Program offers students chance to attend different universities

by YUTA USUDA
reporter

The National Student Exchange Program at Marshall has started recruiting students for the next school year.

In the program, a participant will attend a school other than Marshall for a semester or more, not exceeding one year, with a host campus' in-state tuition or home campus tuition, depending on the school. The program has 174 schools in the United States and some international schools, including Canada.

"It's a super program," Martha C. Woodward, executive director of the John R. Hall Center for Academic Excellence, said. "I'm only surprised that more students don't take advantage of the chance to see other places for the same price as going to Marshall. Classes transfer back directly. ItÕs a great bargain and less threatening than traveling abroad."

Founded in 1968, the intra-United States student exchange program has placed more than 70,000 students in another location. This year about 3,000 students have been participating in the program.

Since joining the program in 1998, Marshall has provided 12 students campus exchange experiences with seven schools, including Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), University of Georgia, University of South Carolina and University de Sherbrooke in Canada. "We joined to give more opportunities for growth for our students," Woodward said.

Through the program, Francisco E. Luttecke, sophomore history major from Westerville, Ohio, has been attending the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Pedras, this academic year. With his desire to enter international law, it was important for him to go to a Spanish-speaking country to be fully bilingual, he said.

"I was impressed with the sights, sounds, tastes, feels, culture and habits of this beautiful island," he said. "Education through experience is more rewarding to the heart and soul than classroom knowledge, though both are essential, and both occur with the NSE program.

"Surely things are different, but with a little patience and cooperation everything ends up smooth as gravy. The NSE Program is very well run and very effective in getting students out and about," Luttecke said.

Fifteen national exchange students from other schools have visited Marshall. The schools include Buffalo State University, Central Washington University, Eastern Oregon University and the University of Arizona.

"Feedback has been positive," Woodward said. "They find us friendly, and they say it's easy to get to know the students and faculty."

Though schools can send any number of students, Woodward said she realistically expects no more than 10 Marshall students to go and six from other schools to come to Marshall. Applicants must have a 2.5 grade point average and be interviewed by Woodward after submitting the $75 application by Jan. 25.

"We want someone who is looking for a new experience," Woodward said. "This takes the form of academics, as in someone who may be seeking subject matter Marshall does not teach, or taught in a different approach. Or, it could be someone who wishes to see a different part of our country."

Application forms are available at the John R. Hall Center for Academic Excellence in the room 230 of Old Main.

For more information, Woodward may be contacted by calling 696-2475 or by e-mail at woodward@marshall.edu. The national program also provides a Web site at www.nse.org.