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The program was the brainchild of professor Susie L. Steinbach. While Steinbach claims special affection for the program, she admits she received help, input, support, and advice from people such as Kari Richtsmeier and Brandon Lussier in the Off-Campus Programs office, Sarah Leach in the University of York International Office, and then-CLA Deans Garvin Davenport, Alzada Tipton, and Alan Silva.
Steinbach created the program for a few reasons.

First, Hamline promotes study abroad as part of it mission to create compassionate citizens of the world.

Second, she believed that Hamline should have a study abroad program which was run independently of other study abroad organizations. By running the program internally, Hamline can keep strict quality controls and tailor the program to the need of students.

“I wanted us to be able to offer a program that made it easier for ambitious students to study abroad. Often, students with double majors, majors and minors, certifications, and so on, have so many requirements that they feel they do not have time to fulfill all their requirements and also go abroad,” said Steinbach.

Because of Hamline’s control in the program, students are able to fulfill Hamline Plan requirements such as writing-intensive and leadership credits.

The Hamline in York Program has an advantage on other study abroad programs that only allow elective credit transfer for course work abroad.

“Science majors often have so many classes, class-hours, and requirements to fulfill that they feel they do not have time to fulfill all their requirements and also go abroad” she said. “The Hamline in York Program works for them. I was delighted that four of the seven fall students were science majors, who probably would not have been able to participate in other abroad programs.”

Steinbach added that she liked the idea of a study abroad program in which students did not have to have a language skill.

“In an ideal world, we would all pursue fluency in second languages in college and beyond; practically speaking, however, many students speak only English. At the Hamline in York Program they were able to go abroad, and to encounter a foreign culture, without having to know another language.”

Steinbach also stressed the importance of a full-time faculty member going abroad with students.

“While some students are able to go abroad and deal with all the difficulties and confusions that inevitably arise on their own,” she said, “many are not. Many students would prefer a study abroad option in which they can have the best of both worlds, living far from home, exploring a new culture, facing international challenges, but also having a Hamline faculty instructor, advisor, and leader to whom they can turn and who can help them engage with the new culture around them.”

The Hamline in York Program is broken up into fall/spring categorie.

Fall semester students arrived in York around Sept. 1. During September, they lived with host families and took a four week, four credit, J-term type class from the program director.

In addition to serving as the director this year, Steinbach taught a course on the history of women in England. In previous years, other directors could offer classes in their own departments or fields of interest.

On Oct. 1 the University of York fall term started and students moved onto the University campus to live in the dorms with British students. Students each took a half-load at the University which transferred back to Hamline as 6 credits.

Hamline students also started internships in the city of York, which Steinbach said, “also transferred back to Hamline as 4, 5, or 6-credit courses that satisfied the LEAD requirement and appeared on transcripts as INTD 3990 courses, or as 3990 courses in students’ major departments, depending on the individual situation.”

For their internships, students worked at their sites, kept journals, and wrote final papers that they submitted to Steinbach. The courses at the University and the internships both lasted 10 weeks.

However, the program was not all work and no play. It included two planned excursions: one weekend in London and another weekend on the Northumbrian coast.

When the 10 weeks of classes and internships ended on Dec. 19, Hamline students could choose to return to the United States or change their plane tickets and return stateside later.

Spring semester schedules mirror the fall. Students do University of York course work and an internship first, enjoy a long spring break, and then do the four-week course last. Spring semester also features two excursions: one to London and one to the Yorkshire Dalesčhome of the Brontes.

The costs of this internship varies frequently due to exchange fluctuations, Steinbach said.

“In future years, the program will probably cost students about $2,000 more than a semester at Hamline. For this price, they get an amazing experience abroad. The program price will, in future, cover almost all costsčstudents will have to pay for their own round-trip airfare and for their meals separately.” (The University of York, like all British universities, has a-la-carte dining halls and full kitchens for student use, rather than meal plans.)

Overall, Steinbach said that while there were the occasional “minor problems” that go along with such a new program, it was a success and Steinbach said she is hoping the spring semester will be even better.

Despite the success of this program, however, Dean Delgado of the CLA has decided not to allow Steinbach and her associates to offer the Hamline in York Program in 2007-2008. Steinbach said she remains optimistic for the prospects of a 2008-2009 program.

“We are very hopeful, I really think it is a strong program that offers Hamline students a lot.”