By Kirsten Terry
Staff Writer

Since 1999 Bates, Colby, and Bowdoin colleges have operated study abroad centers located in London, England; Cape Town, South Africa; and Quito, Ecuador. However, following the completion of the 2004-05 academic year, the schools will be discontinuing the CBB off-campus centers.

The choice to close the centers was not an easy one. “We came to this decision reluctantly, and only after exploring numerous alternatives,” stated the presidents of the three colleges, in a letter addressed to their colleagues in the faculty. Presidents Elaine Hansen of Bates, Barry Mills of Bowdoin, and William D. Adams of Colby presented this reason for the closure: “The centers have encountered important and unanticipated challenges and difficulties, particularly in terms of achieving predictable student enrollments and financial stability.”

The CBB abroad centers provide experiences that are not always available through independent programs. For instance, grades from the classes students take during their time abroad count toward their GPA at Bates. The centers, run by a local organizer at each site, provided a more structured environment for the student and faculty participants. Also, because the college sponsored the programs, “parental support for study in Ecuador and South Africa was much higher,” commented Associate Dean Stephen Sawyer, Director of Off-Campus Study.

Each of the colleges was in charge of organizing the curriculum at one of the centers. Bates was responsible for the program in Quito. Professor David Haines taught at the Quito center in the fall of 2000 and took over as the chair of the Quito Steering Committee a year after that. “One of the things we wanted to experience with in Quito was to have students take classes at local universities,” he said. This was accomplished by contracting with a local language institute called ACLAS.

This collaboration with ACLAS lowered the cost of academic activities and housing in Quito, allowing CBB to at least break even on the program. However, at the London and Cape Town locations the colleges had to purchase or lease facilities, which greatly increased required funds. The presidents summed up in their letter, “We cannot continue to operate the centers without incurring further operating costs.” Dean Sawyer also acknowledged, “the decline of the dollar made it harder to conduct the programs in South Africa and Great Britain.”

None of the administration can confirm that a replacement will be developed in the future, but the presidents stated, “The colleges intend to continue our collaboration in study abroad. Our faculties will be closely involved in this endeavor.” While Dean Sawyer lamented that he was “sad to see it go because a lot of hard work was put into organizing the centers and students had great experiences there,” he was also optimistic about the future. “The good news is there are many alternatives for students to work individually in independent programs. I don’t think it will affect the number of people going abroad, it just might change the locations.”

Though participant numbers for Bates students at the centers has decreased during the last few years, the students who studied there continued to have rewarding experiences. Junior Rob Weller studied in Cape Town in the Fall of 2003 and took classes with the Bowdoin professor who accompanied the trip and at the University of Cape Town while also volunteering as a tutor in local schools. “The worst part [about the cancellation of the CBB program] is that kids won’t have the opportunity to meet the families there. They were so welcoming; it was easy to settle in. They are the reason I want to go back.”

“I was pretty disappointed. I think it’s a great opportunity,” said Senior Josh Schneider, who went to London in the Fall of 2002. Schneider added, “I feel like I got more out of mine,” than other students did from their study abroad experiences. Senior Ben Takai also traveled to London. “I think it’s horrible that they are canceling it,” he said. “We were very well-taken care of there. I think this is going to detract from the overall Bates experience.”

For those looking for more structure and trips with other Bates students, the college will continue to sponsor off-campus short term units and Fall Semester Abroad programs. Sawyer said that he chose to delay the announcement of the discontinuation of the CBB centers because he did not want to cause confusion for students who were planning on applying for the next school year. Deadlines for the final CBB abroad semesters were due March 1.





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