Learning Abroad Mission and Vision

Mission

The Office of Learning Abroad fosters empathy, cultural and global understanding, experiential learning, and personal enrichment by providing SUU students, faculty, and staff with the resources and guidance necessary to enhance their learning and research in safe, intellectually stimulating programs in a variety of locations worldwide.

Vision

The Office of Learning Abroad will provide all SUU students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to study and work in their fields of interest in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania. Through our study abroad, international exchange, and internship programs, we will enable the entire SUU community to experience the richness of other cultures, to honor diversity, to practice empathy, and to find personal fulfillment.

Goals

The goal of the Office of Learning Abroad is to inspire and enable SUU students, faculty, and staff, as well as members of the local community, to take advantage of opportunities provided by OLA to do the following:

  • Become informed about other cultures in formal and informal academic settings.
  • Learn directly from people of other cultures in a variety of venues.
  • Appreciate cultural values that differ from their own.
  • Broaden their worldview by considering issues from diverse perspectives.
  • Develop empathy for people of other cultures.
  • Strive to reach common goals with people of other cultures.
  • Work collaboratively to improve the lives of less fortunate people in other countries.
  • Increase their desire to travel and learn independently about people of other cultures.
  • Enjoy a campus environment that welcomes international students, scholars, and visitors.
  • Discover new ways of learning.