International Program
The College of Education has been involved in international education programs since 1977, when Dr. James G. Hademenos led a group of graduate and undergraduate students to Europe for the first such program at Angelo State. During that trip, five countries were visited to study the education systems in each. The countries included England, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, and France. From 1977 to 1993, the Department of Teacher Education directed five programs, visiting Greece, England, Scotland, and Wales.
Currently, the College of Education has a continuing exchange program with the University of Lueneburg (ULG), Lueneburg, Germany. The program was initiated in 1993 with 12 University of Lueneburg students coming to ASU for a month's stay to acquire student teaching experience in San Angelo schools. The following year brought another eight students from UL. The first ASU education student contingent traveled to Lueneburg in the summer of 1994. Twenty graduate and undergraduate students, under the direction of Dr. Hademenos and Dr. Judith A. Hakes, spent approximately four weeks in Lueneburg, visiting schools and attending seminars dealing with the German education system.
This exchange program continued on an annual basis through 1996, when it became an alternate year agreement. In the summers of 1995, 1996, and 1998 ASU students visited Lueneburg under the direction of Dr. Hademenos and Ms. Celeste B. Allen. Students took advantage of free weekends during these programs to travel, visiting Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, Prague, Frankfurt, the Baltic Sea, and Hamburg.
The program has evolved for ASU students so that instead of merely visiting several schools, they are now placed in specific classrooms and have opportunities to work with German teachers and children. During the 1998 session ASU students were placed in several public grundschules (Grades 1-4), one private grundschule, and a special education facility. In addition to these assignments ASU students also visited, as part of these courses, an ecological center on the River Elbe, a technical school, a private gymnasium (college track secondary school) and university-public school cooperative biology center. Students were also provided excursions to an open air museum at Am Kiekeberg, depicting farm life in the 1800s, and to the concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen. Directors for 1998 session were Dr. Hademenos and Ms. Celeste B. Allen.
Both graduate and undergraduate students pursuing education careers through Angelo State University are eligible to apply for this program. Six hours of graduate or undergraduate education courses may be gained through this program. Some subsistence is available to help offset costs. Since the program is an exchange, UL students are housed in the residence halls at Angelo State and provided meal cards. When ASU students travel to Lueneburg, they are typically housed with UL students in their apartments and are issued meal tickets.
The next ULG-ASU exchange group will travel to Germany in the summer of 2008. Interested students may contact Dr. Ann Bullion-Mears for information and applications. Dr. Bullion-Mears' office is in CARR 114 and her phone number is (325) 942-2052, Ext 254.