Australia, India, Uganda. These are just some of the study abroad options available at University of Lynchburg this year. To whet your appetite, the Center for Global Education will host a Study Abroad Fair on Thursday, Sept. 24 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Memorial Ballroom.
Nearly 30 representatives from study abroad service providers and other colleges and universities will attend the event to speak with students and promote their overseas study opportunities.
The fair, held in conjunction with nearby Randolph College and Sweet Briar College, will provide the Tri-College Consortium’s students the opportunity to obtain information about semester-long programs, LC’s global studies seminars and international exchange programs, overseas internships, and study abroad scholarships.
This year’s global studies seminars led by University of Lynchburg faculty include trips to several European countries, Australia, Canada (Quebec City), Costa Rica, India, Uganda, and two destinations in the Caribbean. Three of these programs will have a service-learning component. This semester five LC students are studying abroad: two at universities in England and three on LC’s exchange program with its sister-school in Austria.
“My learning at LC has extended far beyond the classroom through study abroad, as I have found some of my most valuable lessons in the slums of Chennai, India, a community hall in Anse la Raye, St. Lucia, and the ‘chicken buses’ of Central America,” says Amanda D’Arcy ’10, an international relations major.
Participation in study abroad has shown significant growth in recent years. In the 2008-09 academic year, 132 University of Lynchburg students took part in study abroad programs in 18 countries on six continents. Nearly 30 percent of the 2009 graduating class participated in a study abroad experience, a dramatic increase in international programming and student interest at University of Lynchburg compared to the 1990s when only about 5 percent of graduating seniors studied abroad.