SU Abroad has expanded its program offerings to countries outside of Western Europe with enrollment for studying abroad growing by 11 percent this semester.

More than 900 students currently plan to study abroad this spring, but SU Abroad is still accepting applications for some programs, even though the official deadline was Oct. 13.

While about the same number of students are planning to study abroad this spring compared to last spring, more than 800 Syracuse University students participated in studying abroad this fall, an 11 percent increase from last fall, said Amy Sloane-Garris, executive director of marketing and recruitment at the university’s Office of Enrollment Management.

‘The reasons for the growth may vary, but at the heart of it all, students returning from the SU Abroad programs are sharing their experiences with others across campus and applying what they’ve learned,’ Sloane-Garris said in an e-mail.

Due in part to the increased interest in overseas studies and a desire for broader options, new programs are being developed.

‘There is a push to get students out of their comfort zone of Western Europe and to explore places that are lesser known and really emerging as pivotal countries in the world,’ said Sue Shane, director of programs for SU Abroad. ‘And Turkey is one of them.’

No new programs were officially offered this past fall, but a new SU Abroad center in Istanbul, Turkey, will begin programming in the spring. The Istanbul program was more popular than anticipated. Though the program was only expecting 12 students, 16 signed up to participate, Shane said. SU Abroad also expected the program’s numbers to be low because SU had a very short recruitment period, she said.

The new program will be based at Bahçe?ehir University, an institution ‘known for its progressive climate and innovative programs,’ according to SU Abroad’s website. Students will have the opportunity to take classes taught in English with local and international students.

The Istanbul program represents a new model of studying abroad, Shane said. In this new model, SU works closely with another local university and collaborates to create a program in which students are much more immersed with local students, she said.

If the model is successful, Shane said SU will be doing similar collaborations with universities in South America and Eastern Europe. SU also plans to have more SU Abroad locations in the Middle East within the next few years, she said.

Shane said she believes studying abroad is becoming an increasingly important part of an undergraduate education.

‘It opens up so many opportunities that you can’t have unless you actually get out of the country and see global issues from a completely different perspective,’ Shane said. ‘Until you actually live in a place and see what its media is like and understand the dynamics, it’s very hard to get perspective on your own perspective.’

Jess Nissenbaum, a junior social work and women and gender studies major, studied Spanish throughout high school and said she knew as a freshman she would want to study abroad her junior year to improve her Spanish. She will be in Madrid with a host family next semester.

‘I’m really excited,’ Nissenbaum said. ‘I want to travel and see different things.’

Liz Ackerson, a junior history and English and textual studies major, began thinking about studying abroad this past summer. She plans to study in Florence, Italy, next semester.

Though she will miss being with her friends and watching Syracuse basketball games, Ackerson said she is looking forward to a change in location and exploring a different country’s history.

‘I’m ready for a change, for something new,’ Ackerson said. ‘I want to get an outside world perspective and to hopefully love my major even more.’

mjfahner@syr.edu

Published on November 8, 2010 at 12:00 pm