To quote Dr. Richard Herdlein, “This is the chance of a lifetime for students to enhance their knowledge, skills, and personal attributes while building a powerful portfolio in only three weeks during July 2004!”

Herdlein, an assistant professor of educational foundations at Buffalo State College, has won the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Internationalization. The award will support a three-week summer program to Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and Russia in which students will earn three to six credits .

Herdlein is a member of the graduate faculty with an extensive background in East European and Russian history as well as student affairs and higher education administration. A distinguished international faculty member from the University of Tartu in Estonia will interact with students in a series of seminars covering history, culture, education, economy, governmental systems and language.

Herdlein said students who apply can look forward to interactive seminars, research and cross-cultural experiences at the University of Tartu , the largest institution of higher education in Estonia.

Herdlein said only 35 students attended an interest meeting in February. But he said every ambitious student should seriously consider studying abroad. Buffalo State has a large number of international students coming here compared to the amount who go abroad. Employers are looking for unique qualities in an employees and this program provides such uniqueness, he said.

The overseas program will run from July 5 th to July 25 th . The application deadline is March 5 th and a deposit of $200 is required by March 15 th .

The program is open to both graduate and undergraduate students . There is no major requirement but students who apply must be recommended by a faculty member. Only 12 to 15 students will be accepted into the program.

Buffalo State student Tianay Bottoms said, “I would love to travel to Europe because it would be a different environment to meet new people and learn about a new culture.”

But not everybody agrees with Tianay, Kaylene Waite said “ NO! I am more interested in traveling to Australia.”

All costs are tentative. Cost includes:

Tuition and fees

Program fees: $2394(which includes):

• air and ground transportation
• lodging (double room)
• visa for Russia
• two meals per day in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, and St. Petersburg, Russia

Other miscellaneous expenses:

• SUNY insurance depends on current insurance
• meals in Tartu ($15/day) $225
• passport $85
• personal spending money $100-$300

If students are interested in the program, the following assistance is available:

• financial aid
• scholarships- Buffalo State has a scholarship pool that helps students interested in international studies. Only one student applied last year.
• grants

Don't know anything about Estonia? Check out these sites:

www.tourism.ee
www.vm.ee
www.estonica.org

Applications are available in the Office of International Studies, Cleveland Hall 416, and (716)878-4620. For more information, contact Richard Herdlein at (716) 878-4200; herdlerj@buffalostate.edu , Bacon 312F.