Posted on: 23 June 2016
Trinity College Dublin recently hosted the Consortium for Advanced Studies Abroad (CASA) 2016 board meeting, having become the first non-US member to join the consortium.
CASA is a non-profit organisation, comprising nine leading United States research universities. It was formed in 2014 to provide a framework to facilitate student mobility internationally through the establishment of study-centres around the world.
The first CASA Study Centre was set up in Havana, Cuba, and welcomed its first students from in 2015.
US-based CASA member institutions include Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University, The University of Pennsylvania, and Vanderbilt University.
Trinity is the 10th member and the first CASA partner institution based outside of the United States. The first Trinity students are expected to be part of the CASA cohort in Havana in January 2017.
Membership will allow Trinity students to study alongside their counterparts from other CASA members in locations around the world and in partnership with leading local universities. The development of this unique relationship with CASA will complement existing exchange opportunities for Trinity students under the Erasmus programme and outside of Europe.
Welcoming the announcement Professor Juliette Hussey, Trinity’s Vice-President for Global Relations, commented: “Our membership of CASA, alongside leading US research institutions, will provide unique opportunities for Trinity students to study abroad and to participate in jointly managed educational programmes involving internships, cross-cultural and community engagement and undergraduate research.
“It will also strengthen our existing links with world-class US institutions through academic faculty and graduate student exchanges. We look forward to sending the first Trinity students to Cuba in January 2017 and to working with our CASA colleagues to develop CASA centres in other parts of the world, including Asia.”
Kendall Brostuen, Chair of the CASA Board and Director of the Office of International Programs at Brown University, further added: “As Chair of the CASA board, I am delighted to welcome Trinity College Dublin as our newest member and the first member outside of the US. As one of the world's leading universities, Trinity’s membership makes this a truly international consortium of leading universities focusing specifically on education abroad with the objective of creating unique learning opportunities for our students.
“We are privileged to be working with world-leading institutions internationally recognised for their academic strength, disciplinary research and calibre of staff. Our programmes will have a high level of academic rigor and in-country student support.”
In 2017 CASA will have active centres in Santiago (Chile), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Barcelona, Grenada and Sevilla (Spain), in addition to the centre in Havana (Cuba). The medium to long-term objective is to have key centres on every continent, offering a range of areas of study across disciplines.
Trinity’s membership of CASA is also significant in the context of the University’s Strategic Plan 2014-19, which emphasises the importance of providing an education that strengthens the international experience and employability of graduates.
Students who study abroad and/or gain work experience are in a better position to find their first job and to enhance their career development. As an example, the 2016 Erasmus Impact Study – Regional Analysis[1] reports that employment rates, in the 10 years post-Erasmus stud,y are positively affected by mobility and five to 10 years after graduation significantly more Erasmus alumni (64%) than non-mobile alumni (55%) hold a management position.
[1] http://ec.europa.eu/education/library/study/2016/erasmus-impact_en.pdf
