June 8th, 2018
This May, RIT Croatia Dubrovnik welcomed a group of RIT
students and parents who came to explore Croatia and learn more about our
country. „This program was a one-week, hands-on, learning abroad experience for
RIT students and family members," says Chelsea Petree, Ph.D—Director of Parent
& Family Programs, who led the group together with Rick Lagiewski,
Ph.D—Assistant Professor in Hospitality and Tourism Management, and Jim Myers,
Ph.D—Associate Provost of International Education and Global Programs.
While the idea and planning of the trip was initiated by the
Parent & Family Programs, it was organized in collaboration with the RIT
Global Office, the Center of Leadership and Civic Engagement, and RIT Croatia.
Explore Croatia is an opportunity for RIT students and their
parents to study abroad together as a family. „This trip expands our strategic
goal to create global citizens of our students to parents—important members of
the RIT community and some of our students’ greatest supports. Including family
members in an international experience encourages continued cultural growth as
our families return with a shared experience, allowing them to integrate what
they’ve learned in everyday life.", says Petree.
This program was created with the aim to encourage global
mindedness, support study abroad, and provide RIT students and parents the
opportunity to experience the world as a family. The primary goal was to
provide an educational global opportunity for parents and students, opening
participants’ minds to global experiences internationally, on campus, and in
their communities.
„I greatly enjoyed the Croatian experience," said Doug
Young, one of the parents in the group. „There is so much history in this part
of world and it was awesome to learn about some of it. We hear about Italy and
France but we don't hear much about the Slavic part of the Adriatic coast, so
it was very educational. More people need to hear about Croatia and its role in
the world. I came away with so much respect for these people."
This was the first time RIT offered a family study abroad
trip at RIT. An excellent example of cross-campus and cross-culture
collaboration, it resulted in an all around RIT experience. Incorporating
parents in this experience has a number of benefits, including giving families
a shared experience, increasing parents’ understanding of the benefits of study
abroad (thus increasing support of study abroad programs), and providing
parents with an experience that they may have never had the opportunity to have
themselves.
Eliza McCarthy is an RIT student who participated in this
program with her mom: "Instead of sending photos to my mom and calling her to
tell her about my amazing trip, I could experience it all with her. I have
always dreamed of going to Croatia, so when I found out that RIT had a campus
there, I knew this would be the opportunity. What made it even better was not
only could I visit this beautiful country with other RIT students, but I could
experience it with my mother. Without RIT Parent & Family Programs, we
would have never had the opportunity to make this dream come true.”
As intended, this trip included elements that made it feel
like a true study abroad experience. It included lessons on the breakup of
Yugoslavia and how the war impacted Dubrovnik and surrounding areas, visiting
islands, a local winery, and a family-owned sea-to-table restaurant, sharing a
homemade traditional Croatian meal with a local family, and learning the role
RIT plays in higher education in Croatia.
"Being in a learning environment with my family was a great
experience. I enjoyed watching my daughter ask questions and learning about the
many new experiences.” said Robert Salony, RIT parent
Mary Codick, also one of the parents never had the chance to
study abroad so this seemed like a great idea: „This was a great experience for
me while my daughter explored it as an option for herself. It is also a little
scary to think of your child so far away in a strange place, especially if you
have never done such a thing yourself. Now it does not seem like a strange
place, but a place my daughter will call home for a short time and a place I look
forward to visiting again.”
„Hearing from our participants during and following the
trip, I believe all of the set goals were met with the Explore Croatia trip.
The trip was successful in all ways and I am looking forward to providing the
opportunity to more RIT families in the future." said Chelsea Petree. Not only
that, but both parents and students were so happy with the overall experience
that all of them said they would recommend it.
Increasing global experiences for students is part of RIT’s
strategic plan. While RIT is not the only university with a focus on global
programs, it is the only one that provides a study abroad opportunity for
students with their family members, making it a unique and groundbreaking
program.
"I think RIT has many global opportunities for students."
said Mary Codick: „With our increasingly
global economy and diversifying populations, it is so important for students to
have a perspective outside of their own, and first-hand experiences in other
places with different people is a great way to gain that perspective. A broader
perspective will help students tremendously in the future, whether they are
shaping policy, conducting business, or building technology for and with
others.”
Emily Young, 2018 RIT graduate, would like to repeat this experience: "If there were more trips like this in the future I would definitely make an effort to attend. This trip did impact that.”
So what else can we say but: thank you and we are looking
forward to seeing you again!