Tweaking Toulouse

Enhancements to Dickinson-in-France program aim to deepen interaction, immersion and international partnerships

As part of a continuing effort to enhance student learning abroad, Dickinson has been exploring several enhancements to the Dickinson-in-France program during recent months. In addition to enhancing the place-based curriculum, adding post-program internships and summer studio-art programs and planning to host more French students in Carlisle, the college recently signed a lease on a new centrally located property for the 30-year-old program in Toulouse.

The new venue will replace the program’s current building, which, while having served the college well for many years, needs major renovations to meet France's equivalent of the U.S. Americans with Disabilities Act. The new location also will provide easier access to Dickinson’s partner universities, offer more opportunities for student interaction with the local community and establish a convenient site for individual meetings, seminars, staff offices and the program’s bibliographical resources. 

The new building and other enhancements in France come as part of a comprehensive review of Dickinson’s global-education programs currently being conducted by the Center for Global Study & Engagement. 

“The overall goal of this review is focused on the ‘big prize’ of enhancing global education, identifying and addressing the most important questions about student learning and ensuring the further internationalization of the college,” said Michael Monahan, associate provost and executive director of global study and engagement. “The aim is to reinvigorate the connection between global education and Dickinson’s brand of liberal arts and sciences, and to come to some consensus about recommendations for the immediate future. Great teaching, focused reading and meaningful lived experiences are at the core of our approach. Changes in Toulouse are good examples of this.” 

“Dickinson has a much-envied network of study-abroad programs founded on deep study of foreign language and culture,” added Neil Weissman, provost and dean of the college. “We now must also align our offerings with newly emerging emphases in global education on transnational issues, such as immigration or climate change. This will ensure that we remain a leader in the field of global education.”

Learn more

• Center for Global Study & Engagement
• Dickinson in France Program
• "Satellite Multilingual Writing Center in Toulouse"
• Latest News

Published April 3, 2015