Jackson State University has unveiled an international study program that state and local leaders praise as a model not only for Mississippi but for the country.
“Great leaders have to have bold vision,” said Dr. James P. Pellow, president and CEO Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE), about JSU President Dr. Carolyn W. Meyers, who spearheaded the joint project.
Jackson State with its “Passport to the World” study abroad program is partnering with CIEE’s “Passport Caravan” program to allow hundreds of JSU students to study abroad, Pellow said.
“We’re making history with this partnership,” Meyers said.
In ceremonies at the campus Thursday that included state and local political leaders, Pellow said the collaboration “will be emulated all across the country.”
Pellow said CIEE started 65 years ago and has programs at 140 universities in the United States but came to Jackson State to showcase this partnership because it addresses three “Cs” that confront international programs: Cost, Curriculum and Culture.
Regarding the first “C,” or cost, the CIEE has committed to paying for 100 passports for students, he said. But, in addition, Dr. James C. Renick, provost and senior vice president for Academic and Student Affairs at JSU, has committed to matching CIEE, so 200 students will have an opportunity to receive free passports through the program.
Regarding curriculum, JSU is offering courses across a broad array of disciplines, from the Colleges of Public Service, Liberal Arts, Education and Human Development, and Science, Engineering, Technology, and Business.
The third “C,” culture, is already overcome through the existing Passports program, which has successfully sent students abroad. With wide-ranging subject areas, and existing student and faculty involvement, the “culture” of JSU has embraced the program, just as students seem eager to participate in experiencing other cultures abroad.
JSU is offering its “learning beyond boundaries” program in Paris, France; Madrid, Spain; Shanghai, China; Rio De Janeiro, Brazil; Salvador Da Bahia, Brazil; and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
“Never have I seen a program develop this rapidly,” Pellow said.
“The programs will help build a 21st century workforce,” said Dr. Priscilla Slade, special assistant to the provost for International Programs and Community Colleges.
State Sens. Hillman Frazier and Kenny Wayne Jones echoed that sentiment, lauding the partnership as a way to build Mississippi’s economic development.
“The world is getting smaller and smaller,” Frazier said. Students must compete globally, he said, which this program will promote.
Jones said students will be “learning in a global culture and bringing something back,” wondering, “What if they had this program when we were students?”
Dequindre Robinson, a senior majoring in psychology with a minor in French, studied in Senegal under the program. “Study abroad is a very rewarding experience,” she told the crowd, sharing experiences that included avoiding malaria, being grateful for hot water, and giving her “more of an appreciation of what we have here in America.”
“We’re looking forward to expanding Tiger Country to the whole world,” Meyers said.
JSU Passport to the World, from May 27 to June 24, includes six 15-day, 14-night programs that provide a balanced mix of academic and cultural experiences for the first two weeks of the summer term. The following two weeks will be spent on the campus of JSU.
“There are many reasons why it’s more important now than ever before for students to gain a level of global competency prior to graduation,” said Slade. Among them, she said, “study abroad increases employability and earning potential.”
For more information visit www.jsums.edu/international or call 601-979-1611.