Guilford faculty are not invited to go to London or Munich next fall. For the first time, native residential directors will lead the study abroad programs instead.
“I think it’s too bad,” said German professor Dave Limburg, a former Munich leader. “The faculty like the experience of being abroad and they are helpful in solving problems that arise.”
Dottie Borei, director of international studies, said that an outside consultant has called Guilford’s study abroad programs “outrageously expensive.”
Using native residential directors will cut the cost of operating them. However, financial concerns are not the only motive for the change.
“We look at how we can integrate the students into the culture as much as possible,” said Martha Cooley, director of study abroad. “Using a native residential director will help accomplish this.”
T h e consultant also listed Guilfor d’s “island programs” as a weakness. Since students took classes and lived together under the supervision of a faculty leader, they were considered an “island” within the abroad country.
Faculty liaisons will be in contact with the abroad programs next fall. Limburg will be the liaison to the Munich semester and psychology professor Claire Morse will be the liaison to the Guadalajara program.
As a result of the change, Borei said the college is looking for alternate means to send faculty abroad.
“If we don’t provide international opportunities for the faculty, they are not going to teach international issues to the stu- dents in the classroom,” Borei said.
Cooley agrees this change is a loss for faculty but also said that when a faculty member goes abroad, it is also a loss for the college and on-campus students.
Finding new programs to accommodate all students is also a priority since, in the past, as many as 40 percent of the students going abroad were forced to withdraw from school to go on a non-Guilford program.
Places like Australia, Israel, Costa Rica, and India are popular destinations for students, but no Guilford programs exist there.
Student interest in study abroad rebounded some from last year’s low participation when the Munich program was canceled because not enough students applied. The Guadalajara program only had four participants.
However, this year 12 students applied for the Guadalajara program, 18 for London, 19 for Munich, and two for China, an overall increase from a year ago.
But the loss of a faculty leader is not a concern for some students going abroad in the fall.
“It shouldn’t make that big of a difference,” said sophomore Elizabeth Laird, who applied for the London semester. “It still looks like it will be a good time.”
Students can still apply for affiliate programs in Japan, Spain, Oxford, The Netherlands, and Paris by contacting the office of Study Abroad.