NYU's study abroad program plans to continue opening sites and currently is looking toward starting programs in Latin America and South Africa, university administrators said.
Scott Hughes, NYU's vice provost for globalization and multicultural affairs, said a new site in Latin America is likely to materialize in two to three years. The university also is considering starting another program in Capetown, South Africa, in addition to its existing site in Accra, Ghana that opened in 2004, he said, adding that the university is committed to geographic and academic diversity.
The university originally announced plans in 1997 to open an Africa site in Capetown, though faculty members decided that Ghana represented a "truer, less-westernized" Africa, Hughes said.
Hughes said opening a site depends mostly on whether there are enough faculty members who specialize in that region. With NYU's Shanghai site that opened his fall, there was a faculty interest, Hughes said.
"The entire process is driven first and foremost by faculty interest and the academic priorities of the university," Hughes said.
He added that students also play a role in determining where to open new study abroad locations. In addition to faculty meetings, the university conducts student focus groups to help gauge student interest.
Additionally, the university still is considering opening a site in Israel, following a failed attempted about a decade ago, Hughes said.
NYU officials announced plans in 1997 for a new program in Tel Aviv with Tel Aviv University. In 2000, however, NYU put the plans on hold because of the region's political problems.
"Student and faculty interest remains high and we still have long-standing faculty contacts [in Tel Aviv]," Hughes said. "It is just a matter of long-term political stability and the safety of students before we begin to reconsider study abroad in Israel."
The study abroad office recently announced an initiative to encourage more students to study abroad during their time at NYU, hopefully increasing the number of students abroad to 50 percent.
Students said they welcome new study abroad sites.
CAS freshman Amanda Duong said she would like to study in Capetown, but added "I don't know that much about it, so it would be awesome to expose myself to a new culture."
Other students said they understood why NYU would not want to start a site in Israel.
"Unfortunately, Israel is still a veritable war zone," said Steinhardt freshman Matt Rosenberg. "So unless the situation there changes
significantly, I wouldn't really feel comfortable spending a semester there."
Correction:
In the Sept. 22 edition, the article "NYU's study abroad sites may include Latin America, Capetown" incorrectly stated that Scott Hughes is NYU's vice provost for globalization and multicultural affairs. Hughes is the manager of global administration.
WSN regrets the error.
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