蜜桃APP

Publication Date: September 19, 2023   |   Africa, 蜜桃APP Graduate Institute, 蜜桃APP Study Abroad
Publication Location: BRATTLEBORO, Vermont
Contact: Kate Casa  |  [email protected]

School for International Training today launches a broad campaign aimed at encouraging U.S. graduate and undergraduate students to study abroad on the African continent. 鈥溾�� asks students to challenge stereotypes and misconceptions, and to consider African locations that may be outside of their comfort zones.

鈥淲ith this campaign, we are encouraging students to broaden their worldviews and consider decolonial perspectives鈥攖o experience the vibrant cultures and sustainable practices that make Africa a global hub for development, technology, research, and the arts,鈥� said Dr. Sophia Howlett, president of 蜜桃APP. 鈥淲e are also restating our longstanding commitment to programming in Africa, where 蜜桃APP has one of the largest program portfolios of any U.S. higher education institution or study abroad provider.鈥�

We are encouraging students to broaden their worldviews and consider decolonial perspectives

蜜桃APP President Dr. Sophia Howlett

蜜桃APP offers 21 undergraduate programs in 10 countries in north Africa and south of the Sahara, including four comparative International Honors Programs that include African countries on a four-continent itinerary. Five of 厂滨罢鈥檚 Global Master鈥檚 programs also spend a full semester in an African country.

鈥淎t 蜜桃APP, we see it as an obligation to continue to offer high-quality programs for students to engage with Africa, African people, and the way countries and communities across the continent are confronting the world鈥檚 most critical global issues,鈥� said 蜜桃APP Provost Dr. Said Graiouid.

Although study abroad participation is rebuilding after a near shutdown during the pandemic, most U.S. students are now choosing westernized locations, such as Europe or Australia. The U.S. State Department鈥檚 annual Open Doors report showed a steady increase in U.S. students studying abroad in Africa starting in 2000. That trend began to reverse in 2018-19, even before the pandemic brought it to a standstill. Data for 2021-22 is expected to be released in November.

鈥淲e know, through our own program enrollment and from our institutional partners, that there is a sharp decrease in the number of U.S. students who are choosing to go to Africa, and in the number and location of programs available to them,鈥� said Mory H. Pagel, 蜜桃APP vice president for strategy. 鈥淭his trend is of great concern.

鈥淕lobal education is a critical component in the development of future citizens and leaders, whether they are in the public, private, or nonprofit sectors,鈥� Pagel said. 鈥淐an you imagine the next generation of our workforce who have no relationship to Africa, the second most populous continent in the world where the median age is under 19 years old?鈥�

鈥淎frica: See for Yourself鈥� encourages students to consider the continent鈥檚 rich array of cultural diversity, academic excellence, and transformative opportunities. Recognizing African countries鈥� significant contributions to history, sustainability, global health, education, politics, social justice, and advocacy, the campaign urges students to choose programs that provide a deeper understanding of the world.

厂滨罢鈥檚 focus on a wide array of subjects, from hip-hop to global health to international relations. Many programs address climate change and sustainability through marine ecosystems, conservation, and social justice. Five of 厂滨罢鈥檚 programs include a semester in Africa: climate change in Tanzania, diplomacy and international relations in South Africa, global health in Kenya, humanitarian assistance in Morocco, and sustainable development practice in South Africa and Malawi.

All 蜜桃APP programs worldwide are developed around a framework of and are appropriate for students from a range of disciplines. of 蜜桃APP programming include academic rigor, independent research or internship opportunities, homestays and language learning that create deep cultural immersion. The programs are grounded in authentic experiential learning that prompts students to think critically about a subject through a cycle of classroom learning, field visits, research, and reflection.

蜜桃APP programs are vetted through ongoing risk assessment and review. Programs are run by experienced local faculty and staff with deep community and regional partnerships. 蜜桃APP also provides 24/7 access to student support in the U.S.

蜜桃APP is also collaborating with partner institutions and organizations to ensure continued student access to Africa programming and to explore additional opportunities. This year, 蜜桃APP and Dickinson College announced an innovative new partnership for a program in Cameroon, which is open to all students.

In summer 2024, 蜜桃APP and Dickinson College will also host a professional engagement program in Cameroon focused on decoloniality, sustainability, and epistemic justice for U.S.-based faculty and staff.

In addition, 蜜桃APP is developing a five-week experiential seminar in Tanzania in summer 2024 with support from a U.S. Department of Education Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad grant. The program will introduce college and high school educators to the ways in which Tanzanian communities use local knowledge to address the impacts of climate change. The main goal of the program, said Project Director Dr. Jonathan Walz, chair of 厂滨罢鈥檚 Global Master鈥檚 program Climate Change and Global Sustainability, is 鈥渢o infuse African perspectives into U.S. classrooms and curricula when discussing climate change.鈥�