Trinity’s Center for International Engagement Helps Students Engage the World

By Julia Weis

Berlin, Germany. Seoul, South Korea. Budapest, Hungary. Evan Chambless, 21, has wanted to study abroad in all three of these places. After a two-week trip to Berlin through Trinity’s political science department her freshmen year, she was determined to find the opportunity to go studying abroad for a full semester.

So she went to speak with staff at the Center for International Engagement (CIE) of Trinity and, with their consultation, worked out a plan to study abroad for a semester during her senior year.

Chambless is one of many Trinity students who was able to go study abroad with the help of CIE. The center, launched in the summer of 2015 as a part of Trinity's Trinity Tomorrow Strategic Plan, is making an effort to push Trinity students to expand their knowledge of the world through the classrooms, other campus activities, and studying abroad.

Dr. Bladimir Ruiz: ​Decade-Long Commitment to ​the Madrid Program

By Sophia Scearce

Launched in 2005, the Madrid Summer Program has enabled hundreds of Trinity students to experience a summer of learning and interning in Spain’s capital. At the center of the program is Dr. Bladimir Ruiz, associate professor of Spanish at Trinity University.

“There is something about creating a space that is not only a physical space in a classroom, but that allows for an interaction that is deeper than just sharing knowledge,” said Ruiz regarding his experience educating students in Madrid.

​Ruiz has led the program for the past 9 years and is about to lead it for the 10th time in May. ​Through his decade long ​involvement with the Madrid Program, Ruiz emphasized the importance of learning outside the classroom. “I think what these programs are providing us with is the opportunity to have the classroom in the country and in the city, and to have the city as a classroom.” This kind of immersive learning outside the classroom also attracted many students.

Special Report: Field Geology in China, 2017

This video documents the Field Geology in China summer program, held in June 2017, in Guizhou and Yunnan. Dr. Dan Lehrmann, professor of geology at Trinity University, led the program, together with Dr. Josie Liu from Trinity and Dr. Thomas Adams from Witte Museum.

During the three-week journey, 12 Trinity students worked closely with 13 students from Guizhou University and Guizhou Normal University, led by Professor Youyi Yu, on field geology, research and cultural exchange.

The program was one of several Trinity University's faculty-led study abroad summer programs in 2017.

New Policies Aim at Expanding Study Abroad Opportunities

Trinity student Tierney Thomison currently studies abroad in Bolivia
Photo courtesy of Tierney Thomison

By Abby Tisdale and Katie Welch

A new model could provide better financial aid and therefore more opportunities of studying abroad for Trinity students, said a faculty and staff panel at a town hall Tuesday evening.

The panel featured Dr. Katsuo Nishikawa, the director of the Center of International Engagement, Glendi Gaddis, Assistant Vice President of Student Financial Services, and Nancy Erickson, assistant director of Study Abroad. Student Government Association (SGA) sponsored the townhall.

The new model is called home school tuition model, or HSTM. This model allows students studying abroad during fall and spring semesters to only pay for the normal cost as attending their home school, Trinity, including tuition, room and board. Students are also able to use federal, state and Trinity financial aid while studying abroad during regular semesters. Airfare, however, is not covered, said Nishikawa.