Fulton, MO – At William Woods University (WWU), being a student of the world is not just a slogan – it’s an idea that is deeply embedded in the campus culture.
Whether it is traveling the world or having the world come to campus, students at The Woods enjoy a wide range of global experiences that are unique to a university its size. While attending WWU, students have the opportunity to study abroad for entire semesters or years; design their own unique international internship; visit foreign nations for shorter, more intensive visits; learn from faculty who have taught all over the world or engage in cultural events such as international film screenings and gatherings to sample cuisine from across the globe.
“The international and cultural opportunities available to our students are another example of how unique the William Woods experience truly is,” said Dr. Jahnae H. Barnett, President of William Woods University. “The education that our students receive outside the classroom is every bit as important as what they learn inside it, and these experiences will help our graduates thrive in what is an increasingly global society and economy.”
Students at William Woods interact with the world in a number of ways, including the following:
- Study abroad – through the university’s Office of Career Services, WWU students have studied in Australia, Brazil, Ecuador, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, New Zealand, Scotland, Spain and the Philippines in recent years. WWU works with several study abroad programs in this process, including American Institute for Foreign Study; Arcadia University; CISabroad; International Studies Abroad; Knowledge Exchange Institute; Semester At Sea and School of Field Studies
- Internship abroad – In just the past year, William Woods students have interned in Spain, Brazil, the Netherlands and Guatemala, coordinated with the Office of Career Services.
- Woods Around The World – A unique program to WWU, Woods Around The World (WATW) allows students to visit foreign nations and cultures, after studying them in the classroom, in intensive, short-term (usually 10 days) visits. Since 2008 hundreds of WWU students have taken WATW trips to Australia, Peru, Cuba, France, Scotland, England, Ireland, Turkey, South Africa, Ecuador, New Zealand, Antarctica and India, among others. Students also give back to the community in the program, working community services hours to help pay for their travel.
- International faculty – students at WWU learn from faculty who have taught around the world. Currently, the university counts faculty on its staff who have served as instructors in Hong Kong, mainland China, Scotland, India and Ghana.
- International Film Series – each year, WWU’s Dulany Library screens a series of critically acclaimed foreign films for the campus community. The 2019-2020 series includes films from France, South Korea, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Finland, England, Germany, Italy, Lebanon, Sweden, Canada, Ireland, Pakistan, Norway and Denmark
- World Supper Club – throughout the academic year, WWU students get to experience the cuisine and culture of the world as part of the World Supper Club, where gatherings focus on the food of a particular nation. In the past year, dinner meetings on campus have focused on cuisine from Spain, Portugal, Cuba, Brazil, India, Morocco, Greece and Japan.
For more information on William Woods study abroad program, please visit https://www.williamwoods.edu/academics/undergraduate/study_abroad.html. Additional information on Woods Around The World can be found at https://www.williamwoods.edu/student_experience/undergraduate_student_experience/multicultural_opportunities/woods_around_the_world.html
