Study Abroad is seeing some unusual and welcomed surges in its winter program.
The winter semester, which plans to visit Paris, has a full roster of 50 students.
Study Abroad specialist at Citrus John Morris said in an email he credits an interest in Paris and the two chaperoning professors, anthropology professor Jennifer Miller-Thayer and history professor Senya Lubisich, for the enrollment.
Morris said he hopes this is a trend as he believes in the benefits of cultural understanding and international fluency.
“I just want students to know they can 100% participate in a study abroad program with the resources they currently have,” Morris said in an email. “They will have to plan, budget, and fundraise, but I’m certain this type of experience is more accessible now than it will be at any other point in their lives.”
Morris said that he promotes the program through a combination of online, around campus, in the Clarion and with in-person and online information sessions.
“This includes information meetings for our programs, as well as fundraising and scholarship workshops,” Morris said.
Miller-Thayer said in an email she believes they’re several reasons for the increase in interest, one being that people are excited to travel again after the pandemic.
“Going to Paris, France is an exciting opportunity for students and Paris has a strong draw due to its reputation as a city of culture, romance, history, etc.,” she said. “We get to go to several exciting places such as the Louvre, Normandy beach, the Palace of Versailles, a river cruise on the Seine, etc. with guides, all of which are included in the cost.”
Miller-Thayer said several students decided to enroll in the honors class and applied for that option specifically to go to Paris.
Miller-Thayer said she believes studying abroad has value for students. She wrote that her class is on anthropology and students would be “learning about French and Parisian culture through exploration, observation and experience.”
“It (Paris) is a living classroom instead of just reading about culture or humanities, they will be learning through their experiences,” Miller-Thayer said.
The Study Abroad website lists the winter semester as four weeks from Jan. 6 to Feb. 4, 2023.
