Boston Area Study Abroad Association (BASAA) Conference, Spring 2015

Boston

Boston

Boston Area Study Abroad AssociationThis Tuesday, April 21st, FacultyAbroad was delighted to attend the 2015 Annual Spring Conference held by the Boston Area Study Abroad Association (BASAA), hosted this year at Simmons College in Boston, MA.

The Conference brought together over 120 professionals from the field of international education for a day of professional networking amidst seven engaging presentations hosted by attendees representing several U.S. educational institutions including the University of Kentucky, Babson College, Boston University, and University of Connecticut, as well as a number of study abroad organizations such as the Institute for Study Abroad at Butler University, the Fund for Education Abroad, and Carpe Mundi of Portland, OR.

The event was sponsored by a group of 17 study abroad organizations and educational institutions, all sharing a common dedication to furthering the impact and development of study abroad initiatives in Boston and the world over.

BASAA announced at the Conference that they have committed to supporting the Institute of International Education’s Generation Study Abroad initiative (learn more at: http://www.iie.org/Programs/Generation-Study-Abroad), by increasing its funding of study abroad scholarships by 150%, creating a new professional development opportunity to bring education abroad professionals and faculty together to discuss best practices in education abroad, and forming a community engagement task force designed to utilize local international education professionals to engage and educate the K-12 Boston community on the benefits of an international experience.

FacultyAbroad participated in the Conference’s “Innovator Coffee Shop Talk” sessions, a new feature for the event designed to ramp up the traditional coffee break at the conference and have it double as a time for new initiatives on campuses, new organizations, and new programs to highlight their innovation to the BASAA Community in a poster-session format.

The day’s events culminated in a keynote address by Anthony C. Ogden, Executive director of Education Abroad and Exchanges and an adjunct assistant professor in Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation at the University of Kentucky.

“Simmons was delighted to host this year’s annual BASAA Spring Conference,” says the College’s organizing host Joe Stanley, “and the timing could not have been better. The college is in the midst of launching a new and exciting ‘Gen Ed’ curriculum where education abroad comprises one of the core elements. The sessions and keynote address provided much food for thought for our participating faculty and staff and we look forward to collaborating with Michael, John, and the greater BASAA community in the future.”

In addition to serving as primary liaison for Simmons College in hosting the Spring Conference event, Dr. Stanley co-hosted a research presentation session entitled “The History of Study Abroad: Past insights and modern implications.” Below is an abstract of the session, which explored the rich history and roots of the practice of study abroad within Western culture, from as early as 600BCE.

The prevalence of students abroad and the preponderance of international education programs have led to the common perception that study abroad is an essentially “modern” phenomenon. However, international education has a far longer history stretching back to the medieval and early modern periods that have largely gone unnoticed. This session will explore the rich history of study abroad and show how an understanding of its past developments are indispensable to practitioners in rethinking the roles in which communities, alumni, student mobility, and financial support play in education abroad today.

Joe Stanley’s co-host for the session was Dr. Michael T. Tworek, Lecturer for the Committee on Degrees in History and Literature at Harvard University. He will be joining us in an upcoming post dedicated to exploring the content of the session and its research findings in detail.

For more information about the conference including the full itinerary of events, visit: http://basaastudyabroad.com/events/basaa-spring-conference/.


About the Event Organizers

michael lucerto basaaMichael Lucerto is Development Director at EUSA-Academic Internship Programs, and is primarily responsible for developing new academic internship programs at EUSA’s European centers in London, Dublin, Madrid, Paris and Geneva. Prior to joining EUSA, Michael was the Senior Northeast Campus Relations Manager for CET Academic Programs and before that a Program Development Consultant for CAPA International Education. Michael earned his bachelor’s degree in Political Science from American University, studying abroad in both Italy and the Czech Republic (as a Boren scholar). His undergraduate research led him back to the Czech Republic to pursue a dual master’s degree in International Politics and International Economics at Charles University. Michael has been part of the Boston Area Study Abroad Association since 2007 and is on the Board of Directors for the Fund for Education Abroad (FEA). He brings both organizations together bi-annually to raise scholarship funds through networking events like the BASAA Bowl-a-Thon and Sips for Scholarships.

John Crisafulli is Senior Education Abroad Advisor at Babson College. John advises for undergraduate semester abroad programs in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Northern Europe and Oceania as well all graduate semester abroad programs. Additionally, John serves as the International Exchange Program coordinator for all incoming exchange students. John is also a member of Babson’s LGBTQ Action group, co-advisor to Prism, the undergraduate LGBTQ student group and a member of the Safe Zone trainer corps. John holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communication from Bryant University and Master of Science Degree in College Student Personnel from University of Rhode Island. John has been involved with the Boston Area Study Abroad Association since he was an undergraduate student.

Joe Stanley is the Director of International Programs at Simmons College. His research interests include European urban studies, intellectual history and politics, as well as pedagogical approaches to international education. He holds a Ph.D. in History from Binghamton University (SUNY) and has published in the NAFSA Review of Global Studies Literature, Life After Study Abroad, and CAPA’s Occasional Publications. He can be reached at joseph.stanley@simmons.edu.


Written and Edited by Andrew Simenson

Photos, logos, quotes, and summaries contributed by/courtesy of Joe Stanley, Michael Lucerto, John Crisafulli, and the Boston Area Study Abroad Association

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