By Marysz P. Rames and Karl J. Schmidt

Like many other land-grant universities, South Dakota State University (SDSU) has traditionally focused on agricultural, engineering, nursing and pharmacy programs. To augment these educational programs, the university’s international activities have been historically supported and long-rooted in the culture of the institution.  The activities have, however, been mainly focused on research and faculty exchanges.  In the past fifteen years, SDSU has made strong efforts to include study abroad, with its focus on students, as a major component of the university’s internationalization efforts.  An Office of International Programs (now International Affairs) was created in 1989, with a full-time director’s position established in 2002.

In Fall 2003, the effort to promote study abroad received significant support from SDSU President Peggy Gordon Miller, who offered to financially support a small group of student leaders to visit one or more of the university’s international partners during the course of an approximately 10-day trip.  The purpose of such a venture was to expose the students to potential study abroad sites with the intention that, upon their return to campus, they would be instrumental in sharing their experiences with their peers.  During the course of the trip, students had opportunities to visit partner campuses, experience the local culture, and gain practical knowledge of international travel.

Selection of Students: Characteristics and Process

For each trip, it was determined that a mixture of student leaders, college representation, and gender balance was optimal.  The group always included the SDSU Students’ Association (student government) president and vice-president, along with one or more student senators, admissions ambassadors, and orientation leaders.  This mix of students ensured the widest exposure in terms of student leadership and enabled the institution to draw upon the students for different purposes post-trip, such as helping acquaint current, new, or potential students of the study abroad opportunities SDSU offers.  Important to this decision-making process was that at least half of the students have one or more years left of study at SDSU, so that they can act as resources for the future. 

As Vice President for Student Affairs, the primary author managed the student selection process and determined which student senators, admissions ambassadors, or orientation leaders would be best suited for a given trip, with recommendations from the Office of Admissions and Department of Student Activities.  Final approval of the student group came from President Miller herself.  In addition to student leaders, the delegations have always been jointly led by Dr. Rames, representing Student Affairs, and Dr. Schmidt, representing Academic Affairs.

Description of the Trips

The first journey undertaken was a 10-day trip in January 2004 to visit partner universities in the United Kingdom and Sweden.  SDSU has three partners in these countries: Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK, and both Jönköping University and Växjö University in Sweden.  The delegation included six students, including three men and three women.  The students served as leaders on the Students’ Association and University Program Council and were also active with New Student Orientation and the Admissions Office.  Time was divided evenly between the three universities and corresponding cities.  Each site visit included time spent with officials responsible for study abroad at each institution, a thorough campus tour (including housing and food service), and meetings with local students.  One day in each location was devoted to a city tour.  We avoided tourist-oriented tours, and included much walking, so that the students would have a good sense of what the respective cities are like from a study abroad perspective.  Upon return to the UK, a final day was spent in London visiting major cultural sites, such as the British Museum.  We faced some time constraints on this trip due to the fact that we had only 10 days in which to visit three universities in two different countries, but a great deal was accomplished in a short period of time.  The students got a well-rounded experience that included various forms of transportation, including planes and trains, something that few students in the U.S. ever experience.

The second journey was to the People’s Republic of China in September 2004 to visit our long-time partner in Kunming, Yunnan Normal University (YNU).  YNU is one of SDSU’s oldest international partners, and a visit there was deemed so important that SDSU President Peggy Miller joined the group for the entire trip. Along with the President, the delegation included four students, two men and two women, along with the authors. The students were again very prominent and active leaders on campus. Although about two-thirds of the 10-day trip was spent in Kunming on the university visit, we started the trip off with three days in Beijing, which included a visit to the US embassy for a briefing on US-Chinese relations.  From Beijing we flew to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province, a city of approximately 1 million people.  In addition to visiting one of our most important partner institutions, the students got the opportunity to see a part of China few first-time visitors ever see.  With the exception of Kunming, Yunnan is still largely rural.  It provided an interesting comparison for our students, most of whom come from small, rural communities in South Dakota and neighboring states.  One of the highlights of this visit was the opportunity for our students to spend the better part of a day with their Chinese counterparts who were studying English at YNU as we toured the campus.

The third journey was to Poland in September 2005, to visit Warsaw Agricultural University (WAU), one of our newest international partners. Along with the authors, the University sent two male and two female students, who were active in a variety of campus activities. Like SDSU, WAU had its start as a strictly agricultural institution, but has broadened its scope to include such fields as human nutrition and engineering.  At the heart of the new Eastern Europe, visiting WAU and Warsaw gave our students the chance to see and hear about the many challenges that Poland has faced since the Second World War and the new opportunities and problems the collapse of communism and its aftermath have brought.  As they did on the trip to China, these students got the opportunity to spend most of a day with their student leader counterparts and some other WAU students, who took them around the city and showed them what Polish student life is like.  Near the end of our stay, we traveled to Krakow, which unlike Warsaw, was untouched by the war; the students also visited Auschwitz, a poignant and tragic reminder of the Nazi occupation of Poland.  The trip ended with two nights and a day in Budapest, Hungary.  Traveling by train from Krakow, the students traversed parts of both the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

The next trip is scheduled for Egypt in October 2006 to visit American University in Cairo, our sole partner in the Middle East.

Impact on Students and on Study Abroad at SDSU

 Because this initiative involves such a small number of students, it is difficult to quantify its impact overall on the campus, but anecdotal evidence suggests that the initiative has had a positive influence on both the students who went abroad, as well as their peers on campus.  For Justin Larson, for example, who went on the trip to the UK and Sweden in January 2004, going overseas “sparked my interest in international travel.  It made me want to see more of the rest of world.”  He also talks to anyone he meets about his experience overseas, hoping to spark their interest as well.  Although his major, Mechanical Engineering, does not require learning another language, Justin has begun taking German, to give himself additional international opportunities in the future.

Admissions ambassador Jane Tschetter feels strongly that taking student leaders on these exploratory trips is a great investment for the university. She felt that being part of the September 2004 trip to China and Yunnan Normal University opened her eyes to that part of the world.  She shares this experience with other students on every campus tour she gives.  For her, “there is no better way to reach students to promote the opportunities available for study abroad than by peer-to-peer contact.”

Kelsey Wuttke, who visited Poland and Hungary in 2005, said the biggest impact for her was the history she encountered.  “I was impressed by how much the Polish students knew about their own history—which is hundreds of years older than our own.”  She also said the food provided her with a new window to look in on another culture—“and I enjoyed trying it all,” she said with a gleam in her eye.

For former Student Association President Ryan Brunner, who also traveled to Poland and Hungary, these trips create a network of information campus-wide to expose the maximum number of SDSU students to study abroad.  “Many students haven’t left the Midwest, and aren’t comfortable doing so.  Hearing about such experiences from their peers encourages them to expand their horizons.”

Marysz P. Rames is Vice President for Student Affairs and Karl J. Schmidt is Director of International Affairs, South Dakota State University