Students wins scholarship to study in Canada

From the Pittsburg Morning Sun, 16 June 2011, by Nikki Patrick

PITTSBURG —

Canada is a close and good neighbor of the United States, but getting there turned out to be a complicated procedure for Mandy Folk, Pittsburg, a Pittsburg State University junior art education major.

However, she has triumphed, and will be spending the fall semester at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada.

She applied for and received a $5,000 Killam Fellowship, a national scholarship that fosters educational exchange between America and Canada.

“Canada contains such a rich history embedded deep within everyone who lives there,” Folk said. “There are many aspects of art history in Canada that intrigue me.”

She will focus her studies on the art work of the Haida Gwaii, a Native American tribe.

“They’re the people who do totem poles,” Folk said.

Read the whole story - http://www.morningsun.net/featured/x898067061/PATRICKS-PEOPLE-Pittsburg-State-student-Mandy-Folk-to-study-in-Canada

Study Abroad Numbers Rise

More Pittsburg State University students will be studying overseas this year, thanks to an increase in faculty willing to create partnerships with foreign universities and lead group programs abroad.

The Office of International Programs and Services and the Study Abroad Committee at PSU has approved more faculty-led study abroad programs than ever before, offering 12 different programs this year over just eight last year.

This year’s excursions include study opportunities (some as long as four weeks) to Spain, Bolivia, Greece, Italy, England, Scotland, Paraguay, Korea, Kazakhstan, Peru, France, Germany, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.

These programs, led by faculty from all corners of campus, are in addition to the individual study abroad opportunities students find.

For Dr. Craig Fuchs, head of the Honors College, leading his second program abroad is admittedly a lot of work, but a valuable experience for his students. “I’ve traveled abroad a number of times and felt the impact of those experiences on my life,” he said. “As a faculty member, it makes you want to share that with your students.”

Study Spanish in Costa Rica

From December 26th, 2010-January 15th, 2011, eleven students from various backgrounds embraced the opportunity to study abroad in Costa Rica.

Led by Modern Languages Spanish Instructor Brett Smith, the students attended a private Spanish language school, and lived with host families to learn the Spanish language and culture.


During their stay, in addition to making trips to the rain forest, cloud forest, volcanoes, museums, the beach, and so much more, the students took classes from El Instituto Para Estudiantes Extranjeros Monday through Friday from 8:00-12:00.





After class students had time to explore the culture and spend time with their host families. Students experienced birthday parties with their families, learned about cultural differences, and enjoyed celebrating the New Year through the eyes of a different culture.



This is just one more example of how Pittsburg State University is opening up doors of opportunities for students to learn outside the confines of the university and experience language and globalization in real life settings.

Social Work Abroad

Nikki Patrick did a wonderful article on Patty Magee and the study abroad program that took PSU Social Work students to the Dominican Republic over spring break. The program will be repeated this year. From the article:

“We went to Jaibon, a small rural community, and there we were with about 200 other U.S. and Canadian students,” Magee said. “We slept in tents and the meals were primarily beans and rice.”

The Centro para la Ninez includes an on-site school that conducts class for nearly 500 children in the community. Magee and the PSU students conducted workshops for the students in crafts, the English language and reading.”

“They’ve found that if you can introduce English to the kids in school there are a lot more job opportunities for them,” Magee said. “Reading was usually the favorite group. Some of those children had never seen a book before.”

She explained that the orphanage is not exactly the same as such facilities in the United States.

“Here, we assume that if a child is in an orphanage, his or her parents are dead,” Magee said. “In the Dominican Republic, many of the children in the orphanages do have living parents, but they can’t afford to keep them.”

One of the projects the PSU group worked on was a stone wall at the orphanage.

“They wanted a wall for security,” Magee said. “My son, Nicholas, who went with me, had just completed a masonry program, so we started a wall.”

To read the full story click here.