The experience was transforming," one of the students reported after returning from an Associated Colleges of the South (ACS)/Rhodes College service learning program in Honduras. She talked about the profound impact of the experience on her life, on employment opportunities, and on her career plans. She now plans to look at international careers and perhaps those with a service organization of one kind or another. I also recall a student in our ACS program in Central Europe who indicated that his entire outlook on life and career had changed because of the international experience he was having. The intense experience overseas had enabled-perhaps compelled-him to look at himself, his capabilities, and his possibilities in new and important ways. I am sure the reader can recount stories of other students who have told of knowledge gained, networks established, and potential futures envisioned as a result of an extraordinary education experience overseas.
These examples and others reveal why the Associated Colleges of the South, like a number of other consortia, entered the international education arena. We wanted to open up challenging and rigorous international opportunities for students who were and are the central focus of our liberal arts colleges and universities. The international effort is aimed not only at offering new knowledge but at weaving together various strands of knowledge into broader, interdisciplinary contexts. The effort is about liberating students from narrowness of vision and intolerance of others and their views. The international thrust is aimed at providing liberal arts education as it ought to be, with classroom and out-of-classroom experiences that dovetail and reinforce one another, thereby enhancing the ability of students to prepare for an increasingly multifaceted and swiftly changing worldwide environment.
Like ACS, many groups offer international programs to provide valuable experiences and benefits for faculty, staff, alumni, and the community. They NEW DIRECTIONS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION, no. 106