WINTERIM 2021 PROGRAMS = SUCCESS!

During Winter Break 2021, thirty-five enthusiastic University of Colorado Denver students boarded flights from Denver International Airport bound for Cuba, Spain and Italy. They delved into exciting Global Education: Study Abroad programs in business, art, or the liberal arts.

“After such a long pause on study abroad travel, we put great focus on assuring that students would enjoy both a safe and transformational experience,” explained Catherine Ebert-Gray, U.S. Ambassador Retired, Director of Global Education: Study Abroad. “While two of our students were quarantined for part of their program, we were impressed with how responsible and enthusiastic all of the students were during study abroad this Winterim; the added COVID precautions didn’t appear to dampen most of the students' spirits or the impact of their travels.”   

The students abided by the new precautions and received good care throughout their journeys. While hundreds of winter study abroad programs in universities across the United States were cancelled due to the current pandemic and airline industry challenges, the team learned from Colorado School of Mines and CU Boulder that programs could take place. At CU Denver, the study abroad team and university staff and faculty rolled up their sleeves, collaborated effectively, and guided the students through COVID requirements, travel information, and the visa process.

This included helping seven international students who traveled with their classmates to the study abroad program in Spain. Ebert-Gray contacted the ”very gracious Spanish Consul” to help obtain visa appointments for several of the Chinese students at the Los Angeles Consulate, which enabled the students to proceed on the trip. The students are enrolled at CU Denver through International College Beijing. For more than a quarter of a century, the University of Colorado Denver and China Agricultural University have benefited from this unique collaboration in education. As the first partnership of its kind, International College Beijing (ICB) offers classes to Chinese students in China and Colorado, and provides undergraduate degrees in economics, communication, or dual degrees from the University of Colorado Denver. The Beijing campus is also the site for a CU Denver study abroad program, Semester in Beijing. Students have returned from this program delighted with the friendships that have developed between the U.S. and Chinese students.

The Food Fight in Spain study abroad program, which was taught by EJ Yoder, PhD, Senior Instructor and Undergraduate Advisor, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, focused on the role of food in culture and cultural identity, its impact on political and social issues, and an analysis of how Spaniards and Catalans use food to create two competing identities, one regional, the other national. The students also enjoyed viewing surrealist masterpieces at Teatro Museo Dali in Figueres, traveling along the Costa Brava, taking cooking classes, and hearing from guest speakers.

“This was my first time taking a study abroad program, and during this learning trip, I gained a lot of knowledge about the relationship between a region’s culture and its food,” said ICB-CU Denver student Yabing Yang. “ This was a fantastic experience; it was a process of broadening horizons and applying the knowledge learned in practice. I really appreciate that CU Denver provided us with this good opportunity!”

Ashley Hatch, who is earning her bachelor’s degree in communication and international studies, shared a similar viewpoint. “Before going on this program, I had never been to Europe; studying abroad was a really great way to travel because I was able to learn and see so much with other students,” she said. “The experience was so rewarding; it was the best trip I have taken do far!”

Students in the Cubra Libre: Innovation and Culture study abroad program, led by Barry McConnell, MBA,  Senior Instructor, and David Ruderman, MBA, Senior Instructor, Business School, shared ideas with students and professors from the Universidad de la Habana, one of the oldest Universities in the Americas, and engaged in discussions surrounding the challenges faced by tech start-ups, as well as other entrepreneurs, seeking opportunities for innovation. The students visited Havana, Vinales, and Trinidad to experience the richness of the Cuban culture while learning about the critical role that entrepreneurship plays in today’s emerging Cuban economy.

The city of Florence served as inspiration and the home base for students in the Drawing in Italy study abroad program, led by Melissa Furness, MFA, Associate Professor, College of Arts and Media. Course studies took place at the Santa Reparata International School of Art, with a focus on travel as a mode of artistic practice through an exploration of methods in drawing, illustration, printmaking, and book arts. Students were able to study the works of Renaissance masters, experiment with techniques of perspective and observational drawing on-site, and learn illustration and experimental printmaking processes as well as produce a handmade hard bound book in a completely equipped print workshop at SRISA through the University of Colorado Denver.

“Studying abroad is one of the most impactful, memorable, and transformational experiences that a student can have. We were so pleased to be able to reintroduce safe and exciting program opportunities,” said Ebert-Gray. “Many students returned to talk to us about taking another study abroad trip to another part of the world.”

LOOKING AHEAD: SPRING/SUMMER/FALL STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS

What’s next on the global horizon for study abroad? At the recent Study Abroad Virtual Fair, the Global Education: Study Abroad office and faculty members highlighted upcoming Spring and Summer faculty-led programs that will take place in Denmark, Italy, China, South Korea, Spain, U.K., India, France, and the Czech Republic. An innovative new semester-long program, Arts Hub Asia, will also take place in Singapore in the fall.

The study abroad team makes it easy for you to contact them, make an appointment, and learn how to plan your own study abroad journey.

STUDY ABROAD SCHOLARSHIPS!

In addition to the wide range of study abroad scholarship opportunities that are available, including merit-based, diversity, and program, subject, or destination-specific, the Office of Global Education: Study Abroad (OGE) is offering a NEW OGE Passport Scholarship opportunity. It offers free passports for the first ten students who apply and who have never had a U.S. passport. To enter, scan a draft of your completed U.S. passport application  -- without sensitive information -- and write a 300 words or less essay on why and when you plan to study abroad. Email the information to: study.abroad@ucdenver.edu. Winners will be supported throughout the process by OGE staff. The deadline is March 1, 2022. A travel abroad opportunity may be in your future!

For more information, visit:

Global Education: Study Abroad

Study Abroad Program Types

Study Abroad Scholarships