Arcadia University, long-known for its commitment to international exposure and global orientation, has seen the 2023 return of a crown jewel program: First Year Preview.

The Preview program parcels Arcadia’s first year and new transfer students into classes of 20-25, then spends seven weeks preparing them for a week-long trip to an international destination.

Each class is taught by two faculty or staff members who then accompany the students throughout the trip. Student costs are subsidized by the University to encourage participation.

The 2023 lineup includes destinations such as the United Kingdom, France, Greece, South Korea and Costa Rica. In years past, students were able to choose from destinations in the Middle East, southeast Asia, Australia, and Africa.

Slowly but surely, the University hopes to see those destinations return.

“The steepest challenges have been related to finding a balance between providing students with the richest possible study abroad programming while staying focused on the health and safety of our travelers and that of host communities,” Cheryl Lewis, Assistant Director of Global Engagement, said.

“Fast-changing conditions worldwide and the need to plan for more nuanced layers of pandemic-induced ‘what if’ scenarios make this even more complex, especially when considering our very mobile short-term study abroad experiences like Preview,” Cheryl said. “Here at Arcadia, we’re fortunate to have a team of professionals who possess the expertise and courage needed to lead the way in this new landscape.”

The program saw a hard-stop in 2020 due to the pandemic. Trips which had been bought and paid for months prior were cancelled abruptly, in some cases the week before departure. As the pandemic lingered through 2021 and 2022, travel officials were forced to put a halt to Preview until safety and health conditions improved.

This year, Preview is seeing a fingers-crossed comeback as the Spring semester has unfolded and classes have resumed.

“Study Abroad is an integral part of Arcadia’s identity, and with the full support of university leadership we continue to be a leader in the field,” Cheryl said. “Historically, Preview has been a springboard to further study abroad experiences for many students who come home with ‘the travel bug.’ Watching students thrive and grow through transformative study abroad courses like Preview is a reward well worth our combined efforts.”

In 2022, roughly 80 students traveled to five locations, two of which were domestic. This year, some 240 students are expected to travel to 13 international destinations.

Professor Emeritus Alan Powell is returning for his 11th international trip with Arcadia, five of which have been Previews.

“The pandemic has circled the world, and we’re learning we have to function with it. We learned the good and bad of self-isolation,” Powell said. “The pandemic isn’t over but it’s changing. We’re re-learning how to travel safely as we’ve learned that we’re all connected globally,” he said.

Powell will be co-leading Ecotourism & Sustainable Development in Costa Rica, a class which explores the image of Costa Rica as a leader in the global ecotourism community. 

“Our sustainability class is about the migration crisis, and how it’s hitting Central America,” Powell said. “We’re also looking to understand the blending of cultures, the definitions of who’s who. In terms of Costa Rica, we’re talking about what it looks like when a country tries to be carbon neutral. They pride themselves on ecotourism, but is it really ‘eco-friendly’? How does it help or hurt the environment around it?”

In its heyday, Preview amassed over 300 students each spring to travel to more than 15 distinct destinations abroad. Since its inception in 1994, Arcadia’s unique Preview program has taken nearly 8,000 students to explore study abroad options in cultural hubs around the world.

“It’s always inspiring to see so many new students who may not have imagined themselves studying abroad come forward to participate in Preview,” Cheryl said. “We don’t take lightly the trust students place in Arcadia’s global mission, and we’re continually looking for ways to broaden experiential learning opportunities to support our students’ boundless potential.”

For more on Arcadia’s First Year Preview program, you can click here, or check out this video: