The Sports, Arts, and Entertainment Management department is working on a new student exchange program in London to give SAEM students a better study abroad experience. Officials hope to develop a partnership with Glion Institute of Higher Education, a business school that offers an Event, Sports and Entertainment major.
“I reached out to try and find a European university that we could connect with that had a very similar curriculum as Sports, Arts, and Entertainment Management and that’s how I happened upon Glion,” said Assistant SAEM professor Paige Beal, who will direct the program.
Beal is in charge of developing the program for the SAEM department, and she said her goal for this new program is to create more than just a study abroad program but a partnership. She hopes that this partnership will give the faculty and students at both schools the opportunity to communicate with each other on industry topics.
The main difference between this partnership and a study abroad program is that the partnership will entail an exchange. Instead of a Point Park student simply going to study at a school abroad, the schools will exchange students.
“The person from here at Point Park would continue paying tuition and so forth but would simply go over and take that dorm room that is over in London and vice versa with the person in London,” said Beal.
On top of that, this program will offer a much more specific experience for students. They will be taking classes similar to what is offered here in the SAEM program instead of the typical courses offered in a study abroad program. By exchanging with a program that has a similar focus students will get a more enriched coursework while overseas.
“We hope to run it very similarly to our Regent’s University in London, but we expect there to be more courses that align with major specific classes for SAEM students versus taking general education or elective courses,” said Point Park study abroad coordinator Sarah George.
The program will also be financially easier for students as well because the student will pay Point Park’s tuition and will still receive their scholarships and financial aid. “The only difference in terms of expenses is that both entities would pay for their expenses in travel and their food plan,” said Beal.
Many students are excited about this new opportunity that will be offered to them. “I’ve always wanted to study abroad in London and this new program will make it so much easier for me to do that and stay on track in my major,” said sophomore SAEM major Brittany Bishop.
Olivia Gilpin, another sophomore SAEM student, does not plan to study abroad but is excited for what this program means for Point Park. “This program is really going to make a positive impact in the SAEM department,” said Gilpin.
The two schools were unable to put everything together in time for the exchange program to begin in Fall 2016, but Beal hopes to have it up and running for the Spring 2017 semester.