By Meg Dwyer

Contributing Writer

theaspnews@gmail.com

Originally published: 12/9/14

Published online: 12/15/14

   With 578 University at Albany students studying abroad during the 2013-14 academic year, UAlbany has become one of the largest providers of study abroad options within the SUNY system.

   According to Renée DeCelle, Assistant Director of UAlbany Study Abroad and Exchanges, the primary mission of the Office of International Education is to promote global awareness and international cooperation.

   As part of the SUNY Study Abroad Consortium, UAlbany students can participate in programs run by any other four-year SUNY school and remain registered at UAlbany the whole time.

   “We offer over 130 study abroad programs in more than 40 countries and on every continent,” DeCelle said. “By working with the SUNY Study Abroad Consortium, we can give students access to more than 600 programs offered SUNY-wide.”

   Celine Hogan, a freshman at UAlbany, will be studying abroad next fall in Buenos Aires.

   “The study abroad office here helped me a lot,” said Hogan. “I didn’t want to stay with a host

family so they provided me with

a list of contacts that could help me find a different place to live.”

   Hogan looks forward to backpacking across South America during her semester abroad.

   “Our students’ experiences abroad are overwhelmingly positive,” DeCelle said. “We find that many students gain a sense of independence and self-reliance that is difficult to teach in a classroom.”

   UAlbany students have described their experiences abroad as “amazing, life-changing and eye-opening,” said DeCelle.

   Meagan Sagliocca, a recent graduate of UAlbany, spent a summer studying in London and seems to agree.

   “My experience abroad gave me a grasp on other cultures that I never would have learned in my classes,” Sagliocca said. “I would 100 percent recommend going abroad to anyone who is considering it.”

   One of Sagliocca’s best memories abroad is seeing the Rosetta Stone at the British Museum during her time in London.

   UAlbany’s study abroad tradition dates back to the 1960s. However, most of the programs currently offered have been

developed in the past 20 years, according to DeCelle.

   “UAlbany lays claim to the oldest continually functioning exchange program in Russia at Moscow State University,” DeCelle said.

   UAlbany students interested in studying abroad are encouraged to check out www.albany.edu/studyabroad to learn more.

   “With some planning, students in every major can study abroad,” said DeCelle. “There are programs with coursework taught in English all over the world, as well as service learning and internship options.”