Broadening Morningside College offers
Lisa Grosvenor learned about stereotypes this fall while studying abroad in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The Morningside College student from Newcastle, Neb., still remembers what happened the day she met some international students from Austria. “When I met the Austrians, the other American was like, ‘Oh, “Sound of Music.”’ And they said, ‘We hate that film. We only watch that when we’re learning English. They make us because they say that’s all you’re going to know about us.’ I was like, ‘Guilty!’” Morningside College has increased efforts to expose students to international experiences. As a result, next year more students will study abroad than ever before. Twice as many students as usual applied and were approved to participate in study abroad programs. “For students to be well-rounded individuals and to be competitive in the marketplace upon graduation, they need to have more global awareness experiences,” said Dr. Susan Burns, associate dean for academic affairs. “We see direct engagement with other cultures as the best way to learn.” Over the past several years, faculty members have taken hundreds of students abroad for a couple of weeks at a time during the May Term session, which takes place after the spring semester. This is a less expensive way for students to have an experience overseas, and students continue to show interest in taking advantage of this opportunity. Even so, Burns said she is excited to see the increasing number of students wanting to spend a semester or year abroad because it helps them to take their international experience to the next level – from that of a traveler to someone who actually lives in another country. There are several ways Morningside College is working to increase the number of students studying abroad. For one, it is partnering with Morningside College student Lisa Grosvenor visits Belfast Castle in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Grosvenor said that during her semester abroad, she grew in self-confidence, made a lot of friends, and got to see the United States from an outsider’s perspective.
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Four ways Morningside is offering more international experiences
Promotion and funding. Morningside is doing more to promote study abroad to the student body, and it has almost tripled funding to help with study abroad expenses.
Partnership with Central College. Morningside College is partnering with Central College in Pella, Iowa, to expand the number of places where students can study.
