I'd like to warmly welcome you to the University. My name is Brian Swanzey, and I'm the Director of Study Abroad for outreach-- for both our Vancouver campus in British Columbia, Canada, and Wroxton College in England. In my years here at the university, I found that students who choose to study abroad, be at first semester, or a short-term faculty led experience or at one of our partners, it's become one of the defining experiences they have here at the university. As a university, we're one of the largest study abroad providers in the state, with campuses in England, Vancouver, British Columbia, a partnership in Chengdu, China, as well as short-term faculty led study abroad opportunities and direct articulation agreement with universities abroad. We also host a number of short term study abroad opportunities designed specifically for majors including hospitality, nursing, and honors programs. Study Abroad does distinguish itself academically. We do like to say that with appropriate academic planning through your department, any student can study abroad for at least a semester. Keeping in mind that you have to be at least a second semester sophomore and above to travel and hold between a 2.5 and a 3.0 GPA. Studying abroad by its very nature is experiential learning. To spend any amount of time, whether it's a short-term experience or a full 15-week semester, living, learning in another culture is by its very definition, the ultimate and experiential learning. I like to say that students with appropriate academic planning in most majors have the opportunity to study abroad and either the spring or fall semester. Wroxton college is Fairleigh Dickinson. The tuition is relatively the same. All of your financial aid stays in place. It's an all inclusive program, meaning students go to class from Monday to Thursday, with Friday, Saturday and Sunday off. Every single weekend. There's a trip provided by Wroxton College, including a long weekend in Scotland and in Paris. Entrance fees for theater tickets, sporting events, historic sites and cultural visits are all included in a semester at Wroxton college. Students are taught with a classical tutorial method, meaning classes are small. Students have a lecture once a week like they would here at Fairleigh Dickinson. And then every other week the class is broken down into smaller groups and they meet individually with the faculty member, giving small presentations, either by themselves or with a group. I like to refer to Wrozxton College as the jewel in Fairleigh Dickinson's crown. It's a massive 56-acre estate with trails and lakes. It's the former home of Lord North, the Prime Minister of England during the Revolutionary War. So you're living you're learning-- you're calling Wroxton College, your home for the 15-week semester that you're there. Though Wroxon is located in a very bucolic section of England, it's only an hour north of London. It's only about 40 minutes away from Oxford and 20 minutes away from Stratford upon Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare. Though there is a lot of travel while in England associated with Wroxton, students also have the opportunity to travel on their own with a 10-day travel break located in the middle of the semester. Fairleigh Dickinson also owns and operates a full degree granting campus in the beautiful Pacific Northwest Vancouver, British Columbia, where students are also eligible to study abroad for a full semester as well as short-term opportunities. In the competitive job market, we like to believe that a student who's studied abroad brings to the table a new level of worldly and practical experience gained from their semester abroad. In my experience, studying abroad boosts a student's confidence-- enhances their resume. And in the case of Wroxton College allows a student to tap into an alumni base that is over 50 years old. Spending time abroad does take a leap of faith. It does take confidence on a student's part-- I realize that. but I've seen the effect that has on students. I've seen the boost that has in their confidence. And I know that an experience abroad is something that will enhance your time here at FDU. It's my hope that when you begin your studies here at Fairleigh Dickinson University, you reach out to the study abroad office or stop in, and let's get started on what you are interested in doing. You also need to plan academically for study abroad. So it's important that you set aside the appropriate credits to use for a full semester abroad. Please know that study abroad is a big part of what FDU has to offer you. So stop into the study abroad office; call, email, and let's get the ball rolling on what I'm certain will be one of the best things you do here at FDU.
