Milligan’s study abroad program has changed significantly this year, due largely to the hard work of Dr. Allysha Martin, Assistant Professor of Spanish and Humanities, and Dr. Amy Edmonds, Assistant Professor of Political Science, as well as the initiative of students.
In past years, the study abroad program at Milligan has been run on a first come-first serve basis, with only five spots per year reserved for students to participate in semester programs and limited program options.
Now, according to Dr. Martin, there are 10 spots available to study abroad per year, as well as a new merit and need-based scholarship to help replace the internal scholarships that students lose when they go abroad. The semester program options have also expanded from around 12 to nearly 100 locations.
As professors of subjects that often involve international tracks, Dr. Martin and Dr. Edmonds both said that their students’ interest in studying abroad played a big part in inspiring them to reform the system, enabling more students to be able to study abroad.
“That’s how I got involved with this,” Dr. Martin said. “Students were pretty frustrated with the previous system because it was a first come, first serve basis, and there were no other options available.”
In response to this frustration, Dr. Martin and Dr. Edmonds began working together to, first, create a new application system.
“Instead of first come, first serve, we thought, why aren’t we sending students who we truly know would be wonderful representations of Milligan, Tennessee, the United States– but also of Christ,” said Dr. Martin. “This was the first step in developing what is happening now.”
Once the application system was in place, then came the problem of limited offerings for study abroad location options.
“This was incredible because faculty and students alike were bringing ideas to the table,” said Dr. Martin.
Several students came to their professors with interest in locations offered by programs like Council on International Educational Exchange and CEA. Both of these programs are now affiliate partners with Milligan after faculty and students presented the programs to the Academic Affairs committee and were approved, each adding a couple dozen new program options to Milligan students.
Mikaela Way, senior sociology major and humanities minor is one example of a student who worked together with her professor to get her desired study abroad program approved. She now is studying at the University of Amsterdam in CIEE’s social sciences and humanities program.
“Someone told me once when you study abroad you learn a lot more about your home culture in your host culture,” said Way. “I couldn’t agree more. I see and realize so much more about where I’m from and how that shapes who I am than I ever could have at home. Being here really has opened doors to seeing the world in a way I couldn’t have back home.”
Dr. Edmonds and Dr. Martin both studied abroad during their college years, which has been a driving factor in their advocacy for the program at Milligan.
“I learned so much, not just in my academic area, but also about the world and myself through those experiences,” said Dr. Edmonds. “For me, they’re some of the most important things I’ve ever done. I also think they were really helpful things for my resume, for my future and also just in helping me understand what I wanted out of life.”
Dr. Martin said that beyond the economic benefits of studying abroad in terms of more job opportunities, the experience also expands one’s worldview, giving participants more understanding and respect for other cultures.
“Especially on a campus like Milligan, we can be very close-knit, which isn’t a bad thing, but sometimes we forget that there are still human beings beyond our campus,” she said. “I think that by studying abroad, that becomes so much more apparent.”
She also spoke to the personal growth that comes with the experience.
“When you are in a situation when you’re kind of on your own and dealing with all of the cultural elements and changes, you have to be self-reliant,” she said. “Within that, you realize how strong you are, how well you can adapt to different situations and how to be flexible.”
Students interested in studying abroad within the 2019/2020 year may apply by Feb. 1. The new application and descriptions of program options are online at Milligan’s study abroad page at https://www.milligan.edu/academics/study-abroad-off-campus-programs/#study-abroad-off-campus-programs.