A collection of essays submitted by Bemidji State
University students titled “The Journey that Matters: Travel Essays by 2005
Participants in Bemidji State University Travel Programs” will be available Wed.
Oct. 19 for $10 in BSU’s Bookstore.
Contact: Jenna Long at jennabeelong@gmail.com
BEMIDJI,
Minn. (Oct. 10, 2005)–- Bemidji State University journalism Prof. Louise
Mengelkoch and Eurospring student Andrea Kroll edited a stack of essays from
participants of Bemidji State University’s travel study programs; the result an
easy-to-read book that highlights the advantages of participating in BSU travel
programs. The book includes essays from
students who traveled to Europe, China, Hawaii, Argentina and the Boundary
Waters as well as students who participated in the Habitat for Humanity
Collegiate Challenge.
The essays in “The Journey that Matters” are diverse in
topic and voice. From an anecdote about a stolen backpack to poems written
about the Chinese culture, each page contains a different point-of-view and a
unique experience. This book is aimed at
students who are interested in BSU travel study programs and want to learn more
about what the experiences entail. The
book is a testimony to the positive effects of traveling and experiencing a new
culture. Erika Bailey-Johnson, a graduate assistant and co-chair to BSU’s
Advocacy Committee, wrote in her essay about her experience at the Boundary
Waters, “I think it is often in the ‘stopping’ we grow.”
Writings
submitted by Eurospring participants comprise 29 of the 48 essays in the book. Eurospring is unique to Bemidji State
University and Minnesota State University—Moorhead. This popular travel study
program spans eight weeks during the spring semester and allows the students to
travel around Europe while also earning credits.
Mengelkoch,
who acted as the academic director of the Eurospring program in 2001 and 2005,
undertook the project of editing the book so that other students could learn
more about BSU’s travel study programs.
“So many students had good stories to tell,” she said, “and I thought
they deserved an audience.” The book
also includes an essay written by Mengelkoch about her own experience with the
Eurospring program.
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About
Bemidji State University
Bemidji State University, located in northern Minnesota's lake district,
occupies a beautiful campus along the shore of Lake Bemidji. The University
enrolls nearly 5,000 students annually and offerings include more than 65
undergraduate majors and 13 graduate programs encompassing the liberal arts,
interdisciplinary studies and applied fields. The University is a member of the
Minnesota State College and Universities System and has a faculty and staff of
nearly 600. University signature themes include environmental stewardship,
civic engagement and global/multicultural understanding. For further
information about the University, visit our web site at: http://www.bemidjistate.edu.
To
contact BSU’s Bookstore: www.bemidjistate.edu/bookstore or call (218) 444-8509
For
more information about the book contact Prof. Louise Mengelkoch:
lmengelkoch@bemidjistate.edu
For
additional information about this press release contact Jenna Long:
jennabeelong@gmail.com or call (641) 590-0255
