Study Abroad 60th Anniversary Celebration Concludes with Paris Reception Featuring U.S. Official James Bullock

2008-06-19 23:43:08 -

www.arcadia.edu - Arcadia University will honor the 60th anniversary of its study abroad program with a Paris Celebration experience, concluding with a reception on Sunday, July 6, in Paris, France. James Bullock, Minister Counselor for Public Affairs (Information and Cultural Affairs) at the Embassy of the United States of America in Paris and Co-President of the Fulbright Commission in France, will serve as the event's keynote speaker.

In 1948 Jack Wallace, a newly hired economics instructor, and his wife, Betty Jean, set sail from New York with 17 Arcadia University students, hoping to study the economic effects of World War II and the post-war rebuilding efforts in Europe. They arrived in Southampton and purchased used Royal Air Force surplus bicycles. After traveling around England, they crossed the Channel and continued biking through Belgium and Paris, ending their eight-week journey in Paris.

Arcadia University President Dr. Jerry M. Greiner and his wife, Terry, will travel with Arcadia students, faculty, staff and alumni to Paris to commemorate that inaugural study abroad journey with guided bicycle tours of Paris and Versailles and faculty lectures. The week-long celebration also will include walking tours of the city and a faculty-led tour of the Picasso Museum. A reception in Paris will conclude the experience, where Bullock, Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, will speak to Arcadia's leadership in abroad education, including its affiliated campus in Paris, the American Graduate School of International Relations and Diplomacy (www.agsird.edu). The reception also serves as the kickoff of Arcadia's new study abroad program in Paris (www.arcadia.edu/abroad/paris).

"Educators have realized that real-world experiential learning and multicultural perspectives are important for all students," Greiner says. "Now we are finding that combining these elements with a global connection, primarily through study abroad, is becoming essential for all students. Tomorrow's leaders need a global perspective of the world."

Arcadia's study abroad program has evolved greatly since its first students took their education overseas 60 years ago. Today, the University boasts many programs and an undergraduate curriculum requirement that ensures that students receive a global education. The First-Year Study Abroad Experience (FYSAE) and London, Scotland, Spain, and Italy Preview programs introduce students to study abroad as freshmen. Annually, Arcadia's Center for Education Abroad sends 3,000 students from colleges and universities around the country to 100 different study abroad programs at some of the finest universities in 14 countries across the globe.

This upcoming fall, Arcadia implements its new Undergraduate Curriculum, which requires students to study abroad or study away domestically.

Arcadia University is a top-ranked private university in metropolitan Philadelphia and a national leader in study abroad. The 2007 Open Doors report ranks Arcadia University 2nd in the nation among master's universities in the percentage of undergraduate students studying abroad. U.S. News & World Report ranks Arcadia University among the top 25 master's universities in the North and one of the top 20 study abroad programs in the nation. Annually, Arcadia's Center for Education Abroad sends 3,000 students from colleges and universities around the country to 100 different study abroad programs at some of the finest universities in 14 countries across the globe. Arcadia University promises a distinctively global, integrative and personal learning experience that prepares students to contribute and prosper in a diverse and dynamic world.

Arcadia University
Lori Bauer, University Relations
215-572-2969
Cell: 215-847-1819
or
Neil Simpkins, LevLane
215-825-9625
nsimpkins@levlane.com