Program History

Overseas study at Lewis & Clark College began in 1962 when five faculty-sponsored programs left Palatine Hill for venues in Chile, England, Japan, Mexico, and Peru. Since then 11,442 students and 275 faculty members have participated in 828 Overseas & Off-Campus Programs in 68 countries at Lewis & Clark College. Every year Lewis & Clark offers approximately 34 programs in different parts of the world. Over 50 percent of Lewis & Clark students participate in Overseas & Off-Campus Programs while attending the college. 

The idea of sending young undergraduates overseas was unheard of. But we believed that if you sent students abroad early in their education, they would have time, when they got back, to build on that experience. And it worked very well for us.

President Jack Howard

Overseas & Off Campus Programs represent an attractive feature of Lewis  & Clark’s curriculum, with upwards of 300 students annually participating in one of the College’s programs. Despite this growth, the institutional goals and values that initially inspired off-campus study continue to guide the direction and focus of the programs and a few  simple statistics attest to both the success and impact of this approach.

Overseas and Off-Campus Programs celebrates its 60th anniversary

 

Geographical Summary of Overseas Programs from 1962/63 to 2012/13

  • Asia: 23.2%
  • Africa/Middle East: 19.2%
  • Western Europe: 27.2%
  • Eastern Europe: 11%
  • Latin America: 19%
  • North America 0.5%

Countries Represented Since 1962

  • Asia/Oceania: Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Micronesia, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam
  • Africa/Middle East: Afghanistan, Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Israel, Kenya, Morocco, Senegal, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Zimbabwe
  • Western Europe: Austria, Belgium, Benelux, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Northern Ireland, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Wales
  • Central/East Europe: Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, The Former Yugoslavia
  • Latin America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Dominican Republic
  • North America: Canada, Mexico, United States

Honored Past Faculty Leaders

Top Row: Dell Smith (Kenya & India), Sue & Bob Owens (Kenya & India), Rich Peck (Kenya & Argentina). Bottom Row: Steve Seavey (Kenya & Australia), Joann Geddes (Costa Rica, USSR, Argentina, East Africa, Australia, Vietnam), Helen Smith.