Twenty-eight students – two from each of the 14 state-owned universities – will travel to Ecuador later this month as part of the 2003 Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Summer Honors Program.
Thestudents will spend two weeks in residence at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania preparing for their study trip abroad, which will include stops in Quito, Misahuallí, Baños de Ambato, Cuenca, Montañita and Guayaquil. The trip is planned for May 30 to June 20.
While in Ecuador, the students will attend lectures, visit museums and tour a variety of natural and historical sites.
The Summer Honors Program is in its 19th year. It annually offers some of the top students at State System universities a unique learning experience abroad. A different campus hosts the program each year.
In recent years, students have traveled to countries including Spain, South Africa, Scotland, England, Italy, Germany, Austria, Russia and The Netherlands.
Each of the students who participate in the summer honors program receives a scholarship that covers tuition and fees and the cost of international travel.
The students selected to attend the 2003 Summer Honors Program from each of the universities are:
Bloomsburg – Sharon Cabana of Derry, N.H., and Jonathan Gass of Sunbury.
California – Scott Nicholson of Cranberry Township and Michael Camilli of New Derry.
Cheyney – Elaine Opher of Philadelphia and Kanita Rene Benson of West Chester.
Clarion – Kent DeBolt of Creighton and Evelyn Abiola of Staten Island, N.Y.
East Stroudsburg – Jody LaVerdure of Fleetwood and Barry Kwasny of Stroudsburg.
Edinboro – Melissa Kalivoda of Erie and Jacqueline Gichinga of Kenya.
Indiana – Kenneth McDermott of Logan Station and Ira Goldberg of Pittsburgh.
Kutztown – Margaret Hadlinger of Allentown and Jacqueline Hartz of Fleetwood.
Lock Haven – Alisha Rasp of McConnellsburg and Junghyun Yoon of Korea.
Mansfield – Katie Fotta of Scranton and William Caulfield of Bath.
Millersville – Sarah Jacobson and Claudia Fisher, both of Lancaster.
Shippensburg – Rennae Hillen of Lancaster and Margaret Damaeron of Chambersburg.
Slippery Rock – Kelly Fields of Stewartstown and Kayla Whipkey of Prospect.
West Chester – Auston Gross of Emmaus and Patricia Vogt of Huntingdon Valley.
With more than 101,000 students, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth. Its 14 universities offer more than 250 degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. More than 360,000 System alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.
The state-owned universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The System also operates branch campuses in Clearfield, Kittanning, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg. The regional centers are part of the Educational Resources Group, which is responsible for coordinating statewide programming.