06/02/10 -   Queens students who participated in the John Belk International Program (JBIP) study tours and language-immersion programs in May have returned safely to the United States.

More than 150 students and their faculty leaders left town after graduation for their 16-20-day tours. This year, the groups headed to Vietnam, South Africa, Poland and Ukraine, Greece, Italy, Central and Alpine Europe, Spain and Ireland, Scotland and Wales. They blogged about their adventures and posted pictures and video from across the globe. The students, who completed a required prep course this past semester, just finished the hands-on part of their learning experience. Each study tour typically visits four to five locations in the country or region students have been studying. Their experiences included a wide variety of activities set up with the locations in mind: talking to local university students in Vietnam, working in a Ukranian orphanage, taking in the sunsets of Santorini, going on safari in South Africa, climbing Mt. Snowdon in Wales, studying the works of Michelangelo and much more. 

An additional dozen students took part in JBIP Language and Cultural Immersion programs.  This year, they expanded their linguistic skills in French (Nice), Italian (Florence) and Spanish (Costa Rica, Ecuador and Spain) as they attended intensive language classes and lived with local families for four weeks.

The John Belk International Program covers the majority of the travel costs -- transportation, accommodations, entrance fees, guides and more -- so students can start to gain the global perspective they need in today's world.