SU Abroad, Syracuse University's nationally renowned study abroad division, has a new executive director: Jon V.C. Booth. He assumes this role after having served as head of SU Abroad on an interim basis for the past year -- a period during which the conception, development and conduct of SU's international study opportunities were rethought and reorganized.
Vice President for Enrollment Management David C. Smith oversaw this process and touts Booth's selection. "Jon Booth has been extremely effective in providing administrative leadership in SU Abroad in the last year. His rich, well-grounded perspectives about how our program should relate to the University's vision -- Scholarship in Action -- have meant a great deal in the progress we have made. His permanent appointment to this important post will further solidify the quality of our work in support of our academic programs abroad."
As executive director, Booth will facilitate the ongoing transformation of SU Abroad's operations to support faculty leadership in conceiving and developing international academic programs. The reorganization begun last year already has resulted in the creation of the SU Abroad Academic Council, chaired by Associate Provost Sandra Hurd and including deans and senior faculty members from each school and college. This body has refocused SU Abroad's agenda on supporting the academic goals of the University by placing faculty strengths and interests at the center of efforts to enhance international study opportunities.
"Syracuse University has a long and distinguished record of providing students -- and faculty -- with high-quality study abroad experiences," Booth says. "I am grateful for the opportunity to work with others on campus and around the globe to help Syracuse attain new levels of achievement in engaging in the world."
Prior to coming to SU in 1994 as deputy director of what was then known as the Division of International Programs Abroad, Booth was director of the University of Minnesota's International Study and Travel Center. He has also served as overseas opportunities advisor for the University of Michigan's International Center and executive associate for The Experiment in International Living, a study abroad and language training program based at the School of International Training (SIT) in Brattleboro, Vt. It was from SIT that Booth earned an M.A. in international administration, prior to which he had earned a B.A. at Denison University. In between, he served in the Peace Corps in India. He is well known in the international education community, having held numerous leadership positions with NAFSA: Association of International Educators, the leading professional organization in this arena. Booth was also among the founders of the Forum on Education Abroad, an organization that promotes best practices in study abroad programming.
SU Abroad consistently ranks among the highest-quality international education programs in the country and is among the largest university-based programs of its kind. More than 2,000 students from Syracuse University and other colleges across the country enroll every year. SU Abroad programs integrate a combination of rigorous academic scholarship, professional internships, unique community collaborations and world travel. The University currently operates six centers: Beijing, Florence, Hong Kong, London, Madrid and Strasbourg. New centers are under development in Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa. Through the World Partners program, SU students may also study in more than 20 additional countries, including Australia, Ecuador, India, Korea and Russia.
