‘It’s a love that we all share’: Inside Miami’s study abroad program

Passion takes many forms. For Miami University, one of its forms is its study abroad program, ranked fourth in the nation for undergrads in public universities. From Miami’s campus in Luxembourg to faculty-led excursions to far-flung locations, the study abroad program offers many opportunities for students to immerse themselves in new learning environments.

In particular, the vaunted Miami study abroad program established in Luxembourg, located in the Miami University Dolibois Education Center (MUDEC), is one of the cornerstones of Miami’s international study programs.

“We’ve had 55 years of trips to MUDEC at the Luxembourg campus,” Karla Guinigundo, director of global partnerships, said. “Study abroad is a fundamental part of Miami culture.”

John Dolibois’ connection with Miami also contributes to the Luxembourg program’s legacy. An alumnus of Miami, he provided the university with the opportunity to establish a permanent campus in Luxembourg.

Photo by Sarah Frosch | The Miami Student
MacMillan Hall serves as Miami's on-campus study abroad hub.

“Dolibois was actually the U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg,” Guinigundo said. “He was crucial in establishing the connection we have there now.”

Beyond Luxembourg, Miami’s faculty-led programs can take students to nearly any part of the globe. Noelia Rojes-Miesse, a senior lecturer in the Spanish and Portuguese Department, studied abroad in Costa Rica.

“In my study abroad program, we took a class of pre-med students with co-majors and minors in Spanish to Costa Rica,” Rojes-Miesse said. “They learned about healthcare in the nation and had the opportunity to practice immersive language study.”

Rojas-Miesse has been running study abroad programs for 15 years at Miami and is intimately familiar with the intricacies of planning a trip.

“[The trips] tend to happen organically from each professor’s contacts and connections to the country they want to set up a trip to for the study abroad program,” Rojas-Miesse said. “They’re very carefully designed, involve setting up relationships with people in the country, and eventually, we send in a proposal to the university.”

Rojas-Misse said she believes Miami’s study abroad program ranks high because of the effort of all the professors.

“It’s the passion of the professors, who do all the administrative work, planning, recruiting, teaching and budgeting, who know they are responsible 24/7 for the success of their program, that makes the study abroad program worth attending,” Rojas-Misse said. “It’s a love that we all share.”

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Annabel Cunningham, a junior history major, recently returned from a study abroad trip to Luxembourg. She said the trip shaped her perspective.

“At MUDEC, we took classes and also did many sightseeing trips around historical sites for World War II,” Cunningham said. “We also traveled out of Luxembourg to Poland for study tours as well.”

Beyond the classes and excursions, Cunningham also discovered great networking and professional opportunities.

“I also participated in an internship while abroad, offered by the corporations that work with Miami and MUDEC for this program,” Cunningham said. “They have a list of internships that you can sign up for when you go on the trip; that really helped me to have more opportunities.”

kwanwz@miamioh.edu