SALISBURY, MD — After nearly 30 years of partnership, Salisbury University has entered a new era with the renowned American Institute for Foreign Studies (AIFS) to expand access to academic and pre-professional opportunities abroad.
SU President Carolyn Ringer Lepre recently joined AIFS Abroad Executive Director Emily Merson at the AIFS Abroad Global Education Center in Salzburg, Austria, to announce a multifaceted strategy to increase SU student enrollments around the world.
“SU aspires to be the best public university in Maryland for the percentage of students studying abroad and studying away,” said Lepre. “Our portfolio of global partners, including our historic partnership with AIFS, is critical to our success.”
As one of the oldest and most respected study abroad organizations in North America, AIFS Abroad has hosted hundreds of SU students overseas since the partnership began in 1995. This year, a record number participated in AIFS programs, demonstrating a profound student interest in their program models and locations.
“AIFS Abroad helps us expand SU’s reach around the globe, offering diverse majors the opportunity to study on nearly every continent,” said Dr. Brian Stiegler, SU assistant provost for international education. “This expanded partnership reflects the trust and confidence SU has in AIFS Abroad to provide the support, academic opportunity and personalized experience that we expect for our students.”
SU will continue to grow study abroad enrollments with AIFS Abroad, including the launch of “SU in Austria,” a program featuring SU faculty teaching short-term courses at the AIFS Abroad Salzburg center.
SU in Austria will provide credit-bearing SU courses while leveraging AIFS’ substantial local network to offer students a wide variety of co-curricular learning opportunities. Participants will experience Europe as their cultural classroom through activities like Mozart concerts, skiing and hiking in the Austrian Alps, and exploring Salzburg’s famous Sound of Music history.
In addition to the winter and summer SU in Austria programs, SU students may spend full semesters at AIFS Salzburg earning credit toward their degrees.
The University also expects to grow its international internship enrollment in partnership with AIFS Abroad through the Salisbury Abroad Internship program. Approximately 100 students from SU’s College of Health and Human Services and the Charles R. and Martha M. Fulton School of Liberal Arts already have completed full-time internships abroad through AIFS Abroad’s Global Experiences internship program.
Looking ahead as part of the new partnership expansion, SU also will offer credit-bearing internship opportunities abroad for B.S.W. and M.S.W. students and expects to increase the enrollment in international internships from students in the Fulton School significantly.
SU students will have expanded access to scholarships and support from the Salisbury University Foundation, Inc. and AIFS Abroad to pursue their international experiences. This is made possible through a new direct billing arrangement that will allow students to pay SU directly for study abroad on all AIFS Abroad programs.
“Collaborating strategically with our colleagues at Salisbury is a great celebration of our long history as partners in education abroad,” said Merson. “Together, our efforts will increase access to a variety of global opportunities and pave the way for future students to expand their SU careers.”
SU students can find out more about how to study or intern abroad with AIFS Abroad at http://studyabroad.salisbury.edu.
Learn more about SU and opportunities to Make Tomorrow Yours at www.salisbury.edu.
