By Todd Finkelmeyer
In December 2020, alumna Kathy Chazen (‘74) and Larry Miller gave a generous donation to establish the couple’s Chazen Miller Global Fund, which has played a pivotal role in helping the UW–Madison School of Education develop and launch a groundbreaking study abroad program.
Chazen explains there are four features of the School’s one-of- a-kind program that she is proud of, highlighting efforts that help students expand their worldview, while also removing major obstacles that can make it difficult to study abroad. She notes how:
- These short-term, summer study abroad programs give students real-life experiences and an expanded understanding of different places and cultures they can’t get while on campus.
- The specially designed, faculty-led curriculum for each study abroad course provides students with vital knowledge they can’t attain through typical classes.
- These programs count toward students’ core coursework and credits that are needed to graduate, so it won’t impact their time-to-graduation.
- And thanks to donor-funded scholarships, students with financial need have access to resources to make learning abroad a reality.
“The effort that went into launching these new summer study abroad programs was significant,” says School of Education Dean Diana Hess. “Thanks to generous donors and partners like Kathy Chazen and Larry Miller, we’re able to offer important opportunities for our students to take courses in their field of study and gain global perspectives.”
Chazen, who is a member of the School of Education’s Board of Visitors, says she is hopeful that study abroad opportunities will give students an “aha” moment and new perspectives that will help them understand not only the differences in how people live and learn across the world — but also how similar we all are. In particular, she notes how these experiences could be invaluable for those who are studying to become teachers.
“Our School is training future teachers who will go on to have a great impact on the next generation,” says Chazen, who launched a career in the insurance industry after graduating from UW–Madison and has had an insurance and estate planning practice in New York City since then. “Because we live in such a global society, I think it’s essential that students today understand how the larger world operates — and those who are studying to become teachers can bring that point of view and those experiences to the young people they teach.”
Miller, who is the director of the Music Business program at New York University, says he has seen first-hand through leading coursework in London, England, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the impact an immersive experience can have on students.
“It utterly shifts their perspective permanently about the world,” says Miller, who also is a music and technology entrepreneur, and corporate strategy and investment consultant. “These experiences also shift how students think about themselves and that has a lasting impact when they return.”
In the summer of 2022, the Chazen Miller Global Fund helped provide grants to support faculty and instructor travel to program sites, as well as summer salary for time spent on developing unique courses and curriculum.
This past summer, 99 students were the beneficiaries of generous donor support as four new study abroad programs started. This coursework and new curriculum centered on exploring team building in Costa Rica, theatre in London, education in the Galapagos Islands, and movement/sedentary behavior in Portugal. Feedback from students who studied abroad was highly positive.
Looking forward to the summer of 2024, the School is planning to offer eight study abroad options, including new opportunities to learn in Ireland, Australia, Greece, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic. The School is planning to add new study abroad opportunities in the years to come.
“We believe it’s important for our students to broaden their worldview and cultivate international understanding that will help them be competitive in the global marketplace,” says Hess.
Chazen and Miller say they are excited to help advance the School’s efforts — and encourage others to offer their support.
“When Kathy and I got involved, much of this was just an idea. The School’s study abroad efforts were a start-up of sorts,” says Miller. “But I think the School’s study abroad programs are already proving themselves. I can think of no better way to pay it forward than to create new opportunities for students.”
Interested in helping?
The School of Education continues to actively raise money to support its study abroad program and take it to the next level. If you’d like to help support these vital efforts, contact School of Education Development Director Betsy Burns via email: betsy.burns@supportuw.org
What students and faculty are saying
Studying abroad with the Theatre in London program, “you get to learn without knowing you’re learning. It becomes second nature to explore and want to discover things.”
— Grant Borcherding, a senior majoring in theatre and Spanish
“The Movement and Medicine in Portugal program showed students how there are major benefits to gaining a cross-cultural perspective when learning how individual lifestyle choices can impact health, particularly focused on sedentary behaviors. It offered students an opportunity for experiential learning and to view a country and its people through a different lens by becoming immersed in their culture and exposed to their traditions. For many of them, this was eye opening and a transformative experience.”
— Kinesiology Professor Dane Cook
“As a future educator, my study abroad experience in the Galapagos Islands last summer showed me ways of classroom management, pedagogical practices, and other aspects of teaching that were new to me and very different from what we see being used in the U.S.”
— Katie Flynn, a senior majoring in Elementary Education