Students on the Iceland trip set out on a hike on a glacier. Photo by Nicholas Warner.
A new SUNY Geneseo study abroad program in Iceland is among four winners of 2015-16 SUNY Chancellor’s Grants for Innovative Study Abroad Programs, which supports unique opportunities that increase student mobility overseas.
Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher announced the grants today, which amount to $4,000 in funding to offset the cost to students.
“Study abroad helps students develop a unique skill set in their field by practicing and applying their learning in an international setting,” said Chancellor Zimpher. “These experiences are often the most rewarding of a student’s college career, and they make our graduates more competitive in the global economy. We are proud to support some of SUNY’s most innovative cross-cultural study abroad programs with these annual grants.”
Geneseo’s new Iceland program, titled “Abroad in Iceland: Writing and Knowing the Land,” is a four-week summer program in Iceland to be launched in 2016 combining geological sciences, creative writing and environmental studies and is open to all students. Students will explore an understudied region of Iceland believed to be a key to understanding climate change. Geneseo’s proposal for the grant came from Lytton Smith, assistant professor English.
“This is terrific news and my congratulations to Dr. Smith for developing such an innovative program for the college,” said Becky Lewis, assistant provost for international programs at Geneseo. “This interdisciplinary program will provide a rich experience for students with an interest in the environment, nature writing, geology, and an understudied area of the world.”
The top proposals for the grant are coordinated by SUNY’s Office of Global Affairs. The four this year were selected by a committee of campus representatives from 19 applications across the system. Initially established in 2003 as the Chancellor’s Award for Internationalization, this competitive grant program has supported the development of 49 unique program opportunities for SUNY students to study abroad in traditionally underrepresented regions and academic fields. Additional information about the program is available online.
Other campuses receiving grants were SUNY Oneonta, Monroe Community College and Stony Brook University.