Citing lack of student interest, the Office of Off-Campus Programs has canceled two Foreign Studies Programs and one Language Study Abroad program scheduled for this fall.
The Asian Studies FSP to Fez, Morocco and the French FSP to Toulouse, France were both canceled due to low enrollment, as was the German LSA to Mainz, Germany, according to Assistant Dean of the Faculty Peter Armstrong.
The decision to cancel the Asian Studies FSP was made in June, Armstrong said.
The FSP to Fez originally was supposed to have 10 participants, but five of the 10 withdrew for various reasons during the months of May and June, he said.
"We had indicated that as long as there were a minimum of six students, we would allow the program to go -- even though that is a very insufficient number," Armstrong said. "But when it dropped below six, we had no alternative."
Since the Fez program is only offered once a year, during Fall term, students who were intending to go on the program will have to reapply next year for the Fall 1997 trip.
The Asian Studies FSP is relatively new -- it was approved for a one-year trial basis in January, 1995 and sent students overseas for the first time during the Fall term of the 1995-96 academic year.
Armstrong said the future of the program will be reevaluated after a second group is sent to Morocco, which now will presumably be in fall of 1997.
Low enrollment also forced the Off-Campus Programs Office to announce during late Spring term the postponements of the French FSP and the German LSA for the 1996 Fall term.
Armstrong did not have exact figures for what the final enrollments were for these two programs, but he conceded they were significantly less than the double-digit number of participants the Off-Campus Programs Office looks for.
"We hope any program will have a minimum of 10 to 12 participants," he said.
Unlike the Asian Studies FSP, the French FSP and German LSA are offered during Fall, Winter and Spring terms -- so students disappointed by the cancellation of the Toulouse and Mainz programs for 1996 Fall will be able to reapply for either 1997 Winter or 1997 Spring.
For all three programs that were canceled for 1996 Fall, Armstrong said "students who were accepted can reapply using the same application, and chances are very good they would be readmitted."
Asked if the cancellation of three off-campus programs signals a larger trend toward less popularity in FSPs and LSAs, Armstrong said, "I would hope not ... We are definitely making plans to promote LSAs and FSPs, particularly to the incoming Class of 2000.
