For some students, their college experience would not have been the same without their experience studying abroad. For others, studying abroad was not an option due to financial constraints. Thanks to a $10 million gift from University Trustee Kathleen McGillycuddy and her husband Ronald Logue, chairman and CEO of State Street Corporation, this will no longer be the case. The donation from McGillycuddy and Logue has allowed for the development of a new center for undergraduate global studies-named The McGillycuddy-Logue Center for Undergraduate Global studies in recognition of the donors-which will be working in conjunction with the existing Office of International Programs (OIP).
"The donation will allow us to support travel grants for students and it will make sure that we offer study abroad for most of the students who need financial help," said Bernd Widdig, Director of the Office of International Programs. "Finances should not be in the way of going abroad."
One part of the donation will go towards the travel grants, while the other part will go towards what will be known as the McGillycuddy Fellowship Program. This program will help integrate study abroad experiences into the academic realm by selecting a group of students that will come together in their sophomore year and prepare for their study abroad experience by taking a class- which, Widdig said, students will be taking for credit-before they travel abroad. This group will then come together again in the form of a senior capstone class after their travels to discuss and reflect on their experiences with international studies. "The best study abroad experience has three parts: preparation, the experience abroad, be it study abroad or an internship, and afterwards, a reflection," Widdig said. "What they experienced and learned abroad, we want to do that in a group and we want them to bond over this experience."
Another goal of the center is to help fund trips abroad to more non-traditional destinations, including Latin America, Africa, and Middle East. "75 percent of students go to European countries for their study abroad experience. While that is wonderful, I would like to have offerings in other parts of world," Widdig said.
For the time being, Widdig said it is unknown when the center will be able to initiate its fellowship program and begin doling out the travel grants. He added that although the start of the program is unknown, it will not be ready in time for the fall 2008 semester.
The sizes of the grants are also unknown, since, Widdig said, it is yet to be determined how the donation will be divided, but he estimated that they will settle on the sizes within the next few months. "We need to carefully think through how we use the money in the best way. So we have to think, do we give more of the smaller grants or a less of the larger grants?" Widdig said. "Now we need to sit down and put together the best way to award the travel plans."
Widdig stressed the importance of the donation in light of the popularity of study abroad programs. "In a sense international education and study abroad is very core and center at BC," Widdig said. "Almost 40 percent of students go abroad and this will really help us make a good program even better. It allows us to do innovative things and make sure that everybody who wants to go abroad and meets the requirements can go abroad."
Widdig, who has been with the OIP for less than a year, added that the gift has made his positive beginnings as director even better. "This is a wonderful way to move study abroad and international education forward. This gives me another incredible boost. It's a wonderful gift personally, and I am very grateful for the travel grants."
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