Spring 2008

College’s presence growing around the globe

For an increasing number of students in the College of Technology, learning isn’t taking place only in a West Lafayette classroom. Classes are being held in locales all around the world, from Beijing, China, to Sydney, Australia.

Don Buskirk, the College of Technology’s international programs officer and an associate professor of industrial technology, says in the past few years, the push has been to encourage students and faculty to travel abroad.

“Overall, we’re trying to internationalize the college in every area by offering a wide variety of research opportunities in other countries,” he says. “We want everyone — from faculty to undergraduate and graduate students — to take advantage of the many excellent programs available in every area of technology.”

The growth in both faculty and student participation in study abroad and exchange programs has been steady over the last few years. About five years ago, there were about 50 to 60 students who studied abroad, and now there are more than 100.

“That’s a 100 percent increase, but it’s just a start,” he says. “As a college, we have been working hard to build relationships with institutions around the world. Our goal is to give students experience in another country some time before they graduate to help them better understand different cultures, political systems, governments, and ways of solving problems as well as to gain an appreciation for our differences.”

Expanding the offerings

Of the roughly 6,000 students in the College of Technology, more than 70 percent are Indiana natives who, for the most part, have never traveled outside the United States or interacted on a daily basis with individuals from different cultures.

“A lot of the students we educate will be employed by firms in this state, many of which have divisions around the world,” Buskirk says. “It therefore becomes necessary for students to have international experience in different languages, cultures, and business practices. By encouraging students to study abroad, we actually are helping keep more students in Indiana after they graduate.”

More faculty have been giving overseas presentations, and there has been much more interest in research grants that have an international component. Grants for faculty include ones through the Asian Initiative, which support faculty in the development of research collaborations with partners in India and China; the Visiting Indian and Chinese Scholars grants for faculty, which bring scholars from India and China to Purdue; the Graduate Recruiting Overseas Grants for Faculty and Departments; and Faculty Development in China Grants, which help Purdue faculty develop relationships with researchers in that country.

The Office of Programs for Study Abroad Web site keeps a current list of all of the study abroad and exchange available to students. More than 40 institutions abroad have programs open for Purdue technology students, and that number is growing constantly. The duration of the programs range from Maymester to a full summer to one and two semesters. Institutions with Purdue agreements are located in Australia, China, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Mexico, Singapore, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

One new student-exchange program in the college is with the Dublin Institute of Technology in Ireland and Hochschule Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences in Germany. Under the agreement, Purdue and Penn State will jointly receive $180,000 and the two European institutions will jointly receive 180,000 euros for the next four years to pay travel expenses for students to study abroad for a semester. The goal is to have the exchange program fully in place by fall 2008.

The funds are being provided by the European Union-United States Atlantis Program, which is part of the U.S. Department of Education. Michael Dyrenfurth, professor of industrial technology, along with Robert Herrick, department head of electrical and computer engineering technology, are in charge of Purdue’s side of the partnership.

Opening students’ eyes

A Faculty member who has traveled abroad extensively is Robert F. Cox, department head of building construction management. Cox has made several visits to China in the last decade, including to Tsinghua University and the Harbin Institute of Technology. He also has overseen the development of a study abroad program with China for building construction management (BCM) students. The 18-day international Maymester program involves five universities and five major cities — Beijing, Tianjin, Harbin, Xi’an, and Shanghai.

In May 2007, Cox and his wife, Cindy, accompanied a group of 13 BCM students to several cities in China to study construction management practices there. Sophomore Robert Shukis says the trip was educational for him in several ways.

“I had been to Paris and London briefly as a kid, but visiting China was definitely a culture shock,” he says. “My time there taught me how to adjust to cultural differences, and I have no doubt that those skills will help me later on when I enter the workforce.”

On the other side of the globe, Ronald Sterkenburg, associate professor of aviation technology and a native of the Netherlands, has for the last few years been taking a group of students on an aviation tour of Europe during spring break. Students see airports and museums in London, Paris, and Amsterdam and various World War II historic sites, such as Normandy Beach and cemeteries where American soldiers were buried.

“Because the language and culture is somewhat similar to the U.S., this opportunity is a great way to ease students into Europe,” Sterkenburg says. “Aviation technology is an increasingly global industry, and this trip is valuable for that reason, but what students take away from this trip is much broader.”

He says students learn about European modes of travel — such as the ferry and high-speed rail — and also can relate to many of the historic landmarks they visit.

“It’s very powerful for them to see the gravesites of 19- and 20-year-olds who died in World War II,” Sterkenburg says. “That’s something they definitely can’t experience from a history book.”

Benefits after graduation

John Sofia, a 1984 graduate of the Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology, is vice president of engineering and product development for Detroit-based American Axle and Manufacturing and knows the importance of employees having international experience. Employees of his company, which has divisions in 12 foreign countries, must frequently travel abroad.

“It’s important for students to know that the world is larger than West Lafayette, Indiana,” he says. “Having a student with foreign-language skills or work experience in another country puts them at a great advantage in the workforce. If there were two candidates for a job, and both of them had identical skills but one of them had traveled abroad, I’d hire the one with international experience.”

Sofia says he had never traveled abroad before he was in the workforce, but in 1984 he took an assignment for Chrysler in Italy. Now he travels to 20 to 30 countries a year and is even taking Spanish and Portuguese language lessons to help him better interact with some of his clients.

“The opportunities for students now are greater than they’ve ever been,” he says. “It’s a global economy and definitely in a student’s best interest to pursue traveling abroad.”

Knowing the details

Buskirk says that while these valuable experiences abroad do cost money, they don’t have to cost significantly more than normal tuition. Most are offered for credit, so if the courses match up to courses a student would take in West Lafayette, they would pay normal Purdue tuition. A student would be responsible only for transportation, food, and lodging. Financial aid loans or grants can be used to pay for a certain portion of a study abroad program.

Buskirk says it is important for students to check with an academic adviser to make sure that a certain program or course from another country can be counted toward Purdue credit.

“We’re working with faculty, International Programs, and even high school counselors to do everything we can to encourage students to travel abroad and make the experience as seamless as possible,” he says.

It’s an incredible experience for the student when they realize that they can survive in a place like Beijing, China, and learn about cultural and other differences,” Buskirk says. “But what is even more powerful is that they have a much better understanding of the fact that no matter where you go, people aren’t that much different.”

- Kim Medaris