Travel studies reduced in 2006
Doors to the world closed for renovations
July 11, 2005
Sarah Weigum
The Dean’s Council and the Undergraduate Academic Council (UAC) have decided to scale back the short-term travel study program for 2006. A task force is being established to determine the best way to manage study abroad experiences in the future.
The travel studies programs at TWU give students the opportunity to spend between one and four weeks in global learning environments.
There are eight travel studies offered this May, but according to Dr. Dennis Jameson, Vice President of Academic Affairs, that number will be reduced to four or five next summer.
“There comes a time when you have to be brave enough to close the doors on part of a service and renovate,” said Jameson. The travel studies program has grown over the last few years in terms of students attending and courses being offered. As the program expanded, the Academic Affairs office had concerns about the infrastructure of the program. The new task force will develop policies and make recommendations to Jameson about management of the different trips.
“Universities need a comprehensive, quality way to facilitate study abroad programs,” said Jameson. He believes that the current system is not adequate to take TWU into the future.
The UAC’s main concern is that the curriculum being taught on a travel study requires no specific approval. Since many of the trips are interdisciplinary in nature, professors
may give instruction in areas outside of their expertise. Jameson and his department are concerned with the quality of education.
Jameson also pointed out that safety and “risk management” are issues that the university faces in the complex world of global travel.
“Travelling abroad is dangerous business. We can’t do it off the corner of someone’s desk,” said Jameson.
He hopes to see a new office come out of the task force that manages every aspect of travel studies, including curriculum approval, safety and insurance, and orientation for students studying abroad.
Six years ago, Jameson moved the travel studies program from TWest (the predecessor of Global Learning Connections) to the office of Dr. Deane Downey, who was the Associate Academic VP until last December. Christina Batterman, who was Downey’s administrative assistant for seven years, had taken on the administration of travel studies, along with a plethora of other responsibilities, including IDIS.
While not responsible for curriculum, Batterman spends many hours researching and working with Enrolment Services and Financial Aid to coordinate logistics of enrolling students in off-campus programs. She also creates budgets and itineraries for many of the trips.
“Travel studies have really taken off because I’ve been here to do the communication and all the planning,” said Batterman. “I want to see students taken out of the North American bubble. We’re giving them an opportunity to see a different point of view.”
When Downey retired, Dr. Bob Wood took over as Associate VP and brought his own administrative assistant to the office. This, along with other changes, meant that, in Batterman’s words, “My job was no longer a job.”
“Dr. Downey did travel studies off the side of his desk, Christina did it off the side of her desk, and they both did a wonderful job with very little resources,” said Jameson. Now, however, personnel are being reorganized.
Like Jameson, Batterman believes that the travel studies program needs to be improved and she had hoped to be a part of making those improvements a reality.
“Suddenly I became part of the problem, not part of the solution,” she said.
Batterman is concerned that scaling back the short-term travel studies program will hinder their positive impact on students.
“I’m really concerned that we don’t give up the momentum that students have for travel studies,” she said. She believes that financial constraints, specifically her salary, are a main reason for the change to the program.
Without denying budget constraints, Jameson noted that the May travel studies have been under discussion for two years: “We’ve known that we needed to fix travel studies—as a system it was broken.”
He added that there are usually one or two travel studies cancelled every year due to a shortage of participants, and in 2006 they are anticipating this and running fewer programs to begin with. At the time of printing, Jameson did not know which trips would still be offered.
Although the short-term travel studies program will be pared back next year, there will be more emphasis placed on established programs such as the Laurentian Leadership Centre in Ottawa. As a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, TWU students
can also take part in its “Best Semester” programs, which include China, Russia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Oxford.
Jameson does not think the reduced travel studies program will be a long-term situation. By 2012, he would like a third of TWU students to have experienced studying abroad.
“Experiential learning is a pillar to education,” said Jameson.
Batterman also believes that travel studies are “valuable and necessary.” She asks, “Without travel studies we’re preparing leaders for what— Langley?”
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