Campus Connection

[caption id="attachment_34015" align="alignright" width="319"] UW-L student Evan Zachmann took this photo while visiting New Zealand.[/caption]

Ten faculty members lead trips abroad this summer

UW-L is already a national leader in the number of students who study abroad, but the campus recently joined an initiative that aims to boost UW-L numbers by 40 percent over the next five years. UW-L is ranked 30th in the nation within its institution type for the total number of students studying abroad during the 2011-12 academic year, the highest of all UW system schools. At UW-L, 17 percent of undergraduate students study abroad through hundreds of programs in nearly 70 countries. UW-L’s Office of International Education recently announced it will join an Institute of International Education Generation Study Abroad initiative to double the number of American students studying abroad by the end of the decade. UW-L is committed to increasing the number of study abroad students on campus by 7 percent each year for the next five years for a total increase of 40 percent. To achieve this aggressive increase, UW-L will pursue a variety of efforts, including:

• Broadening the number of faculty-led programs offered to students.

• Increasing the number of study abroad options for underrepresented populations in study abroad.

• Simplifying the study abroad application process through the newly implemented online application system, which integrates with the current Student Information System (WINGS).

• Increasing the number of study abroad scholarships through fundraising campaigns and efforts through the Office of International Education (OIE).

In support of this initiative, 119 UW-L students will be studying abroad during the summer 2014 through a variety of faculty-led and provider programs. The university and the Office of International Education believe that international exposure is vital for all students, faculty and staff in order to create global leaders for Wisconsin. UW-L’s partnerships with leading universities around the world will enable students to experience a different academic setting and a new culture.

Faculty teaching abroad this summer

This summer, 10 UW-L faculty members will lead exciting and diverse study abroad experiences in several countries, including:

• London, England — Kelly Sultzbach, English, and Adam Putz, English

• London, England — Steve Brokaw, Marketing

• Galway, Ireland — Ryan McKelley, Psychology, and Keely Rees , Health Education and Health Promotion

• Slovakia — Nicole Gullekson, Management

• Seville, Spain — Dena Huisman, Communication Studies, and Susan Schuyler, Communication Studies

• Valladolid, Spain — Jean Hindson, Modern Languages

• Tanzania — Julie Weiskopf, History

[caption id="attachment_34017" align="alignleft" width="765"] UW-L student Kaitlin Cullen won this year’s study abroad photo contest with this photo of Parque Nacional Torres del Paine in Patagonia, Chile.[/caption]