FALL 2009 EDITION

CAPA SPOTLIGHT: SYDNEY STUDY CENTER OPEN FOR DIRECT ENROLLMENT

CAPA is pleased to announce that its Sydney Study Center is open for direct student enrollment, beginning Fall 2009. The University of Minnesota will serve as CAPA’s School of Record. The program will offer students the opportunity to take classes, do internships, and live in Australia’s largest city.

Just as in London and Florence, CAPA’s Sydney classes seek to utilize the surrounding environment as an extended classroom. Courses in all subjects including international business, politics, film, and anthropology, incorporate Australian and Pacific Rim themes into their syllabi. These classes also utilize events from CAPA’s My Education Program so that the city of Sydney becomes an extension of the classroom.

The CAPA Sydney Study Center is housed in North Sydney, a short ferry ride from the historic Rocks district. Besides classroom space, the center offers a computer lab, student lounge, and library access. The center is run by CAPA Resident Director Debbie Shively, a California native who has lived in Australia since 2003. Prior to working for CAPA, Debbie worked in the Education Advising Center at the US Consulate General in Sydney and in university administration at both the Australian Graduate School of Management and the JMC Academy. She is assisted by Program Coordinator Zara Thompson, a native of Sydney who has been with CAPA since 2007.

Speaking recently of her time at CAPA in Sydney, Zara said, “I absolutely love sharing my city and my country with CAPA students. Teaching students about Australia, challenging their stereotypes and taking them beyond what they knew before they arrived is a very rewarding part of my job. Every semester I see students who make friends and memories that will truly last forever.”

As we celebrate our new direct-enrollment program in Sydney, we wanted to highlight some experiences of recent students studying Down Under. First-hand descriptions of My Education events, CAPA trips, and internships are given throughout this newsletter. To kick off our special Sydney issue, Laura Scarcella from State University of New York at Albany sums up her time abroad this past summer.

My CAPA Experience – by Laura Scarcella (SUNY Albany)
When I first started this program, I was very unsure as to what to expect, especially since I had little knowledge of Australia. After having been here for quite some time, I realize that my worries were unnecessary. Not only did the staff working for CAPA help me with any problems or worries that I had, but I always had something to do and I was never left in an uncomfortable situation. I must admit that CAPA was flawless when it came to placing me with my internship. They catered to everything that I asked for and I am getting the full experience that I expected, and more.

My favorite part of this program is how student-oriented it is. There is always something to do, whether it is included in the program or it’s extra. Many of these activities, such as La Perouse and the Blue Mountains tour, turned out to be my favorite days overall during my stay. Aside from the program, Sydney itself is a remarkable place. The beaches are breathtaking and the shopping is great. Wherever you go, there is amazing food with a great variety to choose from. In addition, the city has many different places for many different people. There is China Town, Paddy’s market, Newtown and the Broadway Shopping Center just to name a few. If you are more intrigued by water, there are many harbors to choose from all of which have amazing views. I have been here for 6 weeks and I still feel as though I did not get to see everything that Sydney has to offer. What more could you ask for from a city?

Visiting and living in Sydney after growing up in a suburban area was somewhat of a challenge, but it did not take me too long to adjust to the easy-to-follow city transit and the polite locals who offered any help if asked. The housing offered for my stay was also very nice and made it easier to adjust.

All in all, this trip was an amazing adventure that I would repeat in a heartbeat. If anyone has the chance to visit this amazing city and be a part of such a great program like CAPA, I would suggest it without any hesitation. This experience is one that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

Back to Top

CENTER UPDATES

CAPA Set to Launch Beijing Study Center in 2010
We are delighted to announce the launch of CAPA’s new center in Beijing, China. Located inside the Imperial Ancestral Temple, in the Palace of Culture building in Wen Hua Gong (Mandarin Palace), the CAPA Center is in the heart of the Chinese capital. Our offices and classrooms are part of an enclosed space within the Imperial Palace and near the impressive buildings of the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square as well as many other important political and historical venues. The school overlooks the palace gardens which house the ancient trees typical of Chinese landscapes.

The move into China is significant for CAPA. President John Christian says the following about CAPA’s expansion into Beijing:

"We are delighted to be able to offer visiting faculty and students the CAPA experience in the heart of Beijing with the same levels of support and cultural enrichment we are known for around the world. Being located in the Imperial Palace and the heart of Beijing offers CAPA a unique opportunity to genuinely immerse students into the culture and incredible energy Beijing has to offer. Having been a student in Beijing for 2 years in the late eighties, I know how much China can offer visiting students both educationally and personally. We look forward to working with you in China!"

CAPA will begin hosting faculty-led customized programs in the summer of 2010. Future development of an independent enrollment study abroad program is scheduled for 2011. The CAPA Beijing Study Center has classrooms and teaching resources for visiting faculty to use for the duration of their teaching stay as well as CAPA program advisors to assist both faculty and students in maximizing their learning and life in Beijing.

We will offer a variety of internship options in Beijing in fields such as tourism, education, communication, marketing and business. Internships can be added as a component to a faculty-led program or be full time. Like in the other CAPA centers, all interns participate in a reflective seminar entitled Perspectives in Experiential Learning Abroad. CAPA faculty conducts weekly seminars and mentor internship students to ensure substantive learning occurs over the course of a term.

Students and visiting faculty can choose from two housing options. CAPA's Living Abroad Center is a 10-minute walk from our study center and is located within walking distance to the Forbidden City. We will offer single or double rooms with en-suite bathrooms. Guesthouse facilities include a bar and restaurant, launderette, TV lounge and Internet café. Half board including breakfast at the guesthouse and lunch at the school restaurant is included and served from Monday to Friday. Alternatively, one- and two-bedroom apartments are available near Dongdan Metro Station. Each apartment has bedroom areas usually shared between two or three students, a reception room with TV and lounge furniture and a fully equipped kitchen.

For more information on the CAPA Beijing Study Center, please contact a Program Development Consultant on 800-793-0334.

Introducing Guido Reverdito, Director of Education in Florence
Guido Reverdito joined the Florence team in May 2009 as the Director of Education. His academic work has focused on Greek poetry and Italian Literature, and he has taught Italian and Classics for many years in the US and in Europe. He has also been a language coordinator in the University of Budapest and the University of Kent, and he is also a film critic for the Italian newspaper, La Repubblica. He has been a welcome addition to our staff, and has brought academic advising and management experience to the centre, as well as enthusiasm for promoting experiential learning to all students.

I started my new job as Director of Education at CAPA Florence at the beginning of May finding a friendly but productive working atmosphere that helped me very much to immerse myself into the role as the manager of the academic life of the Florence center.

I started concentrating my efforts in two completely different directions: trying on one hand to consolidate the courses currently offered, and on the other, to enrich our academic offering by widening the curricular horizons through the introduction of new modules and cultural interests, such as contemporary Italian Cinema which will be offered from Spring 2010.

At CAPA Florence, we offer courses that provide your students with a range of subjects taught in both academic and experiential ways, as well as a co-curricular calendar of cultural activities and lectures called My Education. This Fall our My Education program will be rich in opportunities for students to engage with local Florentine people and culture. This will provide them with an in-depth experience of what makes Florence and its surroundings such a unique world. It will also allow them to gain familiarity with local traditions and cultural heritage.

The My Education program for Fall 2009 has been shaped and designed as a progressive approach to Florence and its modern identity. Students will be empowered to discover that this city is not just the stereotype of a cornerstone in the history of Italian art and culture, or an “open air” museum, but it is also a modern, multicultural city where culture, traditions, art and history are living realities that reinvent themselves each day.

We think that such a rich program of out-of-class activities is the winning recipe for our program as it offers students a holistic approach to real learning in Florence. Our professors in the CAPA Florence Center integrate relevant and contextual activities into their syllabi, giving credit to the student who reflects upon a more in-depth experience during his or her study abroad experience. We look forward to welcoming you to Florence in the near future!

If you are interested in learning more about the CAPA Florence Program, please click here.

T @ CAPA London
The CAPA London team loves a good cup of tea and what better way to enjoy it than to share the ritual with the students. T @ CAPA had its trial run at the start of the summer, and, due to its success, will now become a staple on the London Study Center calendar. Students, staff and faculty flocked to the CAPAccino student lounge to enjoy tea and an assortment of biscuits and cakes. Conversations ranged from tea making in the UK and around the world to the various sweets and chocolates students were intrigued by. Reema Kalra and Debbie Smith, who organized the event throughout the summer, have been delighted by the turnout. Debbie notes, "it's a great way for us to spend time with students in a relaxed environment and get to know them better."

In June, a special Wimbledon-themed T @ CAPA took place. Strawberries and cream were served with the latest tennis match from Wimbledon playing in the background. You can't get much more British than that!

In the above image, Assistant Resident Director Kieran Kinahan and a student enjoy strawberries and cream at the Wimbledon-themed T @ CAPA.

Back to Top

MY EDUCATION

Opera-Themed Reflective Session in Florence
The CAPA Florence students were introduced to the opera on June 11th with an exciting lecture entitled Bel Canto: The Florentine Origins, Voices and Structure of Italian Opera. For this special event, an important lecturer was invited, Professor Gian Luca Lastraioli, professional performer of Italian Renaissance instrumental repertoire with a long career as lutenist and theorbist. During his career, Gian Luca Lastraioli has played in prestigious venues such as La Scala of Milan, the Concertgebouw of Amsterdam, and the Teatro della Pergola of Florence, joining well known ensembles specialized in the performance of the Renaissance and Baroque repertoire.

He was a perfect guest for a lecture that helped the students to approach this important product of the European and Italian culture. His dynamic and passionate lecture style captured the students’ attention and the supportive video material stimulated the audience’s interest in Rossini’s Italian opera Il Barbiere di Siviglia. The lecture was strategically scheduled just before the opening of the Summer Opera Season in Florence, thus giving CAPA students the confidence and enthusiasm to attend this grand event.

CAPA Sydney Students Volunteer at 2009 National Summit
This summer, four CAPA students were offered the amazing opportunity to volunteer for the 2009 National Summit jointly hosted by the United States Study Centre and Harvard University in Sydney. The 2009 National Summit, held at the Intercontinental Hotel in Sydney, provided scholars and diplomats with a look at the impact of the global financial crisis on issues concerning globalisation, including global governance, labor standards and corporate social responsibility, as well as climate change and energy security. Volunteering at the conference was a great way to learn about these issues and for students to expand their personal understanding as well as expand their corporate network within Sydney. The day was compromised of selected speakers about these topics as well as a speech from Clover Moore, the Lord Mayor of Sydney, lunch, and opportunities to talk with these experts about the issues presented.

Australian Movie Night at the CAPA Sydney Study Center
With all the trappings of Sydney, what would lure 48 young Americans back to their school campus on a Friday night? Answer: Australian movie classics. Although many of the attendees would call themselves movie enthusiasts, very few had seen the movies being shown. Despite Strictly Ballroom and The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert being readily available in the States, it was not until the American interns arrived in Australia that they could fully appreciate the movies being screened that night. The large turn out was, in part, due to the rave reviews each intern heard from their Australian friends and homestay families. Both movies were uniquely Australian and helped in the immersion into Australian society. While the American and Australian cultures have much in common, these films helped to uncover the subtle yet undeniable differences between the American and Australian movie industries, and thus the two cultures.

Before the film, students were treated to a presentation about the Australian film industry, highlighting the substantial contributions that the country has made to the art of film around the world. In between the two films, pizza was served and movie-knowledge warfare was waged. Each student that attended left with a full stomach and an increased awareness and knowledge of what makes Australian film so unique and treasured the around the world. Next up, the American students and interns will be headed to the Sydney Opera House to experience Australian comedy at its best, at the wildly hilarious improvisational comedy show Spontaneous Broadway.

The above was written by Michigan State University Student Andy Cease.

Back to Top

DIRECT FROM THE STUDENTS OF CAPA SYDNEY

Brittnee Kuahn (University of Minnesota) and Aleksandra Michael (SUNY Binghamton) Head to the Blue Mountains
Before the trip, we kept thinking about what a nice day it was going to be to get out of Sydney and see the Blue Mountains. This day trip was a perfect fit for our needs. It began early at eight in the morning and all seventeen of us piled into a van. Our travel to the Blue Mountains included a stop to see Olympic Park and one of the best stops, Featherdale Wildlife Park. We had the chance to pet koalas, kangaroos, and even hold a baby dingo! The bus left and it was off to our final destination. After a stop for lunch in the cute town of Leura, where we all got some good candy, it was off to Katoomba and Eco point. When we reached Echo Point we couldn't believe our eyes. None of us have ever seen such beautiful Blue Mountains. Soon enough we started our trek through the mountain and down into the Jamerson Valley. We learned how the aboriginal people make spears out of rock, grass, and eucalyptus bark. Out guide also told us about ochre, paint made by Aboriginal people out or rock and water. One of our group even had her face painted. As we made our way further into the Valley, we got to see a beautiful waterfall and learned how to find each other Australia style if lost in the bush, cooooeeee!. As the day drew to a close, we took the world’s steepest railway out of the valley and back to the bus. It was thrilling! It made you feel as if you were at a theme park. The day had been so jam-packed full of activities everyone had a hundred photos and a hundred memories.

Purdue University Student Matt Bartlett Talks about Attending the SMART Conference
Through my internship at Global Supply Chain Group, I was offered the opportunity to attend the SMART Conference, a supply chain logistics conference at the Sydney Convention Center in Darling Harbour, as an exhibitor. My duties were to promote the organization, as well as attend the different seminars to gain insight into the current trends, ideas, and strategic models being discussed in the logistics world. As a result of these two days, I gained substantial knowledge in logistics and supply chain terminology, practice, and models which will benefit me as I continue to study and work in these fields.

One of the seminars I attended related directly to an industry I am interested in working in—energy. The seminar, presented by two executives from Ernst & Young, discussed the various impacts of rising energy costs, energy policies, and cap and trade systems on supply chains for various industries. The primary focus was on carbon dioxide emissions: with rising levels of pollution, countries such as Australia are actively seeking legislation which would reduce emissions but drastically increase energy and manufacturing costs.

Overall, I feel the conference benefitted me in many ways. As stated above, I gained a large amount of insight into the changes being made (or prepared for) in supply chain logistics and management. I was able to network with industry professionals (several CEOs, as well as VPs and Researching Professors) and discuss world events as they pertain to supply chain. It was a wonderful experience, and I am glad to have attended.

Jarilyn Berry and Kara Beth Rogier, Summer Sydney Purdue Students, Discuss Their Internship at Strategic Lifestyle Management
Throughout our work experience, we have been exposed to many diverse aspects to the health and fitness world. Every week at Strategic Lifestyle Management, a healthy and gym facility in the heart of Sydney, we experience something new. While working at the gym, we are being educated on how to create a program design for personal training, different techniques for numerous amounts of workouts, and the basics on how to operate a gym. Although our supervisor gives us a broad perspective of how a gym is operated, he also allows us to explore fitness through outside activities that do not involve a gym. Some activities that we have participated in are long runs (from the CBD in Sydney to Manly Beach), rock climbing at Climb Fit in North Sydney, kayaking in the harbor, working an athletics event for a private high school at Sydney Olympic park, introduction to boxing, boot camps which are supervised by our boss (who is a veteran of the Australian Army) and another former army mate.

Another amazing opportunity that this internship has given us was an appearance on the Morning Show on Channel 7 in which we were involved in an aerobics skit. The bit was called “Retro-Robics” and we came up with a short step workout which we performed while they interviewed Guy Leach, a former Iron Man champion. This was a very exciting experience for the both of us - this was only the first week of our internship and we were able to gain our five minutes of fame.

Our last great experience was when we had the privilege to take part in a trip to Melbourne with our Site Supervisor. Our main reason for the trip was to get a chance to look at the other SLM gymnasium to check out the layout/setup of the gym as well as check up on their progress and maintenance of equipment. Other activities that we got to take part in were an AFL game between the Carlton Blues and the St. Kilda Saints. Our boss not only helped us with the rules but also ran down a simple day’s workout used by the athletes to get their amazing physiques. We also had the eye opening experience of seeing the devastation of the Victorian bushfire tragedy and how it affected people’s lives as well as their homes.

All in all, this internship has been an amazing experience and something we will be able to carry with us in our future endeavors.

Purdue Student Selena Young Experiences an Australian Rugby League Match
On Monday the 1st of June, the CAPA Summer 09 students donned their local team colours and headed out to ANZ stadium to experience a live rugby match. A Rugby League game at ANZ stadium is an event all should experience. The intensity in the field can be felt amongst the many fans cheering around. The teams, South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Canberra Raiders, put all their effort in beating each other on the field. The crowds were roaring in the semi-empty stadium, and it was clear who to cheer for. As we held our cold beer in our hands, we watched one of Australia’s favorite sports. Actually being there and soaking up the atmosphere is entirely different than sitting at home watching it on television. Thanks to one of our CAPA friends from Purdue, we were all able to experience a true rugby game. The game did not last as long as we expected, and soon enough it was over. The Rabbitohs lost to the Raiders, but that did not keep our spirits down! Many of us agree, there will be more rugby games in the future during our stay in Sydney.

Back to Top

CAPA BUZZ

London Study Center Launch
On August 20th, the CAPA London team officially opened its doors with its launch party. The British summertime-themed night consisted of British snacks and beverages, a variety of speeches, and a concert by a quartet from the Royal College of Music, featuring Beatles music. The first floor classrooms of the new London Study Center were decorated like a summer fete, and menu items included bite-size fish and chips, mini pies, local cheese, strawberries and creams, and Pimms and lemonade, the famous summertime drink.

In his speech to the audience, which included institutional partners, local faculty, internship sites, travel providers, and friends of the study abroad community, John Christian highlighted the significance of opening the center:

“After nearly 10 years of planning and discussion we have opened the new CAPA London Center. Having previously been split over two buildings, this new much larger center offers us the chance to be under one roof. Now more than ever we have the opportunity to support our visiting students and faculty and provide real and engaging opportunities for them to embrace and learn about Britain on a daily basis. It is an exciting time at CAPA and we welcome any London visitors to stop in and see our new home. As one student said – WOW!”

Ms. Lynn Anderson, Chair of CAPA’s Academic Advisory Board and Dean of International Education at the University of California at San Diego, congratulated John Christian on the accomplishment and presented him with a cappuccino machine for the new center, in honor of the CAPAccino student lounge. Mr. Al Balkcum, former Director of the Learning Abroad Center at the University of Minnesota, also remarked on how pleased he was to see the finished product after hearing about it for so many years. He joked that even though he is now retired and cannot enjoy the new building as much as he would have, he sees it as a remarkable achievement for CAPA.

The evening was the official grand opening of a project that has been in the works for nearly 10 years. The center currently hosts seven classrooms, with room to expand, as well as a Student Resource Center and Computer Lab, the CAPAccino student lounge, administrative offices, and a faculty lounge. If you would like to visit the new facility, please contact Terry Sheen on tsheen@capa.org.

Beijing International Program Development Workshop
CAPA will be offering its first International Program Development Workshop in Beijing from Sunday, January 31, 2010, to Thursday, February 4, 2010. Please contact your Program Manager or Program Development Consultant on 800-793-0334 if you are interested in attending.

Back to Top

Please click here to send any feedback on the newsletter.