LEWISTON – One of the increasingly important opportunities higher education can afford a student is the chance to study in another country. But how can this opportunity be afforded to non-traditional students who have families, jobs and bills to pay?

Dr. Betty Robinson of the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn College will travel with three graduate students and two undergraduate students to the University of Botswana and Universities of the Western Cape and KwaZulu Natal this May.

The leadership students have organized a fund-raising drive to assist the five students to go on the trip. They’ve also formed a student association called LEADER to organize activities and to continue fund-raising to support student travel to professional leadership conferences or on future international excursions.

In May at each university, the group will meet with faculty, administrators and students to explore the establishment of ongoing international partnerships for the Leadership and Organizational Studies bachelors’ and Leadership Studies masters’ degree programs located at USM/L-A.

The group will spend a week at each university and tour local areas of historical or economic importance. At least one university is also gathering local community and business partners to meet with the USM/L-A delegation.

A number of ideas for collaboration will be explored, including the offering of joint courses over the Internet that students in any location could take. The Web-based coursework could be supplemented with video teleconferencing and/or short, intensive cross-national visits by delegations of students from the class in each country.

Students and faculty could host one-another in their homes, adding further to the cross-cultural educational experience.

“Even if all the students in a class can’t afford the travel, just sending a delegation who can report back and receiving a delegation of international students would be a big step toward further enhancing the international educational experience of our students,” said Robinson.

The university chose to seek potential international partners in Africa because of the increase of African emigration into the Portland and Lewiston-Auburn communities.

Student P.J. Mears of Auburn said, “It is fitting that we begin our program development in Africa in light of the growing diversity we have experienced in our own community. It also gives us experience in building global bridges for educational purposes.”

“Fostering an understanding of diverse cultures and countries is an important aspect to the study of leadership,” said Anne Craigs of Lewiston, a student in the leadership graduate program. “We are seeking to create programs of study that will be practical in nature and also provide authenticity to the learning outcomes.”

Anyone wishing to contribute to the fund is encouraged to contact Pamela Roy, USM/L-A finance coordinator, at 753-6553.