Paris has been one of the top destinations for students, researchers and faculty alike when it comes to studying or even travelling abroad. Located within the scenic beauty of Paris is a Study Abroad centre established by the University of Chicago, offering numerous research and study abroad opportunities to students and faculty alike, which had been established in the year 2003.
Recently, the University of Chicago announced expansion plans for the centre, allowing for more space, facilities and infrastructure to promote and facilitate research study abroad programmes. The Centre offers programmes varying in fields from neuroscience to cinema. The new expanded Centre will become a common ground for students and researchers from across the globe to pursue a range of disciplines at a state-of-the-art destination. The construction of the expanded centre is scheduled to begin in June 2021.
John W Boyer, the College Dean, stated that the Study Abroad centre in Paris has behaved as a crucial hub for students, faculty and alumni to participate in scholarship and life in Paris and across Europe.
The expansion of the centre is aimed at offering additional resources and facilities to facilitate research and inquiry, he added. Further, the expansion will also further the University of Chicagos cause, in being an essential collaborator with research institutions across large that encompasses Africa and the Middle East. Boyer stated that they aim to build the Centre as a where research and ideas are not restricted by passports and citizenship but highlight the innate imagination and creativity of its advocates.
The University of Chicago has been successful in transforming its international education and study abroad models over the past 20 years, thus, becoming a pioneer in dynamic research partnerships over the different continents.
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Studio-Gand, a Chicago-based design architect Jeanne Gang and the Parisian developer Icade, in partnership, will build the new space. Amenities like the laboratory classroom, amphitheatre, active gardens on the roof as well as the ground floor and great room will be part of the expanded Centre. In all, the Centre is expected to increase the space over twice the current size.
A number of University of Chicago study abroad programmes such as multiple Civilisation sequences, social sciences, mathematics, global health and humanities are available in Paris. Over the years, the programme has garnered a lot of growth in terms of quantity and enrolment, thus, the expansion will help provide the resources and space that students will need for a transformative study abroad experience.
Sarah Walter, the Director of UChicago Study Abroad, stated that the Centre has been able to attract students and faculty alike, to their signature study abroad programmes. However, the increasing demand for the programmes had led the Centre to offer the programmes in alternating years, as a result of the space restrictions, while new proposals wait. The new building will facilitate newer opportunities.
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Included in the expansion is the introduction of a new Research Institute, focused on faculty-led research partnerships across different parts of the world, such as Africa, Europe and the Middle East. The Institute will provide students with the opportunity to participate in research and coursework under the guidance of faculty members from around the world. Additionally, the Centre will also become a platform for European scholars studying the Americas.
A statement from the Inaugural Director of the Paris Centre and a Benjamin Franklin Professor for French Literature, Robert Morrissey stated that the Research Institute will aid in hosting different crucial forms of scholarly connection such as performances, conferences, seminars and working groups. He added that the faculty members were already busy generating innovative ideas for research and collaboration.
