at poverty level, according to Dr. Javier Campos, associate professor of modern languages and literatures. Dr. Campos, who teaches the popular Justice in the Developing World course, explains, "After one week in Nicaragua, students have told me that their lives will never again be the same. Imagine that - in one week you can change your life!"

For Alejandro Martinez '06, a native Columbian, living in Beijing during the spring semester of his junior year was "mind opening and curiously inviting." Awarded $5,000 by the prestigious Freeman-Asia Scholarship program, Alejandro joined 56 college students from all over the U.S. to study at The Beijing Center. "When I arrived in China," says Martinez, "the Jesuit idea of the pursuit of knowledge kicked in for me. China became more than just a page in a textbook."

In 2005-06, the international student population at Fairfield stands at 76 students from 36 countries. For U.S. students looking to have a richer, broader Fairfield educational experience, the following avenues of opportunity to travel abroad are offered. As new travel opportunities continue to become available through University partnerships, encourage your son or daughter to speak with their academic advisor, as well as the contact names listed in the box below, for further exploration of Fairfield's pathways "to the world."

Semester Study Abroad Programs:
Most Fairfield students who study abroad do so for a semester in their junior year; international studies or modern language majors may study abroad for a full year. The semester of study typically includes a combination of core, major, and elective courses. The following Fairfield University programs were designed in close partnership with institutions abroad and have a strong student services component: Managua, Nicaragua; Florence, Italy; The Mediterranean Center, Sicily; Brisbane, Australia; and Galway, Ireland. Other affiliated programs approved for Fairfield students include travel to Europe, Africa, Latin America, Russia, and Japan, among many others.

Short Term Study Abroad Programs:
In addition to the 10-day "January Experience in Florence," two- to four-week summer excursions are available to: Florence, Italy; Galway, Ireland; St. Petersburg, Russia; Padova, Italy (for nursing students only); and Managua, Nicaragua.

Scholarships:
Merit-based scholarships to study abroad are not only cost-effective but highly rewarding for the honored recipients. Among such scholarships and their designated destinations are:

Internships:
The Charles F. Dolan School of Business and the Universidad Centroamericana are formalizing plans to create internships and research opportunities for microfinance students at the Nicaragua campus. Internships are available in many disciplines at the programs in Brisbane, Australia and Florence, Italy.

Exchange Programs:
Fairfield University offers student exchange programs with the following: Doshisha Women's College in Kyoto, Japan, Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan, University of Maastrich in the Netherlands, IFI-Rouen in France, UC Louvain in Belgium, Helsinki Polytechnic in Finland, and Baden-Wuerttemberg in Germany. In addition, stipends are offered to qualified Fairfield students for the FIPSE/CAPES Brazilian Consortium Program to study at Amazonas, Brazil and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Course Study:
As part of the course curriculum, students taking the Justice in the Developing World course are invited to spend spring break in Nicaragua for an immersion trip with an intensive field research opportunity, the findings of which they incorporate into their papers.

Arrupe Volunteer Program:
Sponsored by Campus Ministry, Fairfield University's two-week Arrupe trips are open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors who seek a life-changing international immersion experience. The non-academic nature of this experience is intentional, as volunteers live with the poor and immerse themselves in another culture without distraction - with the intent of putting a name and face to the abstraction of poverty.

Model United Nations:
Fairfield's Model U.N. is a student club that operates under the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA USA) and is open to all undergraduates in any major. A minimum of three conferences per year (two national and one international) enable selected members to compete with peers from all over the world, while feeding their interest in current events, increasing their public speaking skills, and opening up their minds to the political, social, and economic landscape of other countries.

Work Abroad:
Fairfield students are offered a low outlay way to experience the cultural life of other countries through BUNAC programs, an international work abroad program with partnerships in Britain, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Peru.

Fairfield's Global Learning Experiences Contact List

Study Abroad
Susan Fitzgerald, ext. 2914
smfitzgerald@mail.fairfield.edu

Scholarships
Miriam Gogol, ext. 2221
mgogol@mail.fairfield.edu

Arrupe Volunteers
Campus Ministry, ext. 3405
campusministry@mail.fairfield.edu

Exchange Programs
Christine Bowers, ext. 3404
cbbowers@mail.fairfield.edu

Model U.N.
Alejandro Martinez , ext. 2445
cdieguez@mail.fairfield.edu

Justice in the Developing World
Javier Campos, ext. 2351
jcampos@mail.fairfield.edu