Sustainability-Oriented Study Abroad Programs

Combine the huge benefits of a Study Abroad Experience with an intensive opportunity to engage with sustainability outside the North American frame.

Explore the entirely unique possibilities here.

“Sustainability, broadly defined as the Triple Bottom Line (People, Planet, Prosperity), touches every aspect of the human condition.  And thus it is that a sustainability thread can be found running through every Major offered at Ramapo College. As such, we would argue that every student benefits immensely from participation in a Sustainability-oriented Study Abroad Program.

“Of course, travel really does broaden the mind.  But more significantly than that, a Sustainability-oriented Study Abroad experience gives us the ability to switch contexts, to be able to see the world through a lens that is entirely different than the one we are accustomed to using.  The ability to switch perspectives, to view things from a point-of-view other than our own, to change the frames we make in how we take the world, this is probably the most extraordinary gift that such a Study Abroad experience can give.  We become transformed, in the process of stepping into someone else’s worldview.  And our capacity for empathy is hugely enhanced.

“Experiencing life in other countries and cultures, developing foreign language skills, broadening our views of the world, and making lifelong friends while earning college credits are just some of the ways students benefit from their time abroad. For many students, the Study Abroad opportunity triggers the move to graduate school, or opens entirely new prospects for future employment. Over the years, we have found that students remember and value their Sustainability-oriented study abroad experiences for the rest of their lives.  It is, in a word, transformative.”

Categories: Sustainability