Travel program offers adventures

By Krystle Cantu / Staff Writer –

UNT staff members in the Center for Achievement and Lifelong Learning have created a new program that offers several upcoming UNT faculty-hosted trips, with an objective to combine leisure, learning and sightseeing.

The voyages are designed to highlight the expertise of UNT’s faculty, as well as the university. Students are welcome to look into the program, but it is geared toward older individuals, graduates, alumni, donors and other supporters of the university because of its price, said Dianne Gibbons, manager of the Travel-Learn programs at UNT.

“We‘re sending notices out to the Emeritus college, alumni and anyone who’s interested in traveling,” Gibbons said. “We’re appealing to anyone who wants to take a trip and also learn while they travel.”

Gibbons said the program was originally an idea of former President Gretchen Bataille.

“Dr. Bataille wanted to offer trips to alumni and friends of the university to kind of showcase UNT,” she said. “That’s how this whole program started.”

The program currently has three planned trips: Ireland and Great Britain, Chile, and Israel. The Ireland and Great Britain trip starts Oct. 18 and ends on Nov. 1.

David Holdeman, chairman of UNT’s department of English studies, will host that trip. Its focus will be on Irish literature and history.

Steve Weist, director of the six-time Grammy-nominated One O’clock Lab Band, will also go on the trip. The band will perform at the renowned Guinness Festival in Cork, Ireland.

“I think it’s going to be a blast,” Holdeman said. “I’m really looking forward to it. Ireland is a great place to travel and learn about. It’s the perfect place for people to go and have fun, but also learn interesting things.”

The trip to Cape Horn, Chile, which is set for January 2011, will be led by Warren Burggen, the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

This will allow participants to witness students and scientists from UNT conduct research with the partner University of Magallanes.

Participants will watch as everyone works together to link biological and cultural conservation though the Sub-Antarctic Biocultural Conservation Program.

This will allow participants to witness how scientists and students from UNT and the University of Magallanes work together to link biological and cultural conservation.

They will also enjoy a four-day cruise and other excursions around Chile.

Christopher Anderson of the biology faculty will help host the travel program.

“UNT has never done these kind of trips before, where they are trying to link up people from the UNT community,” he said. “The idea is that visitors in this program get to see what the students do and get to see the research that happens.”

The Israel program will be in late March 2011. Richard Golden, director of the Jewish studies program at UNT, will host it.

Participants will have the opportunity to tour extensive ruins of the ancient Roman world. They will learn firsthand about the politics and culture of the Middle East, as well as Christian and Judaic traditions.

“The unique thing is they all have a UNT faculty member going with them,” Gibbons said. “It just kind of showcases the UNT expertise and what we have to offer here, all the talent we have on campus.”

Mary Jones, a geography junior, said she liked the idea of UNT showcasing talent.

“It’s giving them more diversity,” she said. “Instead of just studying abroad, they’re incorporating alumni and other people into it.”