Agro-Forestry Maymester (University of Georgia)

  Caribbean

Term: Summer 
Dates: ~May 17 - 31, 2009

Description: Agroforestry in the Caribbean is a 15-day Maymester course held on the Island of St. Croix, in the US Virgin Islands. The UGA course group will be accommodated at the Virgin Islands Sustainable Farm Institute (VISFI), a 100+ acre facility that operates educational programs year round. The VISFI site serves as a model for sustainable forest management, biodiversity conservation, organic and tropical agriculture. Partnering with UGA, the University of Virgin Islands (UVI) and USDA Agriculture Research Station personnel, VISFI offers a world-class setting for a challenging educational opportunity and a memorable Caribbean experience.

While only a short 3 1/2 hour flight from Atlanta, St. Croix offers a vast opportunity for learning  not only about agroforestry, farming systems and natural resources management but also about cultural heritage and community. This laid-back rural island is a doorway to the Caribbean with a rich agricultural history dating back to 2000 B.C., from a mysterious cassava-staple people to more recent occupations by colonial powers and the Danes, who constructed hundreds of stone windmills that still stand today. On the largest of the Virgin Islands, the VISFI campus offers 360-degree hilltop vistas from the upland watersheds to the sandy beaches and coral reefs. This Caribbean Maymester course is a short distance to the experience of a diverse and interesting world.

Highlights: This program is open to University of Georgia and Non-University of Georgia students.

The total cost to the student will be airfare plus the program fee + normal tuition and technology fee (see payment schedule). The funds for tuition and the program fee are collected separately. Students will pay tuition and the technology fee to the Bursar's Office. Students who are Georgia residents or those enrolled in SEC Universities can enroll for this course at the in-state tuition rate.

Please submit your application and payments directly to Dr. Sarah Workman, Program Director. All payments by check should be made to 'UGA Study Abroad Virgin Islands'. The payment schedule document (info/costs page) includes information about refund policies for the course.

Hope Scholarship does cover the tuition portion for qualified students. All students pay in-state tuition. Students who are non-University System of Georgia students and out-of-state residents not enrolled in an SEC university will have to pay an out-of-state fee. Please note that many schools and colleges within UGA charge a different rate of tuition. Students pay the tuition rate for the college in which they are enrolled (not the college in which they may be temporarily taking courses).

It is required that all students purchase the UGA Study Abroad Insurance (it is included in the price of your program fee). The Program Fee is $1500.00. Approximate cost for the course will be $2000 per student, depending on the airfare. Please see the Payment Schedule information.

NOTE: Each participant is responsible for purchase of their own airline ticket (see payments and travel for more info).

Cost in US$: TBA

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to American Participants.

Participants Travel to Caribbean Independently Or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently Or in Groups of 2-8

Application Process Involves:

• Essay
• Letters of Reference
• Transcript
• Written Application

Post Services Include:

• Alumni Network
• Exit DebriefingAbroad
• Job and Internship Network
• Re-Entry Debriefing at Home

EcoAbroad.com: Ecotourism & Conservation Odesseys's Mission Statement: A collaboration of unique, exciting, academic, educational travel programs with an adventurous edge. These programs are experimental and most are travel intensive. Each allows you to be immersed into the local culture, experience the wild and natural surroundings, learn environmental philosophy and practices, and earn college credit. It is our goal to create a global knowledge regarding culture, community, conservation, and stewardship for our future leaders and scholars. We are committed to the principles of sustainable tourism. This includes education about the importance of our protected areas and wild lands, while also embracing the local community and culture of these areas.

Year Founded: 2001