Study Abroad at the Middelburg Center for Transatlantic Studies

 What is the Middelburg Center for Transatlantic Studies?

Hosted at the Roosevelt Academy in Middelburg, The Netherlands, the Middelburg Center offers two semester-length study-abroad programs plus a one-month summer program per year, focusing on a comparative, multidisciplinary approach to transatlantic relationships and developments. Staff and students from institutions in the Consortium gather in a central location to form an interactive, international learning community. Its mission statement:

The Middelburg Center for Transatlantic Studies seeks to encourage and promote a transatlantic perspective by providing faculty and students with a unique multicultural environment in order to aid their personal, professional, and academic development.

The MCTS History

The Maastricht Center (MCTS) was conceived in 1995 by representatives of twelve institutions across the United States, Mexico, and Europe, and offered its first teaching program in Spring, 1998. It has recently moved to Middelburg in the summer of 2008 and is hosted by Roosevelt Academy. Its goal has been to provide a unique educational program based on the interactive relationship between peoples and cultures on both sides of the Atlantic. It is the first institution devoted to such a mission: no other study-abroad program offers such an opportunity for an international educational body to gather in one location to explore common problems through a variety of teaching disciplines. At a time when education and global perspectives are high on public and governmental agendas, the MCTS has already begun to attract national and international attention because of its unique mission and innovation.

The Consortium is comprised of the following institutions:

1. Babes - Bolyai University, Romania
2. East Carolina University, USA
3. Eastern Illinois University, USA
4. Grand Valley State University, Michigan, USA
5. ITESM, Mexico (Monterrey Tec)
6. Kansas State University, USA
7. Missouri Western, USA
8. Montana State at Billings, USA
9. Newman University, USA 
10. North Dakota State University, USA
11. Northwest Missouri State University, USA
12. Old Dominion University, USA
13. Roosevelt Academy, Middelburg, The Netherlands
14. Southeast Missouri State University, USA 
15. Truman State University, USA
16. UNITEC, New Zealand 
17. University of Alcala, Spain
18. University of Bremen, Germany
19. University of Central Lancashire, UK
20. University of Central Missouri, USA 
21. University of Debrecen, Hungary
22. University of Dubuque, USA
23. University of Glamorgan, UK
24. University of Gloucestershire, UK
25. University of Lodz, Poland 
26. University of Missouri-Rolla, USA
27. University of Nebraska at Kearney, USA
28. University of South Dakota, USA
29. University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia
30. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, USA
31. Vaxjo University, Sweden 
32. Western Carolina University, USA
33. Western Illinois University, USA
34. Wichita State University, USA
35. Worcester State College, USA

 The MCTS Program Structure

Each teaching semester is divided into four intensive modules of three and one-half weeks’ duration. Students normally attend for a semester of 12-14 weeks; faculty members teach for a minimum period of three and one-half weeks’ duration. There are several courses available in each block, and students select one course from these options for a total of four courses per semester. Time is provided between blocks to allow for student travel and movement of faculty.

Faculty members teach one module and are encouraged to work with their colleagues in integrating their courses to maximize student exposure to different perspectives and teaching strategies. Field trips into the surrounding environs are used to supplement and enrich classroom instruction.

 Curriculum

Courses from the social sciences, humanities, fine arts and business comprise the majority of course offerings, with each course having a comparative, trans-Atlantic approach. Faculty submits specific courses approximately one year in advance, with the curriculum finalized during the spring semester preceding each new academic year.

 Benefits of the Program

For students: the possibility to participate in a unique, international educational program, and to move from a monocultural to a global perspective; the opportunity to establish international relationships, both personal and educational; the chance to live in the center of Europe with all of the travel and cultural benefits that attend the location; an informal and relaxed atmosphere with small class sizes.

For faculty: all of the above, plus the opportunity of developing long-term, collaborative research projects with international colleagues. As faculty are responsible for one course in a 3 1/2 week period, the program offers the chance to teach abroad without the disruption of a full semester=s absence. In addition, this teaching opportunity is particularly appropriate for faculty already on sabbatical leave.

For participating institutions: the enhancement of your university’s international presence and prestige; a focus for the recruitment of motivated, intellectually driven students; further opportunities for the establishment of bi-lateral links; opportunities for staff development and external funding.

 Costs and Operation

Student costs: Student fees include a student’s private room, board, use of Teikyo University facilities (including computers and Internet), resident permit fees, field trips, orientation fees, books and on-site support. These fees also underwrite the room and board costs of the teaching faculty. For students from participating institutions, tuition (if necessary) is paid to and kept by their home institution. See the student cost page for specific amounts.

Participating Institutions obligations: Participating institutions agree to pay faculty salaries during their absences, provide for faculty travel costs, underwrite their representatives travel costs to the annual Board of Directors’ meeting, and pay an annual institutional membership fee (currently $500). They also agree to grant academic credit for all modules offered at MCTS and to facilitate the transfer of all such modules. Each institution collects tuition fees as appropriate, in exchange for the granting of credit.

For questions about the web site contact Naomi Baldwin: nbaldwin@ucmo.edu.
For more information about the program contact Diana Duvall: duvall@ucmo.edu.

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