A Gift to Travel With

The recent creation of the Barker Globalization Institute, made possible through the generous donation of Robert ’72 and Suzanne Barker, has prompted numerous initiatives on Gannon's campus that are inspired by worldview development and travel. One recent initiative is taking the University's traditional faculty-led trips to the next level by concentrating on both academics and accessibility. The Gannon: Inspired Faculty-Led Travel (GIFT) program is focused on the development of new faculty-led travel courses and providing greater support for existing programs.

Through the GIFT program, faculty members who are continuing existing trips will be provided with a $5,000 scholarship pool to be divided equally amongst the participating students eligible for Learning Abroad Scholarship awards. Faculty interested in developing new academically based, credit-bearing travel courses can apply for a $1,000 grant per faculty facilitator to take an exploratory visit to their intended destination to become familiar with the location, lodging, transportation and logistics, and to develop curricular connections and collaborations.

The available funding for the 2014-15 Academic Year supports two new programs and six existing travel courses, which include: Catholic social teaching in Immokalee, Fla., marine biology on San Salvador Island, software engineering in Sweden, Leadership Seminar in Thailand, occupational therapy in India, and biology at the Yellowstone National Park.

Catholic Social Teaching Immersed in the Reality of Immokalee

A new faculty-led travel course funded by the Gannon: Inspired Faculty-Led Travel (GIFT) program, the Catholic Social Teaching Immersion course in Spring 2015 will take about 12 students to Immokalee, Fla. to learn about poverty and injustice first-hand.

Jimmy Menkhaus, assistant professor in Gannon’s theology department, knew right away he wanted to incorporate travel into his course when he heard of the opportunity to do so through the GIFT program.

Immokalee is a small town of migrant farm workers where cases of modern-day slavery were still being prosecuted as recently as 2008. Injustices such as unfair wages, inhumane treatment of workers and controversial immigration laws continue to be daily issues.

The primary focus he hopes that the students will learn is that, “Catholic social teaching is something lived, not something on the page or simply something that the Church talks about that doesn’t connect to their own reality,” Menkhaus said. “Specifically with this location, I hope the students gain a better appreciation for where their food comes from and how to speak out against injustice.”

“With the movement of Pope Francis, we are realizing the world is a smaller place, or what he calls, ‘the globalization of indifference.’ He says there are so many things that go on every day and we don’t weep for our brothers and sisters around the world, so many lives are lost and we don’t even hear about it,” Menkhaus said. “We need to realize our place in the world in terms of applying the social teaching of the church to justice for the people we don’t even hear about.”

Experience a New Environment, No Worries

One of Gannon’s longest-running, travel-infused courses began in the late ‘80s and continues today, allowing students to experience the geography of San Salvador Island.

Located in the Bahamas, San Salvador is home to about 900 people and a former Bahamian naval station, where Gannon students reside during their course studies. Professors Michael Ganger, Ph.D., and Gregory Andraso, Ph.D., have been taking students in their co-taught tropical marine biology course to San Salvador since 2004.

Here, the students study coral reefs, freshwater lakes, caves, tide pools and the overall geology and geography of the island. They are able to experience a different culture in conjunction with this– a culture that is very laid back and seemingly lives by the phrase “no worries.”

Having both experienced learning abroad as students themselves, Ganger and Andraso realize the benefits of studying in a different culture and the unique experience it provides their students. “As a biologist, to have access to another part of the world is a driving force for us to travel, it’s a different type of biology here,” said Ganger.

Andraso continued to discuss the importance of incorporating worldview into academics. “We are becoming a bit more global [and] cross culture is happening, not only for humans, but for animals too; that’s what we want to learn. We can’t stay isolated forever and we embrace that. It’s becoming more and more of a global community– it’s good for our students to experience [this],” said Andraso.

A Gift to Travel With

Catholic Social Teaching Immersed in the Reality of Immokalee

Experience a New Environment, No Worries

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