Our world today is more interconnected than ever before in human history. Travel around the globe can be done in 24 hours. My uncle who was the first in our family to arrive in the United States traveled by boat from Syria.It took 105 days for him to reach the U.S. Imagine what you can do now in 105 days. It is longer than a college semester and 25 percent of a master’s degree.
Communication across continents once took months. For that same uncle, it took a month for a letter to make it back to Syria and another month for his family to respond. Think about that, 60 days to communicate with one another. That’s unimaginable to us today where we can pick up our phone and send photos and videos to anyone anywhere on the globe.
But despite all these incredible advances, as a society, we still struggle with understanding and acceptance of our neighbors, not just in our own country, but from around the world.
A program that will help our global understanding of each other is the study abroad program here at BU. We have five faculty-led trips this June to parts of Europe and the Middle East. There, our students meet and learn from their fellow citizens of the world because it is only through a mutual understanding of each that we can reestablish a society with no hate or fear. Where we can all enjoy the fruits of the world, no matter, who might have produced them.
It is my hope that more and more of students will look into and take advantage of our study abroad program and not be isolated from their fellow man. If you’re a parent of a BU student, please encourage your child to think about this worthwhile program.
I hope, if you are fortunate enough, to enjoy some quiet time this month as the weather finally warms. It has been my honor to serve as president of Bloomsburg University for just shy of one year now. In that time I have come to truly understand why this “college on the hill” is such an important part of so many lives.
The next 12 months will be an exciting time in the life of this university and everyone here will need your support. All the best.
Bashar
