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CSB/SJU Offers World Leaders Camp to Incoming Students
July 9, 2006
A new program offered by the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University hopes to make first-year students think globally – even before they enter the schools.
World Leaders Camp is a new program offered by CSB/SJU for incoming first-year students who aspire to a successful career in the new global economy. Thirty students will attend this year’s camp from July 16-30 on the CSB/SJU campuses.
“The World Leaders Camp is developed specifically for first-year students, to get them involved in the CSB/SJU WorldStar program and to become global leaders,” said Kristi Kremers, CSB/SJU global education coordinator.
The camp will offer classes taught by CSB/SJU faculty on topics such as intercultural communication and global business practices; field trips to international communities, cultural events and exhibits; and interacting with international high school students from China, Chile, Spain and Japan who are attending the AmeriCulture Camp, which runs from July 16 through Aug. 4 at CSB/SJU.
By attending the World Leaders Camp, students will be automatically enrolled in the WorldStar Diplomat program, as well as receiving preferred enrollment status in the new First-Year Winter Experience Abroad. They can also earn advanced points toward WorldStar scholar awards and other academic distinctions.
The First-Year Winter Experience Abroad program is separate from the 17 semester-long study abroad programs offered by CSB/SJU. The two-week sessions will be held in Cuernavaca, Mexico; Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; and possibly Montreal, Quebec, Canada, beginning in January 2007.
“They (first-year students) will get that first, initial experience that really gets them fired up about study abroad, and that’s what we’re looking for,” Kremers said.
Both the World Leaders Camp and the First-Year Winter Experience Abroad are considered by Kremers to be an “ignition program” to get first-year students inspired to travel abroad, to experience some of the more than 200 classes CSB/SJU offers that have some kind of global or intercultural content within them and to plan their international experiences in advance, instead of “doing it as an afterthought,” Kremers said.
CSB/SJU were ranked No. 3 nationally among baccalaureate institutions for total number of study abroad students in the annual report on international education, Open Doors 2005, published by the Institute of International Education. The two schools had 565 students study abroad during the 2003-04 academic year (the most recent time span surveyed). About six in 10 CSB students study internationally before they graduate, a participation rate nearly twice the national average for liberal arts colleges.
Kremers added that host families are still being sought in the area to host AmeriCulture Camp students July 28-30. “This is a great opportunity for people within our community to get involved in the program and learn about these other cultures,” Kremers said.
For more information on hosting students, please e-mail the International Education Office.