A student’s challenge, a president’s directive and a young professor’s enthusiasm for teaching launched James Madison University into the world of international education 40 years ago this fall.
A little earlier, in Fall 1975, English professor Ralph Cohen was teaching a class on Shakespeare, and finding himself often saying to his students, “If you could only see it on stage, you would understand.”
Cohen set out to convince senior administrators of the need for students to participate in international learning experiences. With the blessing of President Ronald E. Carrier, Semester in London was born and in 1979, 28 “pioneers” took the purple and gold across the Atlantic.
Cohen served as the program’s first Faculty Member in Residence. During his subsequent tenure as director of study abroad, Cohen collaborated with JMU faculty members Kathleen Arthur, Carmenza Kline and David Ley to establish semester programs in Florence, Italy; Salamanca, Spain; and Paris.
JMU remains a national leader in study abroad with semester programs in Antwerp, Belgium; St. Andrews and Edinburgh, Scotland; Florence; Salamanca; and London. More than 60 summer short-term programs, including Paris, and collaborations with 19 exchange partners combine with semester programs to offer a wide array of study-abroad options.
Study Abroad is now one of the Center for Global Engagement’s three units, along with International Student and Scholar Services and International Cooperation. As a whole, the center promotes understanding by cultivating, facilitating and supporting global engagement at home and abroad.
“There are so many benefits to students having international experiences, whether that’s study abroad, working closely, having friendships with international students or even activities on campus,” said Lee Sternberger, executive director of the CGE and associate provost for academic affairs. “They learn about the world through their interactions with other people.”
Cohen concurs. “Students who participate in international education come back and share their experiences for one or two years, but faculty members infuse the campus DNA for decades,” he said. Their experiences inform their teaching and connect them with colleagues in other countries for the benefit of JMU.
