BUFFALO, NY - Dr. Seuss had it right. There’s plenty to find if you don’t stay behind.
Just ask today’s Canisius students, more and more of whom are substituting classroom learning for experiential opportunities, often thousands of miles from Main Street.
Some simply want international exposure. Others seek a sense of purpose. Sometimes, it’s a student’s field of study that requires travel abroad.
No matter, the idea of the world as a classroom is one that Canisius University takes seriously.
“Experiential learning is fundamental to a Canisius education because engagement with the world and the people in it, are what transforms purely academic knowledge into meaningful understanding and action,” says Margaret C. McCarthy, PhD, vice president for academic affairs.
With 40-plus global immersion opportunities available, Canisius students study on every continent, including Antarctica. Beginning in fall 2017, students will be able to spend a semester exploring the rich historical sites and cultural beauty of Suzhou, China - Canisius’ newest travel-abroad opportunity.
Whether they stay an entire semester or just one week, embarking on an international immersion experience allows students to navigate outside their comfort zones, introduces them to new cultures, arouses their independence and occasionally exposes them to adversity. When they return home, students inevitably share stories of how much they valued their time abroad and how much it changed them.
“The ideal abroad experience is when students come back with a new appreciation not only for where they come from but where others come from, as well,” says Brian Smith, director of International Partnerships and Study Abroad at Canisius. “That’s often what shapes what they do in their lives, and on behalf of others. That’s when we know they’ll succeed.”
And that (in the words of Dr. Seuss), is 98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed!
Each semester, new opportunities in traditional and non-traditional fields promise Canisius students intellectual and cultural learning adventures abroad. Canisius Magazine will bring you these stories as part of a new travel feature.
In this issue, Canisius business students get a lesson on sustainable development in a part of the world undergoing rapid transformation.
Click here to read their story.
