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| Purdue Agriculture students
at Heineken Brewery in Amsterdam. |
Menu of offerings
Today, IPIA programs are remarkable in their
diversity, from traditional placements in overseas universities
for a semester or academic year, to internships, short-term courses
and exchanges. This past year, 151 agriculture students studied
overseas, accounting for 22 percent of all Purdue students abroad.
At graduation, 15 percent of agriculture majors have studied abroad,
the highest percentage of any Purdue school. The goal is to raise
that to 30 percent by 2005.
Much of the growth is occurring in shorter-term
programs, an area IPIA didn’t really even begin to explore
until 2001. The office initially focused on sending students overseas
for a semester or full year. However, IPIA staff determined that
shorter-term programs might be more palatable to parents and more
attractive to students, who then could choose a second, longer program
before graduation.
IPIA’s signature short program, launched
in May 2002, is part of Purdue’s three-week Maymester, the
first module of summer school. In semester programs, students and
their advisors must carefully fit multiple courses into the overall
plan of study, but Maymester students can choose their 3-credit
class based entirely on what sparks their interest. They have explored
Russia in transition; tropical agriculture in Brazil; animal agriculture
in Poland; organic and sustainable agriculture in England, Wales
and the Netherlands; and sustainable use of natural resources in
Sweden. In 2004, Maymester courses will take students to Brazil,
China, Cuba, Costa Rica and the United Kingdom.
In response to student interest, IPIA also is
piloting two programs: a 1-credit Tropical Agriculture class in
Honduras over spring break to complement a similar program on agribusiness
in Ireland and a 1-credit course in New Zealand over winter break.
With so many students studying abroad, support
from Purdue Agriculture’s Office of Academic Programs is integral
to success. “As a former study-abroad student myself, I can
truly say that living, studying and working within another culture
is an experience that can permanently alter a student’s perspective,”
says Dale Whittaker, director of academic programs and associate
dean of Purdue Agriculture. “Our academic partners around
the world can provide unique classes and internships to our students
that they cannot find here at Purdue. Study abroad is a system that
works educationally, and we work to make that opportunity available
to all of our students.”
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