More than 30 Fitchburg State University students are visiting Europe this summer on faculty-led voyages that span numerous academic disciplines.
Much of the cost to students has been covered by over $82,000 in scholarships provided by the Fitchburg State University Foundation. The foundation is also sponsoring $18,000 in faculty stipends for the trips.
Professor Eric Budd of the Economics, History and Political Science Department departed with students for Ireland on May 19 for a course on peace studies. The 10-day visit marks the culmination of a semester-long course that was taught on campus.
Another group departed for Verona, Italy on May 21 with Professor Daniel Sarefield of the Economics, History and Political Science Department and Professor Rala Diakite of the Humanities Department. Students there will be studying Italian history, language and culture in classroom space at the University of Verona as well as excursions to other sites.
On June 7, students are scheduled to go to Greece with Professor J.J. Sylvia IV and Professor Kevin McCarthy of the Communications Media Department, where coursework will explore the relationship between the art of persuasion, truth, and democracy in ancient Greece, along with an introduction to travelogue filmmaking.
Fitchburg State’s faculty-led study abroad courses are held during Spring break, after graduation in May or over the summer, ranging in duration from one to three weeks. Each faculty-led program is unique, but generally meets on campus before the trip, and once or twice after returning from traveling.
Thanks to generous donor support, the university is able to offer a number of scholarships to defray costs to students seeking to study abroad.
The university will be sharing posts from the Summer 2024 travels on its social media channels, including Instagram and Facebook.
To learn more about study abroad at Fitchburg State, including faculty-led and third-party opportunities, please visit fitchburgstate.edu/studyabroad.