A new St. Ambrose University study-abroad program will be sending students to Japan for the first time.

The program just added Kansai-Gaidai University in Hirikata, Japan, to the list of opportunities.

Jon Stauff, head of the Center for International Education, said he has been hunting for an Asian exchange program for some time.

“Students were showing some interest in Asia, but no one was going,” Stauff said. “I started looking for affordable opportunities and found this program.”

The program with Kansai-Gaidai is a reciprocal exchange, meaning the money students pay to attend St. Ambrose is the same to study overseas in Japan. SAU students can use their entire financial aid award and scholarship assistance to help pay for the program. They can live with families or on campus, but Stauff recommends family living so they can learn the Japanese language better.

“All students are required to take Japanese language courses during their time there,” he said. “But living with a family will enhance those skills because you’re using it all the time.”

Semester options are for fall or spring, or full-year. Fine arts, humanities, social sciences, business administration and communications are the primary fields of study at Kansai-Gaidai, all with focus in Asian studies.

“We will send nominated students to KG to study, and if we’re lucky, we will have some Japanese students on our campus as well,” Stauff said.

Field trips to several museums and historical landmarks also are available.

The reciprocal exchange program is not new to SAU. Other programs include Lithuania and Stauff plans to have a Brazil program set up in the future, as well as more exchanges between European and Latin American countries.

“This new program is only the tip of the iceberg,” Stauff said. “We will hopefully be able to add long, short, affordable or more expensive options in the future.”

The Lithuania reciprocal exchange takes place in the capital of Vilnius at Vilnius University, primarily for undergraduates in the College of Business.

“A dollar goes a long way in Lithuania, so this is a good opportunity for students as well,” Stauff said. Courses in English are available.

Kaiserslautern, Germany, Davenport’s “sister city,” also offers a reciprocal exchange program, aimed for students in the business major. Courses in English are readily available, so German language is not a necessity for studying at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern for short- and long-term study programs.

Stauff advises students interested in traveling to Japan to keep an open mind about the unique culture there.

“The Asian culture is an entirely different way of life. Students who want to travel there need to be flexible and open to new things,” he said. “It’s not like Europe or even Ecuador, it’s entirely unique.”

The study abroad Web site also offers links to the many universities where students can study.

“Students will learn a new language and culture , as well as getting their education,” Stauff said.

Source: qctimes.net

This entry was posted by Taman Siswa on Thursday, April 20, 2006 at 12:27 am and is filed under Study Abroad. Tags: Asia, Brazil, Center for International Education, College, College of Business, Ecuador, Education News, Europe, Financial Aid, Germany, Hirikata, Japan, Jon Stauff, Kaiserslautern, Kansai-Gaidai University, Lithuania, Scholarship, St. Ambrose University, Student, Study, Study Abroad, Technical University of Kaiserslautern, Vilnius, Vilnius University, . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.