Students participating in the UT Dallas international education pilot program last summer visited the Villa Malpensata at the Museum of Cultures in Lugano, Switzerland, where they met with art collector Jeffrey Montgomery.
The University of Texas at Dallas has launched a new international education program to encourage participation from students who typically would not have the opportunity to take classes in other countries.
“We’re making it reasonable and easy to get there,” said Dr. Juan González, dean of graduate education, vice provost for global engagement and the Francis S. Johnson Chair for Graduate Education.
The program features 12 program options — six three-week courses in May and six five-week programs during June and July. The launch comes after a successful pilot program last summer.
The UT Dallas International Center designed the program to include students who might not otherwise participate, such as those with difficult financial situations and science, technology, engineering and math students.
“We created a few trips that are directed toward engineers or scientists — the kind of students who usually don’t get involved in study abroad programs,” González said. “We want to try to get them out of their normal routines, get them traveling and get them connected.”
For example, Dr. Chris Ryan, professor of instruction in rhetoric and professional and technical communication, will lead a professional and technical communication class for engineering students in Florence, Italy, and Dr. Faruck Morcos, associate professor of biological sciences, will lead a combined program covering molecular evolution and parasitology for students in the Galápagos Islands and Quito, Ecuador.
A key focus of the program is to make it affordable for all students. Besides regular tuition costs, fees for the May programs will be capped at $1,000, and for June and July, the highest cost will be $1,500. Students will have to cover their own airfares, but González said there will be scholarships available for most students.
On weekends and after classes, UT Dallas international education students visited a number of famous European sites, including the Colosseum in Rome. From left: Aiko Saracho, Travis Mccasland, Riley Deaver, Srikirthi Sai Velichety and Jimena Soto.
“My goal is to include the students who normally would not do this — those who wouldn’t even think about it because of their financial situations,” he said.
Political science junior Jimena Soto participated in one of the pilot programs — Lethal Crimes and Public Policy in the European Union — last summer in Lugano, Switzerland. She said the experience was life-changing and credits the low cost of the program for allowing her to participate.
“It’s a great program, especially for first-generation students who have never traveled abroad and who come from low-income families like mine,” Soto said. “It was an amazing experience that I think everybody deserves to have.”
“My goal is to include the students who normally would not do this — those who wouldn’t even think about it because of their financial situations.”Dr. Juan González, dean of graduate education at UT Dallas
Dr. John Gooch, associate professor of literature and rhetoric in the School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology, was one of Soto’s instructors on the Lugano trip last year. He said study abroad programs are an invaluable part of the university experience.
“It’s so important to experience another part of the world, to see issues from a little bit different perspective and to consider how other people live,” he said.
UT Dallas is already recognized for its strong support of international students, with more than 9,500 currently enrolled. González said he hopes the international education program will become just as notable, eventually involving 10% to 15% of the student population.
“In order to be a truly global university, we must ensure that we not only get the input of international students, but we also get the output of our students going out to the world,” he said.
Dr. Inga Musselman, UT Dallas provost, vice president for academic affairs and the Cecil H. Green Distinguished Chair of Academic Leadership, said UTD’s commitment to international education is essential.
“In our strategic plan, we pledge to create an environment where our graduates understand what it means to live, work and thrive in a diverse national and global society,” she said, “There is no better way to accomplish that than by being on the ground, learning from the best professors and experiencing the world.”
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