March 5, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Monica Schechter
(805) 756-5964

Cal Poly Joins Study-Abroad Consortium, Increases Foreign Study Options for Students

SAN LUIS OBISPO -- Cal Poly is now a member of the University Studies
Abroad Consortium, joining 29 associated universities offering 30
programs at host universities in 20 countries around the globe.

“Now that Cal Poly has ‘associated university’ status with USAC, it
will not only simplify the enrollment process for students, but it will
also assist us in expanding our study-abroad offerings to include seven
additional countries,” said Monica Schechter, associate director for
study-abroad and CSU International Programs in Cal Poly’s International
Education and Programs Office.

New study-abroad locations for Cal Poly students include Costa Rica,
the Czech Republic, Ghana, Ireland, Malta, Norway and Scotland.

The university’s new membership in USAC will also expand study-abroad
opportunities to students in majors such as education, engineering,
computer science, viticulture and women’s studies, along with
internships, field studies, and community-involvement programs.

Cal Poly is already the leading university in the CSU system in terms
of student participation in CSU International Programs, Schechter said.

Cal Poly sent 577 students abroad in 2001-02 and ranked third among the
top 20 U.S. master’s degree institutions in the 2003 “Open Doors”
study-abroad survey, reported by the Institute of International
Education.

The university currently has a variety of ‘quarter abroad’ programs
available to students of all majors; many satisfy general education
course options, Schechter said. Existing programs include Cal Poly
Quarter at Sea, London Study, Thai Study and Valladolid Fall Studies.

Several colleges and departments also offer bilateral exchanges with a
variety of universities on six of the world’s continents. These
exchanges provide low-cost study-abroad experiences in the students’
own
academic disciplines.

In addition to those university sponsored programs, Cal Poly has
affiliation agreements with Denmark’s International Study Program and
AustraLearn, a program placing students in Australia and New Zealand.

“The university’s International Education and Programs Office is
committed to integrating study-abroad into all major disciplines across
the curriculum,” stressed Schechter.

For more details on studying abroad, visit Cal Poly’s IEP Web site at
www.calpoly.edu/~iep.

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