Now even more students have the chance to study abroad - including students who were traditionally unable to.
The Global Education Office now offers the Vanderbilt Initiative for Scholarship and Global Engagement, a new study abroad option. VISAGE, a yearlong learning sequence, offers a four-week summer service program in Nicaragua, South Africa or Australia.
The program reflects a wider initiative to broaden the scope of GEO (formally known as the study abroad office) to include more nontraditional study abroad and service options as well as opportunities for more students in different majors to go abroad, said Marie Martin, assistant director of GEO.
"We really hope this will open up the door for everyone to go abroad and think about it in a long-term way," Martin said. "We are utilizing Vanderbilt resources in the form of faculty and access to incredible organizations abroad."
Tuesday the program received a $27,000 grant from the Center for Ethics to bring speakers to the three VISAGE sites' courses. The speakers will meet personally with students, eat meals with them and appear in public lectures for the general community.
The summer service is bookended by the two credited courses, the first which covers the regional history, politics, economics and culture of the content area, and the second which involves local civic volunteering and a research project.
Assistant Provost and history professor Joel Harrington, who also works for the Vanderbilt International Office, said VISAGE is unique as a service program because of this academic focus.
"This third component, combining group reflection with academic research after the study abroad service is finished, sets it apart from other university's programs," Harrington said. "There is a real hunger among students for this type of active engagement within an academic context, and we have such a strong tradition of service as part of our academic mission."
A service scholarship through the Nichols Humanitarian Fund will be available for students applying to the VISAGE program. The scholarship was created specifically for Vanderbilt students who want to volunteer for local, domestic or international humanitarian relief efforts, especially in the summer when scholarships are traditionally scarce.
"Financial aid in the summer often rarely exists," Martin said. "We want to change that and provide opportunities for anyone who wants to go, irrespective of socioeconomic boundaries."
Ed and Janice Nichols, who set up the fund, said they were impressed with the students, faculty and Vanderbilt and are confident the program will be successful.
"We are very blessed and very privileged for a wonderful program, and we pray that it will take off and flourish," Ed Nichols said.
The sites each offer different credit options for three different schools. For Nicaragua, where the focus is on family, community and social justice, students in the College of Arts and Science will be able to receive interdisciplinary elective credit. For South Africa, where the topics will be education, social cohesion and economic development, human and organizational development majors will be able to receive credit for the international track. In Australia, a focus on sustainable water resource management will allow engineers to get civil engineering credit, which Martin said will fulfill a technical elective for most engineering majors.
Three faculty members in three different schools ¬?- professor Marshall Eakin in the College of Arts and Science, professor Brian Heuser in Peabody College and professor Gene LeBoeuf in the School of Engineering - have elected to be pro-bono academic directors for a site in the program's inaugural year.
"We did a blanket sampling of professors in each school," Martin said. "Next year professors will submit proposals, which will go through a VISAGE advisory council. We hope the program will grow with interest from students."
Sophomore Tamesha Derico said she was interested in VISAGE because the sites fit her individual interests.
"I was looking for a summer experience abroad anyway, and education and economic development fit my interest perfectly," Derico said.
Freshman Maggie Wilson felt similarly.
"I'm hoping to study to major in public policy, and I was looking for programs that would appeal to me in global places," Wilson said. "I also like the three-part system."
Sophomore Ogechi Achuko said VISAGE appealed to her because it had a shorter time abroad then traditional programs.
"I'm interested in study abroad and doing something different, getting out of the country," Achuko said. "I didn't want to leave the country for a whole summer; I can do a month abroad and not a whole six months."
