10.07.05

Erskine students line up for literature on CCCU study programs.

CCCU representatives visit Erskine campus

Amber Palmer, student programs marketing manager with the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU), visited the Erskine College campus Thursday as part of Christian Higher Education Month and talked with students during a lunch meeting in the Founders Room.

Focusing on semester-long study opportunities sponsored by CCCU, Palmer spoke about programs at home and abroad. She has gained extensive knowledge of the programs because part of her job is to visit the various sites.

"Most of the time I am in North America," she said, but admits that she enjoys taking trips to other CCCU sites. The organization has four programs in the United States, two in Washington, D.C., one in Los Angeles, Calif., and one in Martha's Vineyard, Mass. Overseas programs are in Australia, China, Costa Rica, Egypt, England, Russia and Uganda.

Some 700 students take advantage of CCCU study opportunities each year, she said. Such programs can be especially rewarding for students from small colleges, as Palmer knows from her own experience.

"If you go and then you come back to your college, you can bring with you an entirely new perspective," she said.

"I went to the American Studies program in Washington my junior year—I gained so much confidence from that one experience," said Palmer, a graduate of Whitworth College in Spokane, Wash.

"Before I went, I had a hard time speaking up in class, but professors really remarked on the change in me when I returned."

Palmer explained that participants remain students of their own colleges while enrolled in CCCU programs, and their federal and state financial aid goes with them.

"It's going to cost more than a semester here at Erskine—a couple of thousand dollars more," she said. "There are scholarships available through the Institute for International Education."

Living accommodations for participants vary. "As much as possible we put students with families," she said. "We find families through churches and screen them."

Service learning is a feature of most CCCU programs. "All the students do a service project as part of their semester except in D.C. and Los Angeles, where they're doing internships," she said. "We want them to embrace the idea that you can live your faith in your life."

She noted that students who do service projects in the overseas programs often "learn more than they give, because they are just learning the language—but it's a good experience for them."

Palmer was pleased with the number of students who turned out for the information session in response to a brief announcement at convocation.

"Eighteen students after just a two-minute plug in convo—we were so excited," she said. "And many of them are freshmen and will really be planning to apply for these programs."

Dr. Ron Mahurin, vice president for professional development and research at CCCU, also came to Due West Thursday and spoke to Erskine faculty members while Palmer met with students.

CCCU has celebrated October as Christian Higher Education Month since 1999, and a House Resolution (H.Res. 300) has recognized the contributions of Christian colleges and universities.

"We get to meet people from CCCU schools who have done amazing things," Palmer said. "I think if you graduate from one of these schools, you sometimes forget that you were in class with people who were changing the world, and that you could be one of those people."

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