Category: Study Abroad

When Nicole Entrup first started her undergraduate degree program at Clemson University, she didn’t think that studying abroad would be an option.

“I’m from 12 hours away in New Jersey, so was already paying out-of-state tuition,” Nicole said. “When you think of study abroad, you think of this big cost, and I just didn’t think that it would necessarily be financially attainable.”

A recreational therapy major in the Department Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, Nicole had always been curious about what the field was like in other parts of the world. When she was planning her upcoming academic year, her advisor told her that a core degree requirement could be completed as a study abroad in Australia, and that the cost was similar to in-state tuition.

“The in-state tuition for EDGE in Australia made studying abroad a lot more feasible for me,” she said. “I think that also being away from home kind of opened my mind to it too, because if I could handle coming to Clemson, I could also handle going abroad to another country to see what recreational therapy and adaptive sports look like there.”

All students majoring in parks, recreation and tourism management (PRTM) are required to take a semester-long program called EDGE as part of their undergraduate degree. The focus of the semester is to prepare students for their chosen profession, while also helping them build skills and knowledge needed to succeed, such as critical thinking, problem solving, creativity and collaboration.

Throughout the PRTM EDGE semester, students take advantage of multiple opportunities to learn content through the use of innovative teaching methods, undergraduate research, real-world experiences and experiential learning. Students taking the EDGE Abroad program in Australia benefit from an international context to their classroom instruction, giving them the opportunity to build global connections while exploring a different part of the world.

Nicole appreciated the program format, which gave her a manageable balance between classroom learning and building her own industry connections in her free time.

“It was a really good balance of working hard Monday through Thursday, and then you have the weekend to travel, because we don’t have Friday class,” said Nicole. “Every Wednesday would be an educational field trip to somewhere like the Australia Zoo, but we’d be there to learn from them, so it was a really cool, interactive learning experience.”

One of the connections Nicole made during her spare time was with the Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association, which works to ensure that every Queenslander with a disability will have opportunities to live a more active and healthy life.

Nicole reached out to the group, attended one of their workshops and then arranged for her study abroad cohort to participate in a wheelchair basketball practice and learn more about the organization and the people it serves.

PRTM EDGE Abroad is led by PRTM faculty members Teresa Tucker and Charles Chancellor. Chancellor says that Nicole’s initiative created an exciting learning opportunity for both the students in her class and future EDGE Abroad students.

“She singlehandedly sought out the Sporting Wheelies and set up a field experience for the entire class to attend a workshop to learn about the organization that included a chance to meet and play wheelchair basketball with the athletes,” Chancellor said. “The evening was a huge hit and highlight for the entire class regardless of their emphasis area.”

Chancellor added that although EDGE Abroad students regularly make industry connections during the trip, it’s rare for a student to introduce a new industry connection for the program. The Sporting Wheelies event is now a regularly scheduled field experience on the EDGE Abroad itinerary.

Nicole is now working with recreational therapy faculty member Jasmine Townsend to involve the Sporting Wheelies in an international study of adaptive sport organizations. Nicole is also planning to pursue a master’s degree in recreational therapy after graduation, while looking for other ways to grow her Australian connections.

“I just found out that Brisbane, which is the city we stayed in, was just announced as the preferred host location for the 2032 Paralympic Summer Games,” Nicole said. “Hopefully by the time I’ve graduated and been in the field a bit, I can make my way back there with the Paralympics.”

While the on campus EDGE program is offered each fall, spring and summer, EDGE Abroad in Australia is only offered during spring semesters. Signups are underway for Spring 2022 and students are encouraged to contact their academic advisor for details.

By Devin Orr, Study Abroad Intern

As college students, many of us are used to having to figure most things out on our own. That can make it a huge undertaking when you’re trying to find a study abroad program. Luckily though, there are many on-campus resources and people who are more than happy to help you in the search for a program that’s perfect for you! 

During my search, I didn’t actually utilize any of the resources available to me, and that made my experience so much more difficult than it had to be. I spent hours combing through the Clemson terradotta app (which is not the most user-friendly, mind you) and trying a million different search combinations to find a program that interested me when in reality, all I had to do was set up a meeting with my advisor and see what she recommended.

In my opinion, the best course of action to take if you’re interested in going abroad is to speak with your advisor! They have the latest scoop on all of the awesome opportunities that fit your major and your interests, so they are best suited to give you some guidance. Not only are they knowledgeable in all things your major, but they can also help you pick the best program for your remaining course list. This is the most important facet of the study abroad search! You want to make sure that you’re fulfilling your requirements while also choosing something that interests you, and this is where your advisor comes in. 

Some other useful resources on campus include Clemson Abroad, which holds Study Abroad 101 meetings throughout the year in which students learn all about what steps they need to take, what kind of stuff to bring, and a plethora of other important information. You can find all of these meetings on the Clemson University Calendar.

You can also wander around campus and find half a million flyers with potential study abroad opportunities. In fact, you can check out the AG Quad buildings and Hendrix to find flyers I made to advertise Sustainable Cities in Scandinavia, Clemson’s only faculty-led program in Sweden. 

Now let’s get into all the different varieties of study abroad opportunities! Being an out of state student myself, one of the best parts about Clemson’s study abroad programs is that you get in-state tuition when you go on a faculty-led study abroad to one of Clemson’s partner universities, which are located all over the world! When you decide on a faculty led program, you also avoid the hassle of having to find accommodation, organizing your own travel, and that of transferring credits. 

If none of the Clemson faculty directed programs interest you and you want to do a third party program, there are so many of those to choose from as well, and they have their own unique benefits. Although you will have to get credits approved by Clemson faculty and go through the credit transfer process, there are way more third party opportunities than Clemson faculty-directed programs, so you may be able to find one that fits you best. Depending on the program you choose, you will be more deeply immersed in the culture of the country you go to and have more options for courses.

Exchange programs are another awesome way to go abroad. I have had many friends come and go as exchange students throughout my time at Clemson, and I gotta say, they were some of the coolest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting! Basically, you just pay the amount of your current Clemson tuition, then you switch spots with a student at one of Clemson’s partner universities, and bam you’re in a new country at a new school studying! 

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Considering a study abroad opportunity this summer? Check out the Study Abroad Fair on Wednesday, February 7 from 10 am to 3 pm at the Hendrix Center.

A group of Clemson University undergraduate students and lifelong learners recently traveled to Tanzania as part of a unique study abroad program organized by the department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management (PRTM) and Clemson’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI).

Clemson University offers several international travel options that expand the learning environment beyond the classroom into unique, and often challenging, cultural contexts. What sets this trip apart, however, is that the students were joined by a group of OLLI members midway through their experience.

OLLI is a regional continuing education community and membership organization of more than 1,450 people that primarily serves adults age 50 and older, though adults of any age are welcome to participate. The institute offers lectures, courses, excursions and social events, as well as access to Clemson events and resources. Clemson’s OLLI is one of 123 similar organizations throughout the country, with a collective membership of more than 150,000 learners. The Tanzania study abroad trip was organized so that both groups could benefit from an intergenerationally-focused learning opportunity, and to establish stronger connections between our university students and the upstate community.

“We’re always looking for ways to enrich student learning, and partnering with OLLI accomplishes that by allowing both groups to experience Tanzania through another generation’s perspective,” says Arthur-Banning. “Students are able to learn from and network with key members of the upstate community, who also play lead roles in many upstate organizations.”

The study abroad experience is focused on service, with students volunteering with local children at schools and at a family-run orphanage in Tanzania’s capital city of Dar es Salaam before joining OLLI members for a few days to experience the country together. The combined group visited a Chagga village in Uru east at the base of Mt. Killimanjaro, where they learned about traditional food, coffee, and the process of making banana beer (called Mbege). They also taught students at the village’s primary school and went on a safari of Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater.

The group’s volunteer work in the Chagga Village benefited both groups of learners in different ways. Students gave OLLI members insight into Clemson’s study abroad programs and their focus. OLLI members were able to apply their extensive skill sets to their volunteer roles, enriching the experience for students.

“Our OLLI members are impressive, with a vast depth of knowledge and experience to share,” Vidotto says. “This program provides an excellent opportunity for our participating members and students to learn from each other and experience a different country and culture in a unique, authentic and culturally immersive way.”

Now that the trip is complete, Arthur-Banning and Vidotto are conducting an assessment to determine whether the study abroad trip met its learning objectives, and opportunities for improvement.

“We see great potential in continuing to find ways for Clemson students and the OLLI community to interact and learn from one another,” continued Vidotto. “This program is a great start, as we can now easily see how Clemson can create a model for the national OLLI network.”

Arthur-Banning also sees an ongoing opportunity for his students, now that the group is back in Clemson.

“We’ve encouraged our students to really think about how this experience has moved them to action in some way – whether it is spending more time with their family, bringing them closer to a higher being, moving them to have a more positive role in their own community or here on campus, or perhaps even to return to Africa to continue the amazing work that our institution continues to do,” says Arthur-Banning. “Whatever it is, I hope this trip does not simply become a neat experience, but that it stirs up an opportunity to continue to grow.”

A group of Clemson undergraduate students are spending five weeks in Kalmar, Sweden, this summer to learn about what makes the area one of the most sustainable regions in the world.

From July 10 to August 13, the students will live and study at the Linnaeus University Summer Academy in Kalmar, where they will explore topics such as sustainable shipping, farming, water treatment, water, energy, transportation, infrastructure, local foods, environmental impacts, business and economics, policy and ecology.

The study abroad program is organized by Lori Dickes, Chair of Clemson University’s Master of Public Administration program and Jeffery Allen, director of the South Carolina Water Resources Center.

The program responds to a new global environment, with governments, businesses and other organizations across the globe considering how they can be more sustainable. Sustainability impacts a wide variety of management issues, such as overdevelopment, environmental issues, municipal services – such as water, trash, transportation and power – public health and high-quality nutrition, access to green space and concerns of over tourism.

“The concept of sustainability is increasingly vital for students to understand regardless of their study focus,” says Dickes. “Students participating in this study abroad program will have a unique opportunity to experience a city that is at the top of the sustainability game, and to consider how they can apply these lessons to their studies and their communities in the United States.”

Sweden consistently tops the RobecoSAM Country Sustainability Ranking, a semiannual survey that ranks 65 countries based on several environmental, social and governance indicators. The country’s green technology industry produces revenues of approximately  $3.5 billion annually and employs more than 40,000 people.

The study abroad program includes field work, class field trips, case study sites throughout the region, and research and group projects with students from other universities. The program uses an integrated systems and interdisciplinary approach to teach students how to learn about and consider research, behavior and social norms around sustainability.

Students are placed in teams to complete group projects, and will also expected to write blog posts and share presentations about what they’ve learned on a wide variety of sustainability topics. When they’re not in the classroom, they’ll also be given the option of experiencing Swedish culture in a different way, by participating in cultural and extracurricular activities, attending lectures by internationally-renowned speakers and experiencing other popular recreational activities in the area, such as biking, hiking, kayaking, canoeing and swimming.

Students will also study and assess best practices from local, regional, national and international perspectives, with an emphasis on the transfer of knowledge across regions. Dickes says that this is particularly important, as it helps students understand how the scale of a sustainability initiative can impact its planning, implementation and ongoing management to reflect specific regional, social and cultural needs.

“Sustainability is often complex and culturally-influenced, so there is no single, one-size-fits-all approach to solutions,” says Dickes. “Being able to see what is working in Sweden and what challenges they’ve faced, while also being immersed in that culture, can help students understand why certain initiatives were framed or developed in a certain way for that specific population.”

The ability to consider the cultural context for a sustainability initiative, including an understanding of what motivates people to change patterns of behavior, can help students better adapt and apply best practices to challenges faced in the United States and throughout North America. The program also enrolls students from universities around the world, helping its participants see sustainability initiatives through the lens of other cultures, and to discuss sustainability experiences through a global perspective.

Dickes feels that having students from different areas of study – and different countries – take part in the program reflects the need for every sector with a stake in the issue to come together to find multi-faceted solutions.

“Because sustainability is a broad topic with many dimensions, it requires an interdisciplinary lens and understanding of the breadth of topics that fall under this broad umbrella,” she says. “We need many different types of academic and professional backgrounds to work together if we’re going to solve the complex environmental, social, organizational and policy problems of the world.”

Clemson’s first-ever study abroad trip to Cuba demonstrates the importance of tourism to the country’s economy and culture

Last month, a group of students led by Clemson University Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management (PRTM) faculty member Dr. Lauren Duffy and the Director of Diversity and Inclusion at the Gantt Multicultural Center, Dr. Kendra Stewart-Tillman, took part in Clemson’s first-ever study abroad program in Cuba.

The program studied the intersections of tourism and society, from the historic to the modern, and applied a critical lens to how the travel and tourism industry interfaced with social structures and norms that influence daily life for many Cubans, such as race, gender, class, and sexual orientation.

Lauren feels this study abroad program was particularly timely, as it allowed students to see first-hand the impact tourism can have on a society. “In Cuba, tourism is an important industry sector, and the country is largely dependent on revenue from inbound travelers,” she says.

The visit came during a period of instability between Cuba and the U.S., with political issues including increased travel restrictions and a drawback from a once thawing relationship. Lauren says that these challenges, combined with political unrest in allying countries, has resulted in an economic downturn in Cuba, with food shortages in key household items, such as meat, eggs, and flour. “Being in Cuba during these events gave students valuable insight into both the impact tourism can have on a country’s economy, infrastructure, quality of life, and culture, as well as how intertwined Cuba-U.S. relations have been historically,” she says. “It also allowed students to critically challenge popular narratives regarding this relationship.”

Before they left for the trip, students studied the history of travel and tourism in Cuba, and socio-political considerations. This ensured students had the background they needed to be able to assess the current state of tourism, while also considering how it has been shaped by a history of colonialism, slavery, racism, and gender ideology.

“Understanding a country’s past and how it impacts its present and future state helps students apply a different lens to their travel experience,” Lauren continues. “When you understand a country’s history and heritage, you are better equipped to understand how key tourism topics such as conservation, preservation, and economic impact cannot be addressed with one-size-fits-all solutions.”

While in Cuba, the students experienced the country’s rich Afro-Cuban heritage, with visits to colonial, pre-Revolution, and post-Revolution interpretative sites. Discussions with guest speakers through the Center for José Martí Studies helped students unpack the complexities of living in a socialist country with an evolving mixed-economy that is largely spurred by growth of private sector enterprises within tourism – a change that has allowed for a classist society to re-emerge within Havana.

The program was developed through a partnership between the Gantt Multicultural Center and PRTM, with scholarship support being provided by the Gantt Center to increase underrepresented student participation in study abroad programs.

“We were able to support several students as the inaugural cohort of Gantt Study Abroad Fellows, which provided funding assistance for underrepresented student populations that do not typically study abroad at high rates,” said Stewart-Tillman. “This was the first time Clemson sponsored a trip to Cuba and we hope this becomes a regular opportunity for our students in the future.”