By Meredith Haas ’24, editor-in-chief

LVC has announced the revival of a formerly run study abroad program.

As the New Zealand semester study abroad program has increased in popularity, the College has rekindled its partnership with Monash University, a large university located in Melbourne, Australia, in an attempt to provide a similar alternative experience.

“Our partnership with Monash University ended in 2016, and we’ve decided we are bringing it back,” Jill Russell, director of global education, said. “Monash offers classes in various subjects, allowing us to open this program to a wide variety of majors.”

Melbourne, one of the largest cities in Australia, has plenty to offer LVC students. It’s a large city with a very urban feel, but it’s also a coastal city – within 20 minutes of the beach. Beyond its ideal location, it also is a hub for study abroad and tourism.

“Monash is a larger university, so it gives students a taste of what that may be like,” Russell said. “There’s a very diverse campus population with a large number of international students. While there is plenty to do in Melbourne, it’s easy to travel to other cities on a budget throughout Australia. When our students studied there in the past, they constantly arranged other trips.”

While in Australia, students can choose from a variety of courses. Students will take a total of 4 classes, earning 16 credits through the host university that can be transferred back to LVC. This allows students to have a unique semester-long experience, all while continuing on with major requirements.

LVC students will live in the suburbs of Melbourne, housed in single-room dorms. This gives students the chance to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, all while being just a short walk away from everything students may need.

With the addition of the program, LVC has now had programs – both past and present – on five of the seven continents. Each of LVC’s programs offer students unique opportunities catered to their interests.

“LVC is doing really well for a school our size as far as providing courses that will transfer towards our degree requirements and giving students an opportunity to study in both small institutes and large universities with both English and foreign language instruction,” Russell said. “We try to make our programs diverse to cast a wide net of what may pique a student’s interest. Every year we evaluate our programs to determine if we add new programs or stop offering some.”

As new programs continue to be introduced, there are increasing ways for these programs to be made affordable for LVC students. For semester programs, students are able to retain their institutional aid. This means students keep scholarships, can apply for loans, and are billed the same LVC tuition and accommodation fees. For the Australia program, a partial stipend will be provided to assist with airfare and student VISA costs. Beyond that, scholarships are available to LVC students through the Katherine J. Bishop Fund for Global Study.

For more information on the Australia program, or any other program offerings, students can reach out to Jill Russell at russell@lvc.edu.