A Bright Beginning

When Dean of the Faculty William C. Kirby began his tenure in July, he insisted that undergraduate education was going to be a top priority. We are greatly heartened that Kirby has already taken one large step toward keeping his promise.

In August, Kirby moved the Study Abroad Office under the jurisdiction of the dean of undergraduate education, from its former home in the Office of Career Services. The move complements decisions made by the Faculty this spring to make it easier for students both to access study abroad programs and receive course credit for them.

This switch is a welcome gesture of support for students interested in broadening their horizons; it suggests that the major study abroad changes approved by the Faculty in May are closer to being realized. Now, the administration must ensure that these substantive improvements are made in an expedited manner.

Though many changes were approved, only an expedited petition review process and the elimination of the language requirements will take effect this fall. Thankfully, students will no longer be forced to take a year of the foreign language of their host nation before studying there.

Still awaiting implementation is the new “two-track system,” which will provide students with a list of pre-approved study abroad programs as an alternative to designing their own. Listing programs which students know will be acceptable for study abroad eliminates one of the greatest hurdles to going overseas—proving that an original program represents a “special opportunity.” Until the two-track system is finalized, students will still have to get approval on a case-by-case basis—necessitating that Dean Kirby and the administration work as expeditiously as possible to institute this new system.

Now that studying abroad will be more attractive, the College must search for sources of financial aid to ensure that all students have an opportunity to study outside of Cambridge. In addition, increased aid for overseas summer programs would give students even more flexibility in planning time abroad.

And while these efforts will certainly help first-years and future students, upperclass students who have previously studied abroad should be given retroactive credit consistent with the new standards. It is impossible to give alumni the opportunities future students will have, but for current students, credit should be awarded where it is deserved.

With his term as dean beginning so brightly, Kirby now has the opportunity to continue the renewal of undergraduate education. He should fight problems in the advising system, the Core Curriculum and faculty-student interaction with equal tenacity.