Spring News
UMass Dartmouth- Spring International Programs
Spring ushered in a whole new energetic vibe from the International Programs Office. The UMD IPO is looking to help create a unified awareness of the importance of a global learning environment. Through many different avenues, students, faculty and staff can promote the internationalization of a "world class" university. As the world becomes more and more interconnected, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, hopes to create globally aware graduates.
As part of this effort, on February 9th, UMass Dartmouth hosted its annual spring study abroad fair. There were a number of program providers, faculty-led programs and campus student-service offices, offering to help students with this study abroad experience of a lifetime. Over 200 students turned out to explore this academic option. This spring semester 28 students are studying abroad and this summer over 60 students will follow in their footsteps for a short-term international experiences with UMD faculty and exchanges.
The International Programs Office has been promoting international education as a way to make dreams come true and enhance their degree value at the same time. Students who study abroad add a valuable dimension to their resume. The IPO is dedicated to help students achieve that element if they want it. The office will work with students to help them pick a program that matches their degree, financial and personal requirements.
The office is looking to engage with Faculty who wish to put together an international program for students, host an international speaker or information session on an international topic. The IPO is also looking to promote international faculty research, as it enhances the quality of the academic environment on campus and is a valuable asset to global learning.
As the semester continues, the office asks that you look for international learning opportunities, whether they be international speakers, international events, or the possibility of your own study abroad experience.
If you have any international program questions, please feel free to contact Heather Makrez, Director of the International Programs Office. hmakrez@umassd.edu
What's going on?
- April 23, 2009- CIEE Research Station News Letter

Pictured above is Nathan Landry, a junior at UMD who is currently studying abroad in Bonaire, an island off the coast of Venezuela. Here he is painting the CIEE logo at the Bonaire National Marine Park during the park's 30th anniversary. To download a copy of the CIEE Research Station news letter to read more about the event, click here.
- February 9, 2009- Annual Spring Study Abroad Fair
This spring the IPO will bring you over 15 tables of information for studying abroad. There will be program providers with study abroad options from all over the world, faculty promoting UMass Dartmouth run summer courses abroad, student service table to ask some of your campus based questions, and our office will be there to help provide whatever assistance you might need while thinking about your study abroad options.
- January 5, 2009- Summer Study Abroad Programs
As UMass Dartmouth continues to promote International Education, the faculty members are greatly involved in promoting their summer study abroad programs. In conjunction with the International Programs Office on campus, there are 3 programs running this summer. There is a trip to Germany for those interested in marketing and business. There is a program to Sicily for those interested in art and history. Last, but not least there is a program to Portugal for those interested in political science and history. These programs are open to all students. Please visit here for more information on how to apply.
- December 4, 2008- Memorial
"UMD Remembers Mumbai Attack Victims."
UMD Remembers Mumbai Attack Victims- December 1, 2008- Scholarship Resources
Check out our finances page to see our newly uploaded Scholarship Resource Guide. It contains information on scholarships available to students to help fund their study abroad experience.
- November 17- 24, 2008- International Education Week
International Education Week is November 17-24th, 2008. UMass Dartmouth hosted a number of different events including information tables, study abroad fairs, distributed international education promotional materials, international music concerts and much more.
- November 12, 2008- Night of International Music
The International & Exchange Programs Office would like to invite everyone to "a Night of International Music." This program is hosted by the music department. Please visit the sites below for more information.
www.thebrooklyncoffeeteahouse.com
www.myspace.com./danielruinseverything

- October 27, 2008- Special Announcement: UMass Dartmouth's Summer Programs
- October 24, 2008- UMASS-Dartmouth Students Experience Summer Seminar in Spain

Would you like to study abroad while earning credit? Are you too busy to commit to a semester abroad but anxious to immerse yourself in Spanish culture? Consider participating in a summer seminar in Spain that explores the Basque Country, Navarre, and La Rioja regions of the country. 9 UMASS-Dartmouth students did just that during July 2008, participating in the exciting San FermÃn festival and the running of the bulls, visiting the historic city of Guernica, learning about bodegas, exploring the art of churches such as the St. Ignatius Sanctuary and the Pamplona Cathedral, visiting the painted forest of the Bosque de Oma, and enjoying the fabulous city of San Sebastian.
As Donny Heenan explains, "Spain has been a place I have always wanted to visit and all the places we visited, the food we ate, and the people we met exceeded my wildest dreams!"
Sponsored by UMASS-Dartmouth and organized and directed by Dr. Christina Biron, Dept. of Foreign Languages and Literatures, the seminar provided students majoring and minoring in Spanish with opportunities to improve their language abilities as well as their in-depth knowledge about Spain. Patricia Cody remarks that "this course was much more interesting than other Spanish courses because it focused on the culture of this region...the most interesting thing about this course is that we were able to submerge ourselves within the culture during a period of 10 days." Melanie Calderone maintains that "during this trip my Spanish improved and I realized that people were glad I tried to speak Spanish. My confidence is greater and I'm not as timid. I now talk with co-workers from Guatemala, something I never did before." Finally, Caitlin Fischer comments that she now understands that "there is a real Spanish world out there...we study Spanish in class but don't necessarily experience it so this was very special to me."
Through podcasts, daily diaries, powerpoints, and formal reflection papers, participants also recorded the results of their numerous interactive experiences with hotel staff, professors, tour guides, Spanish students, and other Spaniards, as well as the results of focused investigations on specific themes of interest to them. All participants reported in detail how the experience increased their perspectives on lives of women and men, art and culture, Basque politics, the environment, health, sports, and work and leisure. As Deborah Morse remarks: "What interested me most about this trip was talking with Spaniards about my theme of health. I learned much more than I expected to by visiting Spanish pharmacies, medical centers, observing the different functions of Spanish ambulances, etc.
This is the second Summer Seminar in Spain course to take place through UMD and is the first program in Spain offered by faculty in the UMASS-Dartmouth Dept. of FLL. For more information on this exciting opportunity or if you are interested in participating in future trips, contact Dr. Biron at cbiron@umassd.edu.
- October 23, 2008- Passport UMass
Fulbright Edition of the UMass System's International Newsletter.
This and previous editions can be found on the UMass President's Office webite.
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- September 19, 2008
Study Abroad Fair- Campus Center: 11:00-2:00
Find out how to get the experience of a lifetime while earning credits towards graduation!
Faculty-run programs, Study Abroad Program Providers and service offices from campus will be there to answer all of your study abroad needs.

Fulbright Edition 2008 

Max Page, associate professor of architecture and history at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has been awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to Argentina for the spring of 2009.
Professor Julie Caswell, who chairs the Resource Economics Department, has been awarded a Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Tuscia in Viterbo, Italy from April to June 2009.
Professor Rayman recently received the J. William Fulbright Senior Specialist Award, administered by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars and the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State. After receiving the award, Rayman was asked by the University of Haifa to join their project, "Beyond Co-Existence: Israeli Arab and Jewish Relations."