CCSA MISSION
CCSA promotes global citizenship by building a community of scholars in which we share what we learn outside a structured classroom setting, encouraging independence and responsibility among our students and faculty, providing professional development for faculty and staff to positively impact the global teaching and learning experience, and promoting intergenerational teaching and learning through coursework and experiences that take place in locations around the world.
CELEBRATE OUR VARIETY & DIVERSITY
By experiencing something unfamiliar we learn to appreciate and value our variety & diversity that make us human and add spice to life. We are not all the same, yet by working side-by-side with people who are different from us, we learn to respect and value the contributions each person makes to the world. CCSA is committed to respectful treatment of everyone involved in our programs. We aspire to provide opportunity and access to every person seeking an international experience. We model these expectations and support each other when we fail to hit the mark. We strive to do better in all things every day.
ABOUT CCSA
The Cooperative Center for Study Abroad – CCSA - is a non-profit association of twenty-eight colleges and universities in thirteen states. CCSA is overseen by a Board of Trustees made up our member institutions. CCSA fosters international understanding and enhances the education of students through reasonably priced, short-term, for-credit courses both within the United States and in other English-speaking regions. CCSA is headquartered at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
CCSA promotes global citizenship by building a community of scholars in which we share what we learn outside a structured classroom setting, encouraging independence and responsibility among our students and faculty, providing professional development for faculty and staff to positively impact the global teaching and learning experience, and promoting intergenerational teaching and learning through coursework and experiences that take place in locations around the world.
CCSA’s membership includes large public and small private schools with a total enrollment of over 200,000. These schools serve students from all backgrounds, including those underserved in study abroad. CCSA supports our member schools by providing the needed logistical services along with our deep experience on designing study abroad courses and programs.
CCSA offers short-term study away and abroad programs taught by faculty from our member schools. Each faculty teaches their own class, side-by-side with other faculty. While the students are in one course, the classes intermingle and share experiences, examining class activities from their own discipline. The courses have three components: before, during (onsite usually 2 to 4 weeks) and after. Courses tend to be delivered online before and after with the study abroad component that is focused on meeting people and exploring spaces in the domestic and international locations. CCSA’s direct support to our member schools serves as an extension and complement to the faculty and staff at each member school.
CCSA programs prepare college students to shape our future. Through global learning, the potential impact on and by young people goes beyond any single location, nation or hemisphere.