From Cruise Ship to Scholar Ship

GottaCruz · November 26, 2006

Source: Royal Caribbean International

An Oceangoing Campus For a Flat World

The Scholar Ship and Six International Universities prepare To Set Sail With a Distinctive Floating Multi-Cultural Campus, Preparing Students For the 21st Century Global Workforce

Miami - November 13, 2006 - The Scholar Ship, an oceangoing campus backed by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and six international universities, will launch its maiden 16-week voyage with 600 students from around the world in September 2007.

The Scholar Ship is the first ship-based international education program to immerse graduate and undergraduate students in a multi-cultural, multi-destination academic and living environment.

Students and staff will embark The Scholar Ship in Piraeus, Greece, and sail westward on a compelling itinerary to Lisbon, Portugal; Panama City, Panama; Guayaquil, Ecuador, Papeete, Tahiti; Suva, Fiji; Sydney, Australia; Shanghai, China; and Okinawa and Kobe, Japan. The January 2008 voyage will depart Kobe and call on Shanghai, China; Singapore, Japan; Cochin, India; Port Victoria, Seychelle Islands; Cape Town, South Africa; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Casablanca, Morocco; Barcelona, Spain; and Piraeus. Future itineraries are under development. Ports of call provide extensive educational opportunities for students through a port program in which students participate in academic field study, shore excursions and independent travel.

The rigorous academic program has been developed by six international universities, The Scholar Ship's Consortium of Academic Stewards, including the University of California - Berkeley, representing the United States, Macquarie University (Australia), Fudan University (China), TecnolÃƒÂ³gico de Monterrey (Mexico), Al Akhawayn University (Morocco), and University of Ghana, representing Sub-Saharan Africa.

On behalf of The Scholar Ship's Consortium of Academic Stewards, Macquarie University has been designated to award academic credit to students. The study abroad community recognizes Macquarie University for its longstanding and successful history of hosting international students.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. provides funding and operational support for The Scholar Ship. "Having traveled the world extensively, for both business and pleasure, I believe The Scholar Ship's goals of building a globally competent and culturally sensitive workforce could not be more timely and essential," said Richard D. Fain, chairman and chief executive officer of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

Multinational corporations such as IBM, Microsoft and HSBC Bank also have been engaged to ensure the program's learning outcomes are relevant and practical for students. "The Scholar Ship has gone well beyond the norm in designing its program by engaging multinational employers on the front end of the development cycle to better understand the demands of tomorrow's global workforce, likely increasing the employability of its students," said Claudette Whiting, general manager of Global Diversity and Inclusion at Microsoft.

The Scholar Ship's introduction reflects the increased interest and extraordinary growth in study abroad programs. Over the past decade the number of American students studying abroad has more than doubled according to the Institute of International Education (IIE).

More than 8,000 students from over 175 countries have already requested an application for admission. Thus far, the Americas region represents 36% of student interest; Europe/Middle East/Africa, 44%; and Asia Pacific, 20%.

"The response from such a broad group of students has been impressive," said Joseph Olander, president of The Scholar Ship. "We now believe our distinctive education abroad model has caught on, in part because of the internationally diverse student body we are committed to recruiting. Hosting students and staff from around the world aboard our oceangoing campus provides a unique opportunity to immerse students in a multicultural environment, an effort that would be virtually impossible to undertake otherwise."

The program is in the final stages of leasing a ship that will become The Scholar Ship. Further details on the vessel will be announced shortly.

Program fees are approximately US $20,000 per semester. A $2 million scholarship fund has been established for the 2007/2008 academic year to broaden the availability of this program to students from diverse backgrounds. Scholarships will be awarded based on merit and economic need.