News

Syracuse London staff have confirmed the safety of all Syracuse Abroad students in London at this time.

Our international risk management partner, International SOS, reports the following:

Last Updated: 04 Jun 2017 04:00 (GMT)
Members in the capital London should continue to avoid the London Bridge and Borough Market areas following two security incidents there late on 3 June that the authorities are treating as terrorism. A van was driven into crowds of pedestrians on London Bridge shortly after 22.00 (local time); this was followed by stabbings outside a pub in Borough Market. At least six people have been killed and 30 others injured in the attacks. Armed police officers remain at the affected locations; traffic is suspended on London Bridge and Southwark Bridge on both directions and London Bridge and Borough Underground (‘tube’) stations remain closed.

ISOS’s advice is as follows:

Travel to the capital London and the UK can proceed. Security alerts are likely in the coming hours and days and could result in the short-notice evacuation of transport hubs. Allow ample time for travel within the UK and maintain flexible itineraries. Security hoaxes tend to proliferate in the aftermath of high-profile terrorist attacks, especially via Web-based social networks. Ensure you have access to reliable intelligence and refrain from acting on the basis of unverified information. Exercise caution at all times in crowded public areas. Remain vigilant and report any suspicious behavior or suspect packages to the police. Investigations may prompt localized incidents and security cordons in London or elsewhere. Allow ample time for travel to and from all London airports as heightened and additional security checks are likely, especially at border crossings. Travelers should carry relevant identification documents.

Avoid the London Bridge and Borough Market areas until the situation fully stabilizes.

For up-to-date information on the ongoing situation, monitor our alerts and the Metropolitan Police Service’s (Met) Twitter account.

Expect a heightened security force presence and related travel disruption in the affected areas. London Bridge and Borough Underground (‘tube’) stations have been shut down.

Plan routes circumventing the affected area and follow all directives issued by the authorities. Updates on disruption to the transport network in London can be found here.

Security alerts and police operations are liable to prompt short-notice travel disruption across the UK. Follow all directives issued by the authorities. Do not communicate or act on unverified information.

Syracuse University, both here on the main campus and at our international learning centers, sends its thoughts to the victims and all those impacted by today’s incident in London. We will post further updates as needed.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program has awarded several Syracuse University Abroad alumni the opportunity to explore their research and teaching interests around the world for the 2017-18 year. Of the seven students awarded from Syracuse University, five are alumni of at least one Syracuse Abroad program. Two, Frederick Cieri and Meghan Mistry, have represented Syracuse Abroad as student global ambassadors.

Congratulations to all!

Amber Barrow ’17, neuroscience and biology, College of Arts and Sciences; Syracuse Beijing Center Spring 2016

• Study/Research Grant, Public Health, China

Rachel Brown-Weinstock ’17, sociology, citizenship and civic engagement, and policy studies, College of Arts and Sciences and Maxwell School; South Africa: A Global Health Experience Summer 2015 & 2016

• English Teaching Assistantship, South Africa

Frederick Cieri ’17, modern languages and international relations, College of Arts and Sciences and Maxwell School; Syracuse Strasbourg Center Spring 2015, Madrid Summer Session Summer 2015, World Partner CET Brazil Fall 2016 & Spring 2017, Abroad Global Ambassador

• English Teaching Assistantship, Spain

Hasmik Djoulakian ’17, women’s and gender students and citizenship and civic engagement, College of Arts and Sciences and Maxwell School; Syracuse Florence Center Spring 2015

• English Teaching Assistantship, Armenia

Meghan Mistry ’17, broadcast and digital journalism, Newhouse School; Syracuse London Center Spring 2016, Abroad Global Ambassador

• English Teaching Assistantship, Malaysia

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program, which is the largest U.S. exchange program with 1,900 grants awarded annually, allows students to take on international study, research and teaching opportunities as part of U.S. Sen. J. William Fulbright’s vision in 1945 for the “promotion of international good will through the exchange of students in the fields of education, culture and science.”

Students interested in applying to the Fulbright program should contact the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (315.443.2759, jmpark02@syr.edu). The campus deadline for the 2017-18 application cycle is Sept. 11, 2017.

Syracuse University’s Remembrance Scholar Selection Committee has chosen the 35 students who will be the 2017-18 Remembrance Scholars. Of the students selected, 17 have either already studied abroad, or will be spending the Fall 2017 semester on a Syracuse Abroad program.

The scholarships were founded as a tribute to—and means of remembering—the 35 students who were killed in the Dec. 21, 1988, bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. The students, who were returning from a semester of study in London and Florence, were among the 270 people who perished in the bombing. Remembrance Scholars each represent one of the 35 SU students who perished in the flight.

Two Lockerbie Scholars are also selected from Lockerbie, Scotland, to attend SU for a year of study. Andrew Dorrance and Heather Mutch, both Lockerbie Academy students, will be the Lockerbie representatives next year. They will work in the Syracuse Abroad office as work study students, and we look forward to welcoming them to campus in August.

Syracuse Abroad is pleased to recognize the 17 students who have (or will soon have) studied abroad through our programs:

Zainab Abdali of Houston, Texas, an English and textual studies and mathematics major in the College of Arts and Sciences: Syracuse London Spring 2017

Alex Alvarez of Caguas, Puerto Rico, a Latino-Latin American studies major in the College of Arts and Sciences and a television, radio and film major in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications: Syracuse Santiago, Spring 2016

Madeleine Buckley of Owings, Maryland, a magazine major in Newhouse and policy studies major in the College of Arts and Sciences and Maxwell: Florence Summer Session, Summer 2016

Elissa Candiotti of Hewlett, New York, a broadcast and digital journalism major in Newhouse: Syracuse London, Fall 2016

Kathryn Cassidy of Framingham, Massachusetts, a history major in the College of Arts and Sciences and Maxwell, social studies education major in the College of Arts and Sciences and School of Education, and Spanish language, literature and culture major in the College of Arts and Sciences: Syracuse Santiago, Spring 2017

Bryan Cereijo of Hialeah, Florida, an international relations major in the College of Arts and Sciences and Maxwell and a photography major in Newhouse: World Partner CET Brazil, Fall 2017

Katherine Conti of Erie, Pennsylvania, an international relations major in the College of Arts and Sciences and Maxwell: Discovery Florence, Fall 2014

Ricky Diep of Quincy, Massachusetts, a systems and information science major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science: Syracuse Hong Kong, Spring 2017

Raymond Levine of Erie, Pennsylvania, a policy studies and political science major in the College of Arts and Sciences and Maxwell: Syracuse Hong Kong, Spring 2017

Madeline Lorang of Bigfork, Montana, a geography and citizenship and civic engagement major in the College of Arts and Sciences and Maxwell: Syracuse Madrid Fall 2016, Abroad Global Ambassador

Leonardo Marino of Pulaski, New York, a linguistic studies major in the College of Arts and Sciences and music composition major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts: Mediterranean Food and Culture, Summer 2015; Syracuse Strasbourg, Spring 2016

Jacqueline Page of Potomac, Maryland, an international relations major in the College of Arts and Sciences and Maxwell and television, radio and film major in Newhouse: Syracuse London Fall 2016, Abroad Global Ambassador

Anjana Pati of Millstone Township, New Jersey, a neuroscience and psychology major in the College of Arts and Sciences: South Africa: A Global Health Experience, Summer 2016

Kiran Ramsey of Indianapolis, Indiana, an information management and technology major in the School of Information Studies: Syracuse Florence, Fall 2017

Bronte Schmit of Syracuse, New York, a magazine major in Newhouse: Syracuse London, Fall 2016

Erin Welsh of Clarence, New York, a political science major in the College of Arts and Sciences and Maxwell: The Aqueducts of Ancient Rome, Spring Break 2015; Syracuse London, Fall 2015; World Partner CET Jordan, Spring 2017

Sudan Zhuang of Queens, New York, an information management and technology major in the iSchool and marketing management major in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management: Syracuse Hong Kong, Fall 2016

The U.S. State Department issued an updated Travel Alert for Europe on Monday, May 1st. Alerts are issued for short-term events that the U.S. Department of State believes travelers should be aware of when planning to visit a specific country or region of the world. Examples of reasons for issuing a Travel Alert might include an election season that is bound to have many strikes, demonstrations, or disturbances; a health alert like an outbreak of H1N1; or evidence of an elevated risk of terrorist attacks. When these short-term events are over, the State Department cancels the Travel Alert. In this most recent alert, the State Department has not advised individuals to defer travel, but the alert advises travelers to exercise caution and monitor security information for the country or countries of their travels. An alert contrasts with a “warning,” which is also issued by the U.S. Department of State, and signals that travelers should consider very carefully whether or not they should travel at all to a specific country.

The current alert mentions steps that travelers in Europe can take to help them maintain their awareness and bolster their personal security preparedness. Please note that the advisory was not issued in response to a particular threat, but was intended to advise reasonable precaution when traveling. General advice is included below. and all travelers are encouraged to visit the ISOS website and download the ISOS app for more guidance and to provide emergency information in need. (Syracuse University: #11BCPA000177).

Syracuse Abroad takes the safety and security of our students and faculty overseas very seriously and we will continue to monitor information from the U.S. Department of State, the Overseas Security Advisory Council, foreign security agencies, the university’s insurance providers, and contacts on the ground to keep travelers notified and make potential determinations on any necessary itinerary adjustments. If there are any additional questions about the advisory or other travel safety concerns, please feel free to contact Seth Tucker, Syracuse University’s Director of International and Domestic Travel Safety and Support, at satucker@syr.edu or by phone 315.443.1968.

Remember:

• Remain vigilant to your surroundings in public places, including transportation hubs, popular tourist locations, and shopping malls. Report any suspicious packages or behaviors to the authorities as a general security precaution.
• Do not be unduly alarmed by a visible security force presence in main urban centers, transport hubs, and border crossing points.
• Maintain flexible itineraries as security operations or alerts may cause short-notice disruption in transport networks.
• Monitor ISOS and State Department alerts for further updates. Syracuse Abroad will be in contact with all students and parents in the unlikely event of an itinerary change for their program.

The full text of the Travel Alert is available here.

Five Syracuse University Abroad students are among the approximately 1,200 American undergraduate students from 354 colleges and universities across the U.S. selected to receive the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study or intern abroad during the summer 2017 term. Big congratulations to:

• Amber Hunter, Madrid Summer Session
• Ekiuwa Imariagbe, Survey of Current Issues in African Migration
• Jakia Nur, Florence Summer Session
• Yara Osman, Survey of Current Issues in African Migration
• Angelina Vargas, Survey of Current Issues in African Migration

Gilman Scholars receive up to $5,000 to apply towards their study abroad or internship program costs. Students receiving a Federal Pell Grant from two- and four-year institutions who will be studying abroad or participating in a career-oriented international internship for academic credit are eligible to apply. Scholarship recipients have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of other cultures, countries, languages, and economies — making them better prepared to assume leadership roles within government and the private sector.

The late Congressman Gilman served in the House of Representatives for 30 years and chaired the House Foreign Relations Committee. When honored with the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Medal in 2002, he commented, “Study abroad is a special experience for every student who participates. Living and learning in a vastly different environment of another nation not only exposes our students to alternate views, but also adds an enriching social and cultural experience. It also provides our students with the opportunity to return home with a deeper understanding of their place in the world, encouraging them to be a contributor, rather than a spectator in the international community.”

The program is administered by the Institute of International Education. According to Allan Goodman, President and CEO of IIE, “International education is one of the best tools for developing mutual understanding and building connections between people from different countries. It is critical to the success of American diplomacy and business, and the lasting ties that Americans make during their international studies are important to our country in times of conflict as well as times of peace.”

The deadline for students applying for the Gilman Scholarship for Spring 2018 programs is October 3, 2017. Interested students are encouraged to contact Syracuse Abroad admissions counselor Mary Fedorko for assistance with their application.

Twelve graduating seniors have been named as the 2017 Syracuse University Scholars, the highest undergraduate honor that the University bestows, according to Syracuse University News. Ten of the scholars are alumni of SU Abroad programs.

• Farrell Brenner, a women’s and gender studies and citizenship and civic engagement major: Women and Gender in the Arab World (Summer 2015), Religion, Law, and Human Rights (Summer 2015), and Exploring Central Europe (Fall 2015)
• Rachel Brown-Weinstock, a sociology, citizenship and civic engagement and policy studies major, enrolled in South Africa: A Global Health Education Experience in both Summer 2015 and 2016
• Hasmik Djoulakian, a women’s and gender studies and citizenship and civic engagement major: Florence Center (Spring 2015)
• Emma Ettinger, a stage management major: Oxford University Arcadia (Special petition Spring 2016)
• Emily Fesnak, an information management technology major: London Center (Fall 2015)
• Anniya Gu, a biochemistry major: Florence Summer Session (Summer 2014)
• Evangeline Soileau, an architecture major: Florence Center (Spring 2015)
• Genevieve Starke, an aerospace engineering major: Florence Center (Spring 2015)
• Bryan Sweeney, a music composition major and fine arts major: Florence Summer Session (Summer 2016)
• Geoffrey Vaartstra, a mechanical engineering major: Santiago Center (Spring 2016)

The University Scholars will represent the entire graduating class at the May 14 Commencement ceremony. On Wednesday, May 10, the scholars will be honored at a reception at the Chancellor’s House hosted by Chancellor Kent Syverud and Dr. Ruth Chen, at which they will receive special medallions to be worn at Commencement. The scholars will also be honored at the One University awards ceremony on Tuesday, April 25, at Hendricks Chapel.

The Syracuse University Scholars Selection Committee, a University-wide faculty committee, selected the 2017 scholars using criteria that included coursework and academic achievement, independent research and creative work, a personal statement, and faculty letters of recommendation.

On March 31, 2017, Dr. Hana Cervinkova and Juliet Golden, director and professor, respectively, of the SU Abroad Exploring Central Europe program, were presented with an award from the Forum on Education Abroad. Cervinkova and Golden were selected as the recipients of the Forum’s fourth Award for Excellence in Education Abroad Curriculum Design for the course “Negotiating Identities Across Europe’s Borders.”

The course, the centerpiece of the theme-based Exploring Central Europe program, offers students enrolled in the program an opportunity to interact with different cultures and places on Europe’s frontiers. The course travels throughout Eastern and Central Europe, to Prague, Budapest, Berlin, Bratislava, Krakow, and Vienna. At the heart of the course is the drive for students to investigate sites tied to WWII, the Holocaust, and Soviet totalitarian rule. They explore the big questions of the 21st century—how people from different national and ethnic identities, with different languages, cultures, and traditions, are able to live together after wars and other kinds of violence and trauma.

“’Exploring Central Europe’ is a new model for SU Abroad,” says Margaret Himley, Associate Provost for International Education and Engagement. “A thematically based program, it offers students the opportunity to study the histories, politics, and activisms of an important part of the world in collaboration with each other, with Hana and Juliet, and with a host of activists and artists they encounter over the semester.”

The Fall 2017 cohort will be the fourth to enroll in the program, which runs exclusively in the fall semester. In addition to following the coursework designed by Cervinkova, students participate in internships in Wroclaw, Poland, their home for the semester, and write for the publicly-accessible Urban Labs website. There, students creatively reflect on their travels, interviews, site visits, observations, and exchanges, and share their experiences, photographs, and research with the world.

Cervinkova and Golden accepted their award at the Forum’s 13th annual conference in Seattle. Additionally, the pair presented a conference session on the course. It was determined that the curriculum they developed aligned with The Forum’s Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad by:

·         Providing an academically rigorous program of study;
·         Enriching the classroom experience through the use of the location and/or its unique resources;
·         Establishing learning objectives tied to the mission statement of the home institution(s) and/or department(s);
·         Expanding and enhancing students’ home institution curricula;
·         Setting a precedent for exceptional approaches to fostering student learning.

“It is wonderful to see this course recognized because it represents the best of international education,” said Petra Hejnova, SU Abroad Director of Curriculum & Academic Services. “It tackles a topic of critical importance, it actively engages the study abroad location through original research, and it provides academically rigorous opportunities for students to reflect on what they are learning.”

Cervinkova and Golden receive nearly unanimous praise from students who have enrolled in the Central Europe program. “I am not the same person I was prior [to the program] and I would never wish to be,” said Megan Newell, who went abroad in Fall 2014, the first year the program was offered. “I have learned so much about people and culture, the land, humility, and the course of history from this program that I could never even dream of what my life would be without it.”

Dr. Louis Berends, the SU Abroad Director of Academic Programs, and Syracuse University College of Law professor Dr. Michael Schwartz were one of three winners of the Diversity Abroad Innovation Competition, held at the annual Diversity Abroad conference in Minneapolis on March 22.

Berends and Schwartz were among 10 finalists chosen to vie for the awards. The finalists presented their ideas and then were judged on the spot during the closing plenary session of the conference. Their presentation, “Diversifying the disability perspective: Exploring inclusive practices in Japan and the U.S.,” proposed the creation of an academic faculty-led program in Japan for students of color and students with disabilities, two core populations that are traditionally underrepresented in study abroad. The proposal envisioned the recruitment of a racially diverse group of students, some with disabilities and some without, for a credit-bearing trip.

The implementation of the program would involve a national drive to recruit students of color and students with disabilities. For instance, Gallaudet University, Rochester Institute of Technology, and the California State University, Northridge, have racially diverse populations of students with disabilities, some who are deaf or hard of hearing. Accompanying the group to Japan would be a team of sign language interpreters experienced in international travel and customs. The goal of the program would be to compare the two nations’ approach to disability law, policy, and practice, and to meet Japanese people with disabilities.

According to Berends, the prize money will go toward Professor Schwartz’s travel to the three aforementioned schools to recruit students for the program. The program will be a part of the Syracuse Abroad short-term program offerings in the 2017-18 academic year.

On March 21, 2017, the Transportation Safety Authority (TSA) restricted airline passengers from bringing large electronic devices (laptops, tablets, e-readers, electronic games, portable printers, cameras, etc.) in carry-on luggage on flights originating from or traveling through the following airports:

Queen Alia International Airport (AMM) (Amman, Jordan)
Cairo International Airport (CAI) (Cairo, Egypt)
Ataturk International Airport (IST) (Istanbul, Turkey)
King Abdul-Aziz International Airport (JED) (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)
King Khalid International Airport (RUH) (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
Kuwait International Airport (KWI) (Farwaniya, Kuwait)
Mohammed V Airport (CMN) (Casablanca, Morocco)
Hamad International Airport (DOH) (Doha, Qatar)
Dubai International Airport (DXB) (Dubai)
Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) (Abu Dhabi)

All travelers coming to the United States from or through these airports should place large electronic devices in their checked luggage. Passengers can carry cellphones/smartphones on the plane.

The Department of Homeland Security has released a fact sheet on the new security measures.

The United Kingdom has adopted similar measures for flights from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.

Applications are now open for all SU Abroad center programs for the Spring 2018 semester. Applications will remain open until October 1, 2017. Students are encouraged to apply early, as SU Abroad has rolling admissions. As soon as all aspects of an application have been received, SU Abroad admissions counselors will review and begin admitting students to the programs!

Students can begin their applications here.