December 7, 2015
Reflecting on St. John’s commitment to providing students with an international education, the Office of Global Studies celebrated several milestones in 2014-15, according to Matthew Pucciarelli, associate vice president of global studies.
One notable achievement is the sheer number of students who live and learn studying abroad. For the first time in University history, some 1,000 students earned their academic credits overseas. “What this demonstrates,” he noted,” is the commitment of our faculty and leadership to ensuring that our students gain a global perspective as part of a St. John’s education.”
The University has also made substantial progress toward achieving its goal of “changing the face of study abroad in higher education,” Pucciarelli added. As of 2014-15, nearly half the undergraduates enrolled in study abroad programs at St. John’s are students of color, representing the diversity of the campus community.
Multiple anniversaries this past year also illustrate the University’s longstanding commitment to an international education. For example, 2014–15 marked the 30th year that study abroad has been offered at St. John’s, and the Rome campus celebrated its 20th anniversary this year.
In addition, the Master of Arts Program in Global Development and Social Justice Program celebrated its 10th anniversary. This innovative, global initiative, open to students at all financial levels, combines classroom and online instruction, enabling students to pursue in-depth research on the causes of poverty and social injustice.
The University continues to add courses providing an international academic experience. Next spring, for example, The School of Education will offer a Discover Italy: Education internship for students majoring in childhood and adolescent education. The opportunity will allow them to teach English directly to native students under the supervision of an Italian master teacher and a faculty member from The School of Education, which collaborated with the Office of Global Studies to develop the initiative.
“Our goal in creating this program was to provide education majors the opportunity to spend a semester abroad, and make the same progress toward degree completion as if they were on our New York campus,” said Michael Sampson, Ph.D., dean, The School of Education. “In fact, it will be a much richer experience for our students, because not only will they be taking our education classes in Rome, which will be taught by Mary Ann Maslak, Ph.D., professor of education, but they will also be teaching math, science, and English to Italian students in local schools each day.”
The internship represents the latest addition to a full slate of study abroad programs available to St. John’s students. From Discover the World—which allows students to earn 15 credits while living and learning in three European cities—to semester, spring, and winter courses on a variety of continents, students at the University are prepared for leadership in an increasingly international society.