Abroad program offers homework to go

The Regional Educational Network between the European Union andthe United States (RENEUUS) involves three American and threeEuropean universities. The University of Memphis is one of thefounding institutions of the partnership.

"The local and the global get linked," said Douglas Nord,executive director of RENEUUS and a professor at Wright StateUniversity in Detroit. "The communities that we all represent cancome together and benefit from solutions to common problems."

Costs are equivalent to what a student would pay at their homeuniversity. In addition, the program provides a $3,000 stipend forliving expenses during the semester abroad.

The casual design of the program also allows faculty from thesix schools to meet once a year at one of them. This year, theCollege of Communication and Fine Arts is hosting the annualmeeting. The visiting professors arrived Thursday.

"The clarity of focus is unique to the program," Moira Logan,associate dean of The U of M College of Communication and Fine Artssaid. "We discuss the progress of the program and work to ensurethat it is sustainable for the future."

The group will also participate in various field trips to exposethem to Mid-South culture.

The visiting professors are taking a Civil Rights tour throughthe Mississippi Delta to give them insight into the history andculture of the region, Logan said.

"A sense of regionalism is very important to this program,"Logan said.

Students can benefit from having university advisers who havevisited all of the participating communities.

"By fostering exchange among universities, we are able toattract American students to Germany, which is not as easy as youwould think," said Helmut Assfaig from the University of AppliedSciences in Jena, Germany, one of the RENEUUS schools.

Two U of M students are currently studying in Europe as RENEUUSprepares for its third year.

There are four American students in Salamanca, Spain, saidJavier No, program representative from Spain. Last semester, sevenSpanish students came to the United States.

Because only a few students are involved, professors can take apersonal interest in their studies and experience, Assfaigsaid.

In addition to The U of M, Wright State and the German school,other members of the program are Ball State University in Muncie,Ind.; Umea University in Umea, Sweden; and Catholic University ofSalamanca.

The Department of Education Fund for the Improvement ofPost-Secondary Education and the European Commission fund theprogram.

Interested U.S. students must have junior standing with a majoror concentration in business, communication, public administrationor political science. Students must also have at least two years ofuniversity level foreign language study.

"We hope that we can build the program over the years to includemore students from each university," Logan said. "It's important Uof M students know about this opportunity."