With the theme of “Globalization and The Post American/Flat World,” the Semester at Sea program will sail off for its 100th voyage this fall.
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The very first voyage for the Semester at Sea program sailed off on September 18, 1926. The voyage lasted for 7 and a half months covering 41,000 miles and visiting 35 countries. Today, each voyage is no longer than 110 days, about the same duration of an academic semester. Being the academic sponsor, University of Virginia is responsible for appointing the academic dean, and has input on the selection of faculty and the curriculum. |
In January 2006, UVA announced a five-year partnership with the Institute for Shipboard Education. Faculty who opposed the news cited course quality and their inability to add to the curriculum. Opposition was also fueled by the program’s “booze cruise” reputation that lingered from the taping of 1999’s MTV “Road Rules.”
Enrollment, however, has been growing. For this spring voyage, 724 undergraduate students enrolled, representing 235 colleges and universities, with 19 from UVA. Enrollment numbers for both summer and fall “are both in the 600 to 700 range,” says Lauren Heinz, Semester at Sea’s assistant vice president of communications and media relations.
For the spring voyage, about five faculty, including the Academic Dean, are from UVA. For the fall voyage, it will be about 10 out of 32 faculty.
But this type of experience is neither free nor cheap. For the fall and spring voyages, which range from 100 to 110 days, cabins start at about $20,895 for Economy and go up to $30,395 for a Junior Suite. For the summer, a shorter voyage, the Economy cabin starts at $10,995 and the Junior Suite goes for $15,525. Fees include tuition, room, board, premium health insurance and an e-mail account. Other costs not included are round-trip flights to embarkation and debarkation spots, travel visas and textbooks, among other things.
But, Heinz says, the students can get some help. “We give scholarships and financial aid to about 40 percent of all of our students,” says Heinz. “We give $3.25 million in financial aid annually.”
This year to celebrate the 100th voyage, Semester at Sea embarks on a global service-learning project.
“What we wanted to do for our 100th voyage was really to celebrate our mission and to just honor all of those who have contributed to our mission over the years,” says Heinz. Students in two courses led by Semester at Sea’s International Service Learning Coordinator Dr. Bernie Strenecky are asked to create a sustainable design project for communities around the world—India, Vietnam and Hong Kong. The Global Nomads Group, an international NGO co-founded by a Semester at Sea alumnus, will travel with the students to document the project. “[The group] fosters dialogue among children and youth all around the world,” says Heinz.
“It’s an opportunity to continue to show international reach and impact and have our students work in mentoring capacities for students in classrooms around the country,” says Heinz.
The 100th voyage sails off from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on August 28 and will travel to 11 countries—Morocco, Ghana and Mauritius, among others— and will end in San Diego on December 14.
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