Southern Cross University is now a destinations for students in the First-Year Experience program.
St. Cloud State University incoming freshmen can now choose from four continents to study abroad on in their first year through the First-Year Experience (FYE) program.
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FYE students can now study in Australia and Malaysia along with the existing programs in South Africa and the United Kingdom. The FYE program began in 2006 as a collaboration with Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
The FYE program is designed to introduce first-year college students to the horizon-broadening experiences found while living and studying while immersed in a different culture while also providing the tools of support first-year students need to be successful.
“The First-Year Experience program is designed to encourage students to participate in education abroad programs early and often,” said Rachael Gardner, who co-teaches a class preparing students for the Australia and England study abroad experience.
During their study abroad experience, students take classes that will count toward their elective, major or minor requirements. All the programs are located in English-speaking countries with classes offered in English.
Taylor’s University in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will be the home of some First-Year Experience students for spring semester 2017.
Although the four programs are designed to introduce incoming students to studying abroad, all four programs are open to students at all levels and all majors.
Students in the Australia program study at Southern Cross University in Lismore, New South Wales, Australia. Students can register for any courses offered at the university, provided they meet prerequisites.
In the Malaysia program, students study at Taylor’s University-Lakeside, a private university. Many people in Malaysia are fluent in English, and the university’s location in Kuala Lumpur means easy access to an international airport from which students can easily explore Southeast Asia.
Students in the South Africa program do their studies at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in the city of Port Elizabeth. As they live in international student housing, students in the program are introduced to a unique cultural experience both on and off campus.
First-Year Experience students have been attending Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, since 2016.
In the England program, students learn from St. Cloud State professors and live and take classes in Alnwick Castle in northern England that belongs to the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland. The program includes trips in the area to learn about British history and culture or can take their own weekend excursions by rail.
St. Cloud State’s Robert Johnson and Shahzad Ahmad worked with Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s Nico Jooste to facilitate the student experience and support for the first St. Cloud State FYE program in 2006.
The program has been popular ever since — attracting up to 20 students every year.
Like the NMMU program, Malaysia and Australia were specifically chosen for their support level, course availability and cost.
“All the First-Year Experience program locations have been vetted for student safety and support,” Gardner said. “The locations allow students to have a unique cultural and personal growth experience while effectively providing tools of support first-year students need to have to be successful.”
The First-Year Experience program first added England as an option in 2016.
The programs are some of the most affordable study-abroad locations for students. A semester at both South Africa and Malaysia is equivalent to the cost of living on campus and taking 15 credits at St. Cloud State. All four locations are also study abroad options for sophomore-senior students.
Several St. Cloud State campus departments are collaborating to make these first-year experience opportunities available including: the Center for International Studies, Ethnic and Women’s Studies, Honors, the Advising and Transitions Office, Multicultural Student Services and the College of Liberal Arts.
The programs
