With the October 15th application deadline for spring semester Study Abroad fast approaching, Director of International Programs Joseph MacAde announced new affiliations aimed at expanding the academic programs and international destinations available to Rider students.

“Chief among these,” said MacAde, “is Rider’s recent affiliation with AHA International, a consortium based in Oregon.” The organization affords Rider students Study Abroad opportunities with affiliated universities in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Chile, England, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand and Spain.

“Additionally,” said MacAde, “new one-to-one exchange programs have recently been formalized with the American Business School, a college of the Institut de Gestion Sociale Universite (IGS) of France, which is a favored destination of our Global Business majors, and with Universidad San Francisco de Quito [http://www.usfq.edu.ec/] in Ecuador. The special attraction of this latter institution is its Galapagos Islands program, which should be of special interest to biology, environmental, and marine science majors.”

Other cooperative relationships are in place with the University of Graz in Austria and Jose Nabrija University near Madrid. MacAde noted that co-op contracts are currently being negotiated with the University of Galway in Ireland and Granada University in Spain.

China also looms large on Rider’s global radar screen. For the first time this fall, the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures is offering classes in introductory Chinese. The sections, reported Department Chair Linda Materna, are fully subscribed. Rider sent its first group of six undergraduate students to Fuzhou, China, this summer to tutor English and teach American culture to middle and high school-aged students. They were the first to venture there as part of Rider’s expanding relationship with China, spearheaded by the University’s well-known dual degree programs with Shanghai Sanda Institute.

To qualify for Study Abroad, a student must have a minimum 2.5 cumulative grade point average. Applications must be completed and returned to the Office of International Programs in the Bart Luedeke Center by October 15 for opportunities in the spring semester. Applicants are required to submit an essay discussing their reasons for wanting to study abroad. Applicants must also submit two Faculty Recommendations forms.

For further information, call 609-896-7717. Students are encouraged to check the Study Abroad Web site for changes and updates before the October 15th deadline.