On Wed., Feb. 24, 2010, the University of Wisconsin-Superior held its annual Study Abroad Fair at the Yellowjacket Union Atrium as part of International Week. This event was put on by several students, faculty and staff in order to better inform students of what study abroad is and how much more simple it is to do then one might think.

 “International week is important because it gets the word out to students about how easy it is to study abroad and  how it’s not that hard on an individual financially,” said Senior Linnea Lebens, who works part time in the Office of International Programs.

“It also provides a very good learning experience,” said Lebens.

“People should study abroad because it changes your way of thinking. When you come back, your cultural views are broadened,” stated UWS Fall 2009 graduate Wayne Kangas, who actually deferred his graduation a semester to go to Korea.

Matt McGinnis, a senior at UWS, also delayed his graduation to study abroad in Scotland.

 “I had a fantastic experience! This is an experience that everyone should have. It’s not often that someone gets a chance to go to a different country, let alone get it to qualify toward college credits,” said McGinnis.

There are plenty of different study abroad options available to UWS students including programs in Scotland, Nicaragua, Bosnia, Costa Rica, Korea, India, Ireland, China and Mexico.

Also offers a few different short-term study abroad programs that include a one credit class before one goes to a country, followed by a three week trip to that specific country.  

A couple of current short-term programs held by UWS are for India and Bosnia. The fees for these programs are covered mostly by tuition.

The India program is coordinated by Jerry Hembd. Hembd is an economics professor at UWS.

“The trip to India is a year round program. It starts with a one-credit class in the fall, then the three week trip will be held as a J-Term. There will also be follow-up presentation,” said Hembd.

 “UWS students should care about study abroad programs because it fits with the liberal arts mission, allows students to live in a global economy, it has tons of academic flavor, it helps look at our country from the outside instead of the inside and it is just an overall good experience,” added Hembd.

A short-term trip to Bosnia is currently being prepared for, and participants are scheduled to leave right after spring graduation, traveling abroad May 17 to June 10. The coordinator for this experience is Dr. Kahlil Dokhanchi, better known as Haji, who is a political science professor at UWS.

“This experience gives you a book experience as well as a personal experience of another culture. It allows students to get to see how war affects society. You also get to see the resilience of people and how they cope with issues,” said Haji.

He also pointed out that this program mainly allows for credits in history and philosophy but they will work to arrange for credits in other fields, such as social work and journalism.

Even if a student at UWS is hesitant to study abroad, they won’t be a total stranger to diversity and other cultures.

Coordinator of the International Student Services and Study Abroad Programs Cherie Sawinski says that there are over 160 international students currently attending UWS.

“It’s outstanding how great of a ratio we have of international students to traditional students on our campus. This is a great view changing experience,” said Sawinski.