While Semester at Sea students head down the gangway to explore each new country, there’s often a crew of new students climbing up the stairs to take their place for the day. The outreach program implemented the Open Ship initiative to expand the global population of the program, providing tours and information to university students from around the world. The program is already seeing immense success, with students from 20 different countries studying this semester on the Spring 2012 voyage.
Mariechen Puchert, from the University of Stellenbosch, had never heard of Semester at Sea before, but after visiting the Open Ship in Cape Town she’s already made plans to join a full voyage next year. “The Open Ship was impressive from the word ‘go,'” she said of the opportunity to see the floating campus. “I think it is a brilliant way of creating greater awareness among college students, and if I had my way, every college student in the world would have access to such a learning experience.”
Puchert, a medical student in South Africa, found the perfect academic match in the Spring 2013 voyage. “I’ve done some research and discovered that Dr. Sharon Hostler, a professor in pediatrics, will be the Academic Dean for the voyage and among her interests is outreach to rural underserved children. One of the courses offered is ‘Health Promotion and Health Behavior,’ which interests me immensely. But what also has massive appeal is that courses are open to all majors. My course currently is so jam-packed that I am not allowed to take any non-medical classes ‚Äì I’m really excited about the potential to take courses like ‘Water for the World,’ ‘World War II in Asia and Africa,’ and ‘Women Writers Around the Globe.'”
Open Ships this semester welcomed the University of Amazonas in Brazil and a stunning 55 folks from the University of Singapore. Likewise, the outreach program visited Fudan University in Shanghai, home to 5 of this semester’s students, as well as numerous past (and future) participants. University of Hawai’i at Hilo students can still register through April 25th for their upcoming open ship. Best of all, the Open Ship in San Diego is open to everyone, not just students. Register below and you can stop by the harbor on May 3rd, one day after the Spring 2012 voyage ends its 105-day trek around the world.
Click here to see the MV Explorer for yourself at our open ship in San Diego.
Click here to read Mariechen Puchert’s take on the Open Ship in Cape Town
Click here to meet the Faculty and Staff of the upcoming Spring 2013 Voyage
Click here if you’re an international student looking to join a future voyage.
