Melissa Stone is a Program Manager in ISA‘s Custom Programs [CP] division. Melissa works with programs in Belgium, Costa Rica, France and Jordan, and will be contributing to ISA periodically as part of an occasional series called ‘CP in Focus’.
The last couple of years for ISA Custom Programs have been a whirlwind. The Custom Programs division of ISA [CP] specializes in developing custom programs for U.S. universities, and has been working hard for 14 years. This year, though, we are especially excited to launch our new web site: cp.studiesabroad.com. We have seen exponential growth in:
- Faculty leaders who want to teach their discipline abroad with their university students;
- Students’ desires to study abroad with their university, gaining direct credit for their majors;
- Study abroad offices and administrators who need the logistical support in the U.S. and the emergency and liability support for the program while it is abroad.
In response, CP has grown our staff from three full-time staff in Austin to seven [we’re currently hiring]! Our six Custom Program Managers work with ISA’s sites in which they have direct experience, living, studying, and working abroad. We have also been responding to many requests by U.S. universities to teach their faculty and staff about what to expect in preparation, recruitment, traveling, and being abroad; thus, CP has launched an interactive website, meant to be a comprehensive resource for both faculty and study abroad offices. cp.studiesabroad.com includes a timeline of events for developing a custom program, an in-depth explanation of who we are and what we do, examples of program models and previous and current programs, and a robust FAQ section.
Check it out and let us know what you think!
