Study Abroad Program Expands NSU’s Reach Into Global Economies

By Rosaland Tyler

Associate Editor

New Journal and Guide

As Norfolk State University continues to expand its global footprint, it is making an impression on many lives.

For example, NSU’s School of Nursing will hold a service learning program in Nicaragua with a group called SJS Nurses United for the third straight year. Meanwhile, Kali Nason, 25, a NSU nursing major from Virginia Beach, recently traveled to Australia to participate in the International Scholar Laureate Program Delegation on Nursing and Healthcare.

“It was a very exciting experience,” Nason said. “This program has some of the best and brightest students from across the globe and I had the privilege of participating in their delegation.”

During the trip, which was Nason’s first study-abroad experience, she visited two of Australia’s largest cities, Sydney and Brisbane. Nason participated in a case study project with a group of students from other countries about the Aborigines in Australia. The group studied health disparities between Aborigines and other Australian citizens as it relates to drug abuse, alcohol abuse and diabetes.

Nason, a senior, enrolled at Norfolk State in 2011 in the accelerated nursing degree program while working as a phlebotomist in Virginia Beach. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Radford University.

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A portion of Nason’s travel costs were funded through the International Scholar Laureate Program and through the NSU Foundation.

Of her decision to enroll at NSU, she said, “After I looked at the program, I saw that NSU would provide me with the most resources for what I wanted to do, especially as a second-degree student.

“It is one of the best decisions I have made,” said Nason who is president of the NSU Student Nurses’ Association and is a member of the BSN Honor Society, Medical Reserve Corps and the National Student Nurses Association among other groups. 

“The faculty are very supportive of the students here,” Nason said.

Dr. Geoffroy de Laforcade, who heads the International Studies program at Norfolk State said,   “Many are convinced the survival of HBCUs depends in part on their return to their original mission which is to advocate for equal opportunity in higher education on a global scale.”

And as NSU continues to reposition itself, de Laforcade said the program he heads is taking a series of small steps that will continue to connect students from other nations to Norfolk State. 

Of the effort to reposition itself, NSU Interim President Dr. Eddie Moore Jr. said in a recent op/ed carried in the New Journal and Guide and local daily papers, “This December, when the Board of Trustees for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges meets to review our progress, I fully expect the successful resolution of their concerns. They also will witness a Norfolk State that is repositioning itself by producing technologically-savvy students, offering cutting-edge facilities and academic programs, and being fiscally prudent in our daily operations.

“It is a new day in higher education, and we are repositioning NSU for a brighter future,” Moore continued. 

To read the entire story in the New Journal and Guide, July 23 – 29 issue.

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