Local student is studying in South Africa

| April 18, 2017 1:00 AM

Matthew Burgstahler, son of Alison and Scott Burgstahler of Sandpoint is studying in South Africa during spring semester 2017 through the Center for Global Education at the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minn., and Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minn. Burgstahler is a junior individualized major at SJU.

Port Elizabeth, situated on the Indian Ocean near the southern tip of the African continent, has a population of over one million and is South Africa’s fifth largest city. Students study in classrooms at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU), sharing library, computer lab, recreation and sports facilities with South African students. Students are housed in apartments near the university. Faculty from NMMU teach courses in political science, literature, peace studies, music and marine biology. Service learning is a major component of the South Africa study abroad experience. Students volunteer throughout the semester at service sites located in Port Elizabeth and the surrounding townships. Janelle Hinchley, instructor of first-year seminar at CSB and SJU, is the director of the program for spring 2017.

CSB and SJU are ranked in two different categories in Open Doors 2016, the annual report on international education published by the Institute of International Education (IIE) Nov. 14. CSB and SJU are ranked No. 3 among baccalaureate schools, with 524 students who studied abroad during the 2014-15 school year (the latest year measured by IIE). CSB and SJU have been ranked among the top six schools nationally in this category for the past 12 years. CSB and SJU are also ranked No. 5 nationally among baccalaureate institutions, with 307 students studying abroad in mid-length (semester-long) study abroad programs during 2014-15.

Before graduating, 56 percent of all CSB and SJU students will participate in a study abroad program. Annually, CSB and SJU offer students 19 semester-long programs, 15 of which are faculty-led. CSB and SJU also conduct more than 20 short-term programs.