Cox Center Research Clerk Begins Semester at Chilean Univerity
Anna-Elisa Mackowiak, a research clerk in the James M. Cox Jr. Center for International Mass Communication Training and Research and a student in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, in which the Cox Center is housed, traveled to Chile's capital of Santiago at the beginning of August to attend the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC).
Miss Mackowiak is the first student to participate in a newly-established exchange between the Grady College at the University of Georgia and the School of Journalism at the Chilean university. Ms. Mackowiak is a student in the Grady College's Department of Telecommunications.
The Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile is Chile's most prestigious institution and renown throughout Latin America. The university was founded in 1888, has a total of 19,000 students (16,740 undergraduate and 2,200 graduate), and extends over four campuses throughout Santiago. The city of Santiago, surrounded by the snow-covered Andes mountains, as well as the university's reputation attract foreign students from all over the globe.
La Universidad Catolica has more than 140 international exchange agreements already in place throughout the world in countries such as Australia, Canada, England, France, Finland, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Venezuela, and the United States.
The newest addition to the extensive list of foreign exchange agreements is between The University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Pontificia Universidad Católica's Escuela de Periodismo. The exchange comes as a result of visits to Chile in the summers of 1999 and 2000 by Cox Center Director Dr. Lee B. Becker. The Cox Center collaborated with the Center for the Study of the Press in the Chilean School of Journalism in Concepción in May of 2000.
Cox Center Program Coordinator Kornelia Probst-Mackowiak, worked out details of the exchange following the 2000 visit. The agreement is based on a one-to-one exchange of students.
In order to attend the PUC, Miss Mackowiak had to apply as an international student and have completed four semesters of Spanish. Miss Mackowiak received the Courts Scholarship, offered by the Honors Program at the University of Georgia, in which she is a participant. This scholarship has been specifically established to provide financial aid to students studying abroad in Latin America, Australia, and Asia.
The Pontificia Universidad Catolica offers visiting students a wide range of courses, including intensive Spanish classes as well as a course on Chilean culture. The office of Relaciones Academicas Internacionales provides assistance to visiting students in the areas of housing, registration and facilitates integration into the Chilean university system.
Classes for Ms. Mackowiak began on August 6th and will continue through December 15th, 2001. "It is a real honor to be able to work with the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile on this exchange," Dr. Becker said. "It provides wonderful opportunities to journalism students at the two universities. We're looking forward to having our first student from Santiago here soon."
The University of Georgia offers over 75 study abroad programs to its students and is a member of various consortia and affiliated with organizations that offer many additional programs. UGA students also can select from any of the thousands of programs offered by American universities or directly enroll in a foreign university for a semester, academic year or summer.
Increasing the number of students studying abroad is one of the priorities of the university administration.
