Dr. Sandra Crenshaw, director of Academic Enterprise and Enrollment Communication in The College of Global Studies, recently published ‘The Secret to Rebuilding Study Abroad: Case Study in Ireland’s Phobal’ in The PIE Blog for professionals in international education.

Using Arcadia Abroad Ireland as a case study, Dr. Crenshaw provides insight on how study abroad has evolved to provide a sense of community for students who were forced to live some of their most critical years in isolation.

“Arcadia Abroad Ireland (AAI) has pivoted to foregrounding Phobal, or ‘community,’ a concept that both spans the country and focuses on each student’s perspective in connecting with their own experiences, people, and places,” Dr. Crenshaw writes. “Phobal isn’t just what everyone does together, but what each person brings with them.

“All AAI students explore Phobal from the moment they arrive, with a Failte ‘welcome’ for them during orientation; build Phobal through active and shared journeys such as cooking lessons; join in Ealu ‘adventures’ that explore and celebrate Ireland through music, dance, and surfing(!); and conclude with a bittersweet Slainte ‘farewell,’ bringing their amplified experiences, growth, and Phobal home again.

“And Ireland has a lot to teach us about Phobal.”

Read more from Dr. Crenshaw on The PIE Blog.