By Haley Knight |
Contributor
Maria Darley has been director of Augusta University’s Study Abroad for eight years. Her employment began in the Career Center and over the years she has found her home in Study Abroad.
“My master's degree is in higher education, and I knew I wanted to keep working with college students,” Darley said. “This is where I belong.”
As director of Study Abroad, Darley is responsible for helping faculty members write their proposals. She has the unique opportunity to engage with students about future programs. She recruits professors who have shown interests in conducting Study Abroad programs. Her largest project during the spring semester is preparing students and faculty for the multiple trips being taken.
“A lot of students tend to love the spring break option because it tends to be cheaper,” Darley said.
This is due to the trips being shorter than those offered in the Summer. The courses offered for the spring break Study Abroad and Study Away programs meet once or twice a week during the spring semester. This helps to ensure students are prepared and most, if not all, work for the class is completed before their journey.
“We always tend to have Health Science programs and those are usually the week before spring break,” Darley said.
Nursing will be going to Peru; Occupational Therapy will be going to Jamaica and Model United Nations will be going to New York the week before Spring Break 2019. During Spring Break the art department will be traveling to Belgium and the Netherlands. The course offered is Art 4950: Nomadic Studio-the Netherlands and Belgium. The second trip offered is a First Year Experience. They will be going to Costa Rica and the courses offered are INQR 1000 and SOCI 1101. The third and final trip departing Augusta is traveling to London. This is journey is for business majors who are interested in taking international business.
“That means we will have at least 60 students or so going abroad during the week of spring break and about the same amount going before,” Darley said.
Despite the trips being shorter, students still get a full Study Abroad experience. The days are packed full of guided tours, going to historical sites and different ways to immerse themselves in the new culture.
“Every faculty member does it a little bit different," Darley said. "Some will have several projects due before they go so when they’re aboard they don’t have to do work. That tends to be the norm for our spring break trips.”
This strategy allows for students to enjoy themselves while in other state or country. A final project is due back after their trip. Depending on the professor, the project can range from a paper about the student’s experience to a journal that was kept daily while on the trip.
Contact Haley Knight at HKNIGHT@augusta.edu