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ONLINE 01-SEP-00 New adviser focuses on science students by Les Bryson for the thresher Due to a 50 percent increase in participants of the study abroad program during this calendar year, the department added a new position this fall. In July, Andrea Battle was hired as the new study abroad adviser, and Monday she began work. Battle's main focus will be advising natural science students interested in going abroad for study, specifically to Latin American countries. Executive Director of International Programs and Scholarships Mark Scheid and Study Abroad Associate Director for International Training Shannon Cates created the position to provide an opportunity for Cates and the study abroad program to focus on other issues. "I was serving as the associate director for study abroad, and student advising was my primary responsibility," Cates said. "While I'll still individually advise some students, my responsibilities now include facilitating our exchange relationships with International University Bremen." International University Bremen is a new, private, American-style, English-language university located in Bremen, Germany. Classes at IUB will begin in the fall of 2001, Cates said. Rice has been involved with IUB almost since its inception, and President Malcolm Gillis serves on its board of trustees. IUB is not part of Rice - it's an independent institution - but it is modeled after Rice in some ways, including its has a residential college system. Battle's resume includes participation in study abroad programs and Spanish-language education. "I studied abroad in a business program in Mexico," she said, "I taught Spanish at the University of Detroit Mercy, I taught Spanish and did pre-departure orientation for business professionals who were going to work in Spanish-speaking countries and I taught English to people who primarily spoke Spanish." Battle said that although only six percent of the nation's college students who study abroad are science and engineering students, 30 percent of Rice's study abroad participants are. - back - Search the Thresher pages: Enter your search terms: Copyright © 2000 The Rice Thresher. All Rights Reserved. This document may be distributed electronically, provided that it is distributed in its entirety and includes this notice. However, it cannot be reprinted without the express written permission of: The Rice Thresher, Rice University MS-524, PO Box 1892, Houston, TX 77251-1892, USA. The Thresher Online Project -- ethresh@listserv.rice.edu