Study Abroad in Ghana Program Celebrates 10 Years
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By Emily Williams
early 160 students have made the trek to the Republic of Ghana in West Africa over the past decade through the School of Social Work’s Study Abroad in Ghana program. The 10th anniversary celebration was marked at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana. The School of Social Work hosted a celebration at UGA’s campus on Sept. 20 in the Tate Student Center’s Grand Hall. The interdisciplinary, service-learning program takes faculty and students from across campus and from other institutions. This year’s class was made up of eight students and three faculty members from the School of Social Work, the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Education. “To see that we’ve been able to sustain a program this long was special for us, but we didn’t know the impact we had on the [KNUST] campus,” said Cheryl D. Dozier, associate provost and chief diversity officer at UGA. Dozier has participated in the program since its inception in 2001 and became the program director in 2003. Dozier took the first group of social work students to Ghana in 2002. KNUST Dean of International Programs Raphael Kasim Kasanga recognized that the KNUST/UGA partnership is the oldest international partnership at their university and the longest running U.S. study abroad program in Ghana. Several faculty who have been involved with the program over the years made the trip to Ghana just to attend the celebration, including Patricia Hunt-Hurst, an associate professor and department head of textiles, merchandising and interiors in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. Noel Fallows, associate dean of international and multidisciplinary programs in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, also made the trip to observe and evaluate the study abroad experience. “The interdisciplinary piece adds a different feature to the program,” said Tony B. Lowe, associate professor of social work. “Having students from different disciplines—they have different ideas, different ways of thinking. Those combinations and mixes change each year. It really adds more interest Cherelle Barton carefully hikes the skywalks in Kakun and it keeps you engaged every year,” he said. Faculty and students pose for a picture in front of the cityscape at the University of Ghana in Accra. Back row (From L to R): Bettye Smith, Melissa Chiz, Patricia Hunt-Hurst, Cheryl Dozier, Hatidza Mulic, Morgan Carter, Noel Fallows, Raymond Phillips. Front row (From L to R): Shaniqua Smith, Karli Zuckerman, Diane Edison and Cherelle Barton.
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