SHANNON WATSON
Staff Writer
The beginning of a school year usually brings a rush of new faces as incoming freshman and transfer students swarm campus. However, new students are not the only fresh faces in the crowd.
International Programs has a new look this year, too. The office has hired three new staff members to fill the positions of dean, director and recruiting coordinator.
Charles Hall, the new dean of International Programs, oversees all the international programs offered at Pepperdine. Before Pepperdine, he worked at California Lutheran University, where he developed the university’s study abroad program in Thailand.
He works with a staff of five in Malibu while also corresponding with each overseas program director in London, Lyon, Heidelberg, Florence and Buenos Aires.
Judging by a high level of interest that is generated by New Student Orientation and I.P.’s Information Days, Hall said a large number of students will want to participate in international programs.
“The word is on the street,” Hall said, “that if you want to make your college experience meaningful and memorable, you really should study in one of our overseas programs.”
I.P. Director Tim Horton supervises office staff and monitors the progress of 500 to 600 students sent abroad each year.
This immense undertaking “is a monumental task that I could not do without the qualified staff I have,” said Horton.
Horton’s focus this year is simple.
“I want to get back to the basics,” he said. “I want to settle down and do what we do well.”
There may be a few changes on the horizon, however.
Maintaining an overseas program requires vast amounts of funding, and in attempts to minimize financial risks, Horton said that this administration will consider eliminating programs that fail to attract substantial numbers of students.
“The major change is that we’re not going to run a program unless it’s economically feasible,” he said. “We cannot be taking financial risks unless we have enough students.”
The main programs at risk are summer programs in Costa Rica and France. These programs, for example, might be offered only every other year.
Last year, the Costa Rica trip was canceled due to an insufficient number of applicants. This year, International Program will offer the program once more, hoping to attract more students with increased recruitment efforts.
Horton’s background in counseling and skills in conflict resolution may prove helpful in the coming days.
“My job involves a lot of conflict,” he said. “There are unhappy students, parents and unexpected stuff that happens.”
Also new to the I.P. office, Kristin Lennick serves as the marketing and recruiting coordinator. She organizes major events and promotions. She said she strives to make students aware of the opportunities International Pro-gram offers students to travel abroad.
Lennick said the most rewarding part of her job is working with students.
“I want to help students find a program that fits them,” she said.
Many students form memorable experiences overseas, and she hopes to assist students in making informed decisions about which programs to attend.
Lennick, a recent Pepperdine graduate, attended the Buenos Aires program as an undergrad. She said that traveling overseas is a crucial part of the Pepperdine experience, and she hopes to help students achieve a positive experience abroad.
“I look forward to making I.P. the best that it can be,” she said.
One transition in programs will come next year as London, which for the past two years has been limited to a semester only program, returns to its year-long status. However, students can still apply to attend a single semester.
09-15-2005