eMPA Study Abroad Program - Texas Southern Students Visit Africa
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Posted By: Reginald Culpepper on April 22, 2014 Students in TSU’s Executive Master of Public Administration ( eMPA) program recently traveled to Ghana, Togo, and Benin as participants in the program’s ongoing study abroad initiative to promote global leadership among students. Throughout the program, students heard lectures from scholars and active public servants on a range of international development topics including multinational trade and organizations, African unity in post-colonial Ghana, and transparency in state elections to name a few. A highlight of their many affairs included a site visit to the United States Embassy with Deputy Chief of Mission, C. Pat Alsup, Political Officer Stacey Woods, and acting Public Affairs Officer, Traci Mell to discuss U.S. foreign policy in Ghana and opportunities in the Foreign Service for students. Also, students visited Anane International Memorial School in Nima as part of the eMPA Alumni Association’s service-learning project to provide clothes, schools supplies, and financial support to children attending school and in need of these resources. As a part of the inaugural group to travel to Togo and Benin, students had a unique opportunity to view firsthand the level of diversity found across West Africa, mirroring the political, social and historical variance visible across the entire continent in both Anglophone and Francophone countries. Following visits to Cape Coast and Elmina Castle in Ghana, and the “doors of no return,” students were able to visit one of the most aggressive slave ports involved in the Transatlantic Slave Trade in the region. Learning about the Portuguese colonizers prior to that of the French in Benin—seeing it in language, physical infrastructure and education were critical to the students’ grasp of the long-term impact of colonization in the region. Following the Trail of Slaves, students traversed from the point of purchase in the city of Ouidah, Benin, all the way to “le Porte De Non-Retour,” now a UNESCO world heritage site, on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. As a minority serving institution and program that reflects this demographic, providing tangible opportunities for students is how the eMPA program contributes to the nurturing of future global leaders. People who are conscious of an often-dark history, yet equipped with optimistic and strategic tools of the future are what our public sectors need globally. Recently, First Lady Michelle Obama made a plea while on a visit to China, imploring American students to study abroad. These programs transform the lives of our students and they encourage them to serve their communities in ways they never imagined. According to eMPA Program Director, Dr. Michael O. Adams, “The study abroad program shows our students that encounters faced by minorities in the U.S. are at times the same encounters faced by minorities in the developing world. Our study abroad program breaks down barriers and repels some of the negative stereotypes that we have about each other in terms of people of African descent.” Adams further explained, “…how important it is to take a co-hort of African-American students back to Africa to their ancestral homeland to examine some of the challenges that we confront in terms of comparative politics in public administration. It is always amazing because the students see firsthand the vast opportunities available abroad. To have the chance to build the study abroad program into a course in the eMPA curriculum has enhanced our recruitment efforts, retention and increased our graduation rate.” During the 2014-2015 academic year, the eMPA Program plans on taking students to Brazil, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo, and China. For more information about the eMPA Program at Texas Southern University, please contact us at adams_mo@tsu.edu or at 713-313-7300. If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Reginald Culpepper
President, Fulfillment and Web Services, HBCUCONNECT Clark Atlanta University class of 1998 Member Since September 2000 |
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