in this chapter - Southern Nazarene University

38 REGISTRATION POLICIES
purpose of enhancing its sustainability. QERC works to integrate local farmers with research scientists,
educators, and students from around the world in the effort to merge good conservation practice and
economic viability in the local community.
In 1986, the Quetzal Education Research Center emerged out of the relationship begun between
Southern Nazarene University, founded in 1899, and the Efrain Chacon family, who pioneered the
settling of the Savegre Valley in 1952. This partnership resulted in the completion of construction of a
small laboratory in 1996 and a larger educational and research facility in May 2001. It is expected by all
involved that this relationship will continue to provide students, scholars and the citizens of San
Gerardo with opportunities to develop transformational discernment as they work through the practical
implications of the broad ideal of ecological sustainability.
To facilitate learning at the QERC, SNU offers an undergraduate, 16-credit hour Tropical Studies
program at the QERC during the spring semester that is open any undergraduate student that has been
accepted to any institution of higher learning that offers bachelor's degrees. (Information on the Tropic
Studies Program can be found in the catalog section for the Department of Biology.)
NILI
The Nazarene International Language Institute (NILI) (www.studyinecuador.blogspot.com) is located in
Quito, Ecuador. The NILI offers an integrated program of study in Spanish, Latin American culture and
civilization, and faith/missions, and provides a travel practicum to culturally and ecologically diverse
locations in Ecuador. This study abroad location is particularly beneficial to student in SNU's
International Studies program in the Spanish Business emphasis.
CCCU SEMESTER ABROAD PROGRAMS
The study-abroad programs organized and promoted by the Council of Christian Colleges and
Universities (CCCU) are called BestSemester Programs. Program information can be found at
www.bestsemester.com. The CCCU, an association of 105 campuses in the U.S. and Canada, offers these
semester and summer programs to students of its member institutions, of which SNU is one. The
programs offer a unique opportunity for students to make the world their classroom, going beyond the
confines of the traditional classroom. These interdisciplinary learning opportunities are available to
second-semester sophomores, and juniors and seniors.
AU SABLE INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
The Au Sable Institute offers field-based, university-level courses in environmental studies and environmental
science at campuses in the Great Lakes region (Mancelona, MI), Pacific Northwest (Whidbey
Island, WA), South India (Thiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu), and Latin America (Vara Blanca, Costa Rica) with
academic credit offered by any of more than 50 colleges and universities. See www.ausable.org.
FOCUS ON THE FAMILY LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
Students from SNU may choose to participate in the Focus on the Family Leadership Institute, sponsored
by Focus on the Family. The institute was established to propound and defend traditional ideas of family
and society, while recognizing the need for modern cultural contextualization, a strong theoretical base,
and practical application. This program is a semester-long, off-campus program for which students
receive 12 credit hours. Program applications can be obtained at the Leadership Institute Web site
(www.focusleadership.org) and signed by Director for Global Engagement.
OKLAHOMA SCHOLAR-LEADERSHIP ENRICHMENT PROGRAM (OSLEP)
University students are regularly accepted as participants in this intercollegiate, interdisciplinary
program sponsored by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. Twenty public and private
universities in Oklahoma participate. Students accepted for OSLEP study with a distinguished scholar
and with students from participating universities. Juniors, seniors, and graduate students with a 3.0 GPA