Southern Miss Business

study abroad
The College of Business and Economic
Development traditionally offers three summer
study-abroad programs to business students
each year: Asian Studies, British Studies
and Italian Studies.
Like many universities around the nation, the
Southern Miss Study Abroad office had to
make the difficult decision to cancel all three
programs for summer 2020 as part of a protective
measure against COVID-19. Although this was a
challenging decision, the safety and well-being
of the university community is our top priority.
Our college had 50 business students enroll in the
three summer programs for 2020, an increase of
25% when compared to enrollment last summer.
The Study Abroad Task Force, made up of business
faculty and staff, were thrilled with this increase
and were looking forward to hearing about the
students’ experiences upon their return. Now, many
of the students who were planning to participate
will not have another chance before graduating.
However, some plan to re-enroll for summer 2021.
“Study abroad is something I have always
wanted to participate in, and I have worked
hard to earn scholarships to go. I feel
like traveling to Italy as a hospitality and
tourism management major goes hand-inhand,
and having that experience could
benefit both my personal and professional
goals. Whenever I heard we would no longer
be traveling to Italy this summer due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, I was devastated. There
is so much uncertainty during this time, but
I know we have to be resilient. I have made
the decision to study abroad next summer
and feel by doing so, I can learn how Italy
has been impacted and changed through the
current events. Next year will be the perfect
opportunity to learn about the endurance
and strength of the country of Italy in
relation to its business and culture.”
—Will Walters, Tourism Management (plans to attend
Italian Studies in summer 2021)
Students like Will, who have chosen to study abroad
next summer, will have priority enrollment and will be
guaranteed a spot in their preferred program. The task
force anticipates enrollment numbers to be greater
than usual due to this unique situation.
40
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT