Elon University recently announced a record-breaking number of students, faculty and staff traveled around the country and world to participate in a range of global study experiences during Winter Term 2015. This month, nearly 1,000 students — about 15 percent of Elon’s graduate and undergraduate population — are participating in 36 international and five Study USA courses.
The courses fulfill Elon core credit requirements in the areas of science, civilization, society, expression, general studies, service learning and elective courses. This year’s increase in the number of participating students have something to do with the increase in available programs.
Some of the programs added since 2013 include “Austria: Sex and Violins,” “Malawi: The Warm Heart of Africa” and “Discovering Dixie.”
“More programs mean more spots for students,” said Amanda Zamzes, business and data manager at Elon’s Isabella Cannon Global Education Center (GEC).
Last year, 932 students participated in 38 global experience programs around the world during Winter Term. According to data posted on Elon’s website, Winter Term at Elon is the most popular time to study abroad.
Elon reported that 72 percent of 2014 graduating seniors participated in at least one global study experience during their time at Elon, which includes semester and Winter Term study abroad opportunities. As a result, the Institute of International Education consistently ranks Elon No. 1 in the nation in study abroad for a master’s-level university.
This year’s record comes at the tail end of the International Elon Plan created in 2010 and available on Elon’s GEC website. The plan proposes 100 percent access to study abroad programs for students by 2016 in accordance with Elon’s global citizen effort. The GEC successfully coordinated study abroad semester programs for at least 400 students in Fall 2014, more than double the number from five years ago.
“The majority of our new programs appeal to a certain part of the Elon student population,” Zamzes said. “The more programs we have, the more students we have participating.”
Elon’s Winter Term programs vary in cost — the average cost is about $6,000. These costs include international airfare, accommodations and transportation and cover most fees for course-related activities while abroad. A program’s average length is about three weeks — the same length as a Winter Term course on Elon’s campus.
“Winter Term abroad programs can be an opportunity for freshmen and sophomores to discover if they want to go abroad for a semester later on,” said senior Eugena Neumann, who traveled to Greece with Elon last year. “It’s an amazing experience Elon offers that few other institutions can rival.”
In addition to international courses, Elon offered five Study USA courses this year during Winter Term for students looking to explore domestically. Experiences in Hawaii, at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, travel through the American South, as well as Elon Fellows programs along the East Coast, offered courses in a number of subjects from indigenous culture to filmmaking.
Zamzes said Elon plans to add even more Winter Term programs to the docket next year. Applications for 2016 Winter Term global experience programs will be available March 3.