March 22, 2017

‘Global education’ this week’s topic on Infinite Opportunities

Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu

Harrisburg – Deborah Jennings, a junior political science major at Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, will talk about her experiences while studying last summer in Belize on this week’s edition of Infinite Opportunities. Dr. Jeffrey Bosworth, who helped design the study-abroad program, will join Ms. Jennings on the program.

This week’s episode also will include video visits to the campuses of California, Clarion and Indiana Universities of Pennsylvania, as the program explores global education opportunities available at the universities that comprise Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education.
Infinite Opportunities airs at 9:30 a.m. each Sunday on the Pennsylvania Cable Network. The half-hour, public affairs program features roundtable discussions with faculty, staff, students and alumni from the 14 State System universities talking about a range of higher education issues. State System Chancellor Frank T. Brogan moderates the weekly discussions. Each program also offers viewers the opportunity to “travel” back to the universities to learn more about how they address the various topics on campus.
Ms. Jennings participated in Mansfield University’s Belize 2016 summer program, which was developed by Dr. Bosworth, chair of the university’s Department of History, Philosophy and Political Science, and a colleague. The six-credit summer course includes two weeks in Belize, where students learn about many facets of the country from an interdisciplinary perspective. It provides a short-term opportunity for students who want to study abroad, but can’t fit a full semester into their schedules.
Also taking part in this week’s panel discussion will be Dr. Jane Penman, chair of the Department of Special Education at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Penman will talk about the range of experiences students participate in while studying abroad, including cultural immersion, the exploration of other educational systems and service learning.

Each episode of Infinite Opportunities airs twice on PCN. This week’s program will be rebroadcast at 6 p.m., April 1. Prior episodes, including those from the first two seasons, also can be viewed at www.passhe.edu/InfiniteOpportunities.
Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth, enrolling more than 100,000 degree-seeking students and thousands more in certificate and other career-development programs. Collectively, the 14 universities that comprise the State System offer more than 2,300 degree and certificate programs in more than 530 academic areas. Nearly 520,000 State System university alumni live in Pennsylvania.
The State System universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The universities also operate branch campuses in Oil City (Clarion), Freeport and Punxsutawney (IUP), and Clearfield (Lock Haven), and offer classes and programs at several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg and in Center City in Philadelphia.