Clemson University’s Global Start, designed exclusively for incoming first-year students, has added two locations to its summer program.
Global Start students earn college credit before starting the first Fall semester and travel with a peer cohort, faculty members and staff members to an international location for one week. They also benefit from living on campus for a week during the summer to familiarize themselves with the area before the busy rush when the Fall semester begins.
The newly expanded international study abroad destinations and selected faculty for each are:
- Puerto Rico – Sharon Nagy, associate provost for curriculum innovation and professor, College of Behavioral Social and Health Sciences
- Regensburg, Germany – Lee Ferrell, BMW principal lecturer, College of Arts and Humanities
- Rome, Italy – Lucian Ghita, senior lecturer, College of Arts and Humanities
- Santiago de Compestelo, Spain – Raquel Anido, associate professor, College of Arts and Humanities
- Stirling, Scotland – Steph Dean, assistant professor, College of Education
Clemson students Thomas Kanich and Maya Lesack both participated in Global Start 2023.
“College is pretty new to me, but Global Start inspired me to go out and do more and adapt to something new. I was able to go to Puerto Rico and experience what I was learning,” said Kanich.
Lesack, who traveled to Spain, says Global Start made the transition to college a lot easier.
“The classes prepared us for our time abroad, and at Clemson, and it all tied together. I want to continue traveling and expanding my experiences culturally.”
Early study abroad programs have a positive impact on students’ GPA, time to graduation and sense of belonging. This experiential learning opportunity cultivates global citizens while allowing students to acclimate themselves with campus life and make new connections with classmates and faculty members before the Fall semester.”
associate provost for curriculum innovation Sharon nagy
This year, 80 students are expected to participate in Global Start. The application deadline is March 15, 2024.