Goshen College celebrates 40 years of pioneer study abroad program with honored Peruvian guest and other activities

GOSHEN, Ind. – In 1968, Goshen College embarked on a 40-year adventure as pioneers in higher education: creating a semester-long study abroad program that took college students to developing countries. It became one of the first colleges or universities in the country to include international education as part of its graduation requirements.

Forty years later, the college is celebrating during the 2008 Homecoming Weekend (Oct. 3-5) the success and importance of this program, Study-Service Term (SST), which has sent 7,144 students and 230 faculty leaders to 22 countries.

"We are grateful for the opportunity to reflect on four decades of operating one of the most successful study abroad programs in the nation," said Director of International Education Tom Meyers. "For 40 years the doors to the wider world have been opened to Goshen College students via SST. Students and faculty have been enriched and many lives have been impacted by a marvelous opportunity to cross national borders and cultural boundaries."

Father Jack Davis will be speaking in the college's Church-Chapel on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m. His presentation, "Father Jack, Padre Juan: Helping the Poorest of the Poor in Chimbote, Perú," is free and the public is warmly invited.

A native of North Dakota, Father Jack has lived and worked among the poor in Chimbote, Perœ, for 32 years at Our Lady of Perpetual Help as the lead pastor. Since the summer of 2005, Goshen College students have had the opportunity to work with Father Jack as a part of SST service experiences. They have all been inspired by his ministry and their lives have been enriched by the opportunity to live in his adopted hometown. Among the many programs that Father Jack supervises and students have worked in are: soup kitchens, after-school tutoring, hospice care, drug rehabilitation centers, homes for the homeless and a wheelchair manufacturing enterprise for the unemployed.

Upon being asked to speak during the SST festivities, Father Jack said, "We ... have been very pleased with the students you have sent us. They have made valuable contributions to our work with God's poorest and have reflected in their persons the values which your fine institution imparts."

Also known as Padre Juan or Juanito, Father Jack calls Liberation Theologian Gustavo Gutiérrez a friend and "is a fount of wisdom and a tireless advocate for the poor and dispossessed," said Goshen College Professor of Communication Duane Stoltzfus, who led three SST units in Perú during 2007-08. "He's also not afraid to mix it up with authorities when he thinks they are compounding, rather than easing, problems in the community." He was recently recognized by the Peruvian Congress and given a medal of honor for his years of service to the poor in Chimbote, the highest award a foreigner can be given.

The college currently organizes SST units to study and serve in China, Nicaragua, Tanzania, Germany, Senegal, Perú, Jamaica and Cambodia. The program's uncommon combination of cultural education and service-learning remains a core part of the general education program. In the 2009 U.S. News & World Report "Best College" rankings, GC was listed among 32 top colleges and universities with outstanding study abroad programs for SST. In addition, Goshen was ranked sixth for the percentage of graduates studying abroad, with 85 percent.

SST is a 13-week journey, in which students learn to know a different culture from the inside out – its language, its customs, its history and, most importantly, its people. With about 20 others, students begin their SST experience in the host country's capital with six weeks of intense study, including focused language instruction with trained nationals. In most locations, students live with a host family, a wonderful way to get a perspective of everyday life.

In the second half of SST, students gain profound insights into the host culture – and the different meanings of service. Service assignments vary, but typical assignments would include: teaching English, working in a school with children, helping at a health clinic, assisting in a community development project or volunteering at Habitat for Humanity.

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college's Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron's Best Buys in Education, "Colleges of Distinction," "Making a Difference College Guide" and U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" edition, which named Goshen a "least debt college." Visit www.goshen.edu.