The new year brings new opportunities to explore the world beyond Provo.
The Kennedy Center offers a variety of study abroad programs, many of which have been newly created in 2017. New programs added this year include Archeology in Petra, China Global Health, Kilimanjaro: Adventure/Ecotourism and LDS Public Affairs-New Zealand.
Students of all majors who are interested in adventure tourism are welcome to apply for the new Kilimanjaro: Adventure/Ecotourism study abroad Spring 2017. Jeff Durrant, the faculty director of the program, has extensive experience in this area of the world. He returned just a few weeks ago from climbing Mount Kilimanjaro himself.
The department has taken students to Tanzania and Mount Kilimanjaro for research, but with this revamp to an old program, students are now involved in the adventure tourism aspects of the region.
“This program is unique because it’s not just travel. We’re going to interact very closely with local people involved in the issues,” Durrant said. “You won’t get this experience just going on a safari or a climbing a mountain.”
Another new program to be offered in Spring 2017 is Europe Business. A similar program was offered in Summer 2015, but this will be John Bingham’s first time leading the group.
Bingham is a professor of organizational leadership and strategy, and his wife and five children will accompany the group on the study abroad. Students will visit seven countries: England, Netherlands, Switzerland, France, Germany, Austria and Italy.
“It’s a way for students to get a really good picture of what the business environment in Western Europe looks like,” Bingham said.
The group will visit the Nestle corporation headquarters in Switzerland, financial services companies in the heart of London and production companies such as BMW in Germany and Ducati Motorcycles in Italy.
Bingham said this study abroad, while focusing on international business models, is appealing to students from all majors.
“Because it’s not a deep dive into one aspect or discipline within the business school, it gives students who thought about business as a minor, or maybe as a major, a glimpse of what business looks like across a lot of different industries and in a global environment,” Bingham said.
BYU accounting major Jared Fowkes participated in the Europe Accounting study abroad during Spring 2015. Fowkes didn’t originally plan on going on a study abroad, but when the opportunity presented itself, he decided to go.
“I think one of the reasons why a lot of people don’t go on study abroads is because they think it’s too expensive,” Fowkes said. “I would encourage any student to go on a study abroad and try something new.”
Hired as a student coordinator for the program, he made money while assisting on the trip and also received scholarship funding. Students who want to participate in a study abroad should look for scholarship funding opportunities both through the Kennedy Center and their major departments. Off-campus funding is also available.
Fowkes said the program director, Greg Burton, talked to the students when planning the study abroad to make sure he planned things the students wanted to do during the trip.
The new study abroad opportunities offer differing experiences. Students who haven’t found a study abroad opportunity perfect for them may find that new programs are better suited to their interests.
Going on a study abroad can help students gain a broader understanding of the world and shape future career choices.
“If you have any interest in working abroad, you really should do a study abroad to see if you’ll like living and working abroad because you learn a lot,” Fowkes said.
The Kennedy Center aims to provide a variety of enriching study abroad programs and to make them accessible to all students. According to the Kennedy Center website, going on a study abroad is an investment and whatever a student puts into his or her program will be worth it.
All new 2017 study abroad programs include
- Africa Study Abroad
- Ancient Near Eastern Studies in Museums of Europe
- Archeology in Petra
- China Global Health
- Ecuador Ecology
- English Choral Music
- Europe Business
- Europe Psychology
- Kilimanjaro: Adventure/Ecotourism
- LDS Public Affairs—New Zealand
- Math Study Abroad
- Namibia Field School
- Peru Global Health
- Portugal Study Abroad
- Rheumatic Relief Samoa
- Senegal-Morocco
