Carey Cole Creates Innovative New Study Abroad Program

Carey Cole spent the Spring 2013 semester as the Faculty Member in Residence for the Antwerp program. After that enriching experience, Cole was itching to go back overseas with the students. He found the perfect solution in the Office of International Program’s short-term program. The programs, usually offered in the summer, allow students and faculty members to explore specific concentrations in a short amount of time. Cole decided to travel to Sweden and focus on computer information systems. The program allowed Cole to be even more involved with the students’ experience as they shared classroom time and traveled to other parts of Scandinavia. 

Cole, who teaches Computer Information Systems and Business Analytics, took CIS majors and minors to Malmö, Sweden, where they completed courses in database and web design, but their experience went far beyond the traditional classroom.  Their final project was an integrated assignment that required them to use their newly developed skills and to create English/Swedish translations of the content.

One of the CIS students, Matt Crowe, confirmed just the sort of effect Mr. Cole hoped the program would have: “Studying abroad in Malmö, Sweden, with Professor Cole and 15 other CIS students had a profound impact on my future. When you study abroad, you foster a certain type of relationship with the people that you travel with...a relationship that cannot be attained within the confines of the classroom. I learned a lot about myself, my peers, Professor Cole, and the potential career path of a CIS student. The study abroad trip took place right before everyone started … summer internships. Several of my peers on the trip had internships lined up at top-notch firms, such as Deloitte, Booz Allen Hamilton, KPMG, Protiviti, etc. The[se] positions…inspired me to achieve a similar level of success. Last summer, I interned at a music PR firm in New York, which was an incredible experience, but it did not lead to a job that I was interested in pursuing post-graduation. Thanks to my experience in Sweden, along with guidance from my new friends from the trip, I was able to land a full-time Federal Business Technology Analyst position with Deloitte Consulting. I firmly believe that if I [had] not stud[ied] abroad in Sweden, I would not have landed that job. In fact, I proudly talked about my experiences in Sweden in all three of my interviews with Deloitte. “

From a faculty member’s point of view, Mr. Cole notes:  “When a study abroad program has so many positives, it is easy to see why one would want to be involved.”