SU Abroad will launch SU Europe, an initiative designed to connect current Syracuse University abroad programs in Europe and extend the university’s presence internationally.

SU Europe, which will be housed in the offices of the SU London program, has a two-pronged mission, said Jon Booth, SU Abroad executive director. First, it is designed to further intensify student academic pursuits and engagement in current existing centers. Second, SU Europe will also devote personnel and resources to evaluate and recommend the establishment of additional study locations at Morocco, Turkey, Sweden and parts of the Middle East, as possible future study abroad sites.

‘It’s kind of like the idea of looking at Syracuse University from a broad perspective instead of just from the perspective of the School of Architecture, the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Visual and Performing Arts, etc.,’ Booth said.

SU Europe was established to add new options for students and develop the existing centers for them to study at, said Peter Leuner, the newly-appointed director of SU Europe. SU Europe will differ from existing abroad centers in London; Florence, Italy; Madrid, Spain; and Strasbourg, France.

Leuner said some other goals he has for the new program include making use of other SU Abroad centers through collaborative programming.

Sue Shane, director of programs for SU Abroad, said SU Europe was designed so that existing European centers would have some satellite programs. For example, there may be one center in Italy that is developed and administered out of Florence, but could have a Rome or Bologna satellite program.

‘So the idea is to come up with different kinds of models and different kinds of terms of programs that give a lot more variety and choice and diversity to our overall portfolio in study abroad,’ Shane said. ‘Basically it’s a way to be really creative about how programs can be combined or rethought, and new programs can be added.’

SU Abroad made two new appointments after creating SU Europe. Leuner, who was the SU London director for the past nine years, was named director of SU Europe. Meredith Hyde, who was SU London’s associate director, will replace Leuner as the program director.

Hyde said she has a much broader responsibility than she did in her last position, especially in terms of finances and the operation of Faraday House, the home of the London program. But one thing she plans to do is make better use of technology in classes abroad.

‘Next semester, for example, we are launching a class in travel writing and new media, using the videos available on cell phones,’ Hyde said in an e-mail. ‘I’d like to start giving out all our information via podcasts and on drives, rather than on paper.’

She said she also wants to better support student travel.

‘I’d like to teach students how to become travelers, not just tourists, and encourage them to travel thoughtfully and adventurously, not just en masse and to the usual places,’ she said.

wfmcmill@syr.edu

Published on November 17, 2009 at 12:00 pm