February 21, 2018
Ten students from Australian Catholic University (ACU) are studying at St. John’s University this semester. The students, representing four of ACU’s five campuses—Ballarat, Brisbane, Canberra, and Melbourne—all study early childhood and childhood education. Students are completing course work in Education at St. John’s and fieldwork in Special Education in local school settings. In July, The School of Education will complete the exchange when a cohort of students visits ACU’s Melbourne campus to live and study. Don McClure, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction, will accompany the group.
“Our exchange with ACU Education students is an exciting new global partnership for both institutions, and one that is strategic-priority centered. We welcome our first group of visiting students to study in New York City, and to visit our local schools. We look forward to sending our first-ever group to Australia for the fall semester,” Michael Sampson, Ph.D., Dean, said.
Matthew Pucciarelli, Associate Provost of Global Studies, added, “ACU has been a partner for over a decade, a collaboration that has been extensive and has grown more so over time. The School of Education has taken that general relationship and crafted something truly unique with our partners; their cohort model, with its sharp curricular focus and embedded fieldwork, represents a terrific opportunity for students in both countries. We’re thrilled by this latest blossoming of our relationship.”
With more than 44 percent of St. John’s undergraduates choosing to earn credit by living and learning in other countries, the University has risen to 27th place nationwide in study abroad participation, according to The Institute of International Education (IIE).