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The center sponsors programs in which students and faculty from various nations live and work together in an intimate, community-based atmosphere. Courses focus on topics of mutual interest to the study of American and European cultures.
The Maastricht Center was the brainchild of Dr. Terry Rodenberg of Central Missouri State University. In 1995, he began working with representatives from several universities throughout North America and Europe, including Saint Louis University, to make the idea a reality.
The reality came this spring, when the Maastricht Center began its first session. Universities from the United States, Mexico, Sweden, England and Hungary all sent faculty and students to the inaugural session. Two faculty members from Saint Louis University and one student were among the initial participants.
One of those faculty members was Dr. Shirley Loui, chair of the American studies department. She enjoyed the experience immensely and encourages others to attend.
"It's a wonderful international experience for everybody who takes part, both faculty and students," she said.
Each semester's program is divided into four three-and-a-half-week blocks. Four classes are offered during each block, and students choose one. Students have the option of participating in any or all of the blocks. The blocks for next semester will be held as follows:
- Block 1: Feb. 8 to March 3
- Block 2: March 8 to 31
- Block 3: April 12 to May 5
- Block 4: May 10 to June 2
Last spring, 26 students stayed for the entire semester. An additional 11 participated in at least one of the four blocks. Loui said that because the groups are so small, the students and faculty develop a genuine sense of community. They attend class in the same building in which they live, eat their meals together and take trips together. Loui pointed out that there is little tendency among the students to form "cliques." Instead, the representatives of the various cultures intermingle freely and learn more about each other in the process.
The center is located on the campus of Teikyo University Holland in Maastricht, a city in the interior of the Netherlands. Amsterdam is two hours away by train or bus, and Paris is two and a half hours away. Participants take planned field trips and do plenty of additional traveling on their own. Classes meet Monday through Thursday, so three-day weekends are the norm.
Not that there is much incentive to leave Maastricht. This modern, international city with an old-world charm is very accommodating to foreigners.
"Maastricht is a very user-friendly city," Loui said. "The people there speak multiple languages, including English. So our students don't have to feel like strangers in a strange land."
A student's cost for a semester-long program is approximately $3,500, plus tuition. This price includes a private room, board, use of Teikyo University facilities (including computers and Internet), resident permit fees, field trips and on-site support. Tuition is determined by the student's home institution. SLU students pay tuition and fees to Saint Louis University and receive SLU credit for all courses completed.
The faculty representative from Saint Louis University next semester will be Dr. Kathryn Kuhn of the departments of sociology and American studies. She will teach a course called "Popular Culture From the Inside Out" during Block 4. Sr. Elizabeth Kolmer, professor of American studies and history, is instructing a class, "America Between the Wars," for this semester's program. Dr. Michal Rozbicki, associate professor of history and American studies, will teach in Maastricht during the fall of 1999.
Loui will participate again during the spring of 2000, and she is eager to continue the center's mission. "The quality of the experience is so vital," she said. "The ability to interact with students from so many different cultures, and faculty as well, gives us a chance to develop academically and professionally in a way in which we otherwise wouldn't get a chance."
For more information on the Maastricht Center for Transatlantic Studies, call Loui at 977-2911, or e-mail her at louism@slu.edu.
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