WASHINGTON, D.C.More than 45 students and staff descended onto Capitol Hill for the five-year reunion of the Australia Studies Centre to remember the time spent in Sydney, as well as continue the BestSemester experience in discovering and living out Gods calling.
Participants visited the National Museum of the American Indian (as a continuation of their Indigenous Cultures class), watched video updates from home stay parents, favorite lecturers and service placement supervisors, enjoyed the fireworks on the National Mall, hung out in the District and had a processing session, a well-known component to ASC.Terry Mattingly, director of the Washington Journalism Center also spoke to the alumni about reading signs in all cultures, be it Australian culture, popular culture or even Christian culture.
My favorite part of the reunion was seeing how much one semester in Australia continues to influence the lives of these alumni.Everyone at the reunion was having fun, catching up with old friends and enjoying the 4th in DC, but through their conversations it was obvious that most were continuing to wrestle with ideas that they first began to consider deeply and fully in Australia, said Kimberly Spragg, the ASC director. They didnt just come to the reunion for a good time. It was beautiful to witness this ongoing transformation in process.
Since 2004, the Australia Studies Centre has been a conduit for more than 200 students to learn about both modern and Aboriginal culture in Sydney. As part of a partnership with the Wesley Institute, students have the opportunity to study theology, issues of global justice, indigenous cultures and the arts. Home stays, service learning and travel are important components of the ASC. Students live in Sydney, travel to Canberra and the Outback, as well as spend time in New Zealand.
Starting July 22, 25 more students travel to Australia for the fall semester. For more on the Australia Studies Centre and BestSemester programs, please visit www.bestsemester.com.
The 12 semester- or summer-long student programs offered by the CCCU are categorized as either culture-shaping programs or culture-crossing programs. Culture-shaping programs are: American Studies Program (Washington, D.C.); Contemporary Music Center (Marthas Vineyard, Mass.); Los Angeles Film Studies Center (L.A., Calif.); and Washington Journalism Center (Washington, D.C.). Included in the culture-crossing programs are: Australia Studies Centre; China Studies Program; Latin American Studies Program; Middle East Studies Program; Programmes in Oxford; Russian Studies Program; and Uganda Studies Program. All programs undergo regular site visit evaluations by the Student Academic Programs Commission (SAPC).
The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities is a higher education association of 181 intentionally Christ-centered institutions around the world. There are now 111 member campuses in North America and all are fully-accredited, comprehensive colleges and universities with curricula rooted in the arts and sciences. In addition, 70 affiliate campuses from 24 countries are part of the CCCU. The Councils mission is to advance the cause of Christ-centered higher education and to help its institutions transform lives by faithfully relating scholarship and service to biblical truth.
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