Office of International and Multicultural Programs

The Office of International and Multicultural Programs provides services for international visa-holding students and all students of diversity studying on the Heidelberg College campus Attempts are made to provide the needed services and orientation to all these identified individuals or groups. Everyone is encouraged to become acclimated into the College and community environment while still maintaining their own unique identities.

Initial and on-going orientation will be provided for visa-holding students with emphasis on maintaining legal status with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). New international students will have a roommate of a nationality other than their own. The Heidelberg English Language Institute (HELI) offers intensive English as a Second Language and American cultural orientation for students whose first-language is not English but who wish to attend an American college or university. The HELI Conversation Partner Program enhances students’ opportunities to improve their English communication skills, their understanding of the American culture and their ability to integrate with their American peers.

Students of diversity are encouraged to use the Office of International and Multicultural Programs to enhance their academic and social opportunities throughout their years at Heidelberg College. The Office supports the Black Student Union, Latino Student Union and other similar organizations formed by minority groups or diversity groups. Martin Luther King Day, Black History Month, Kwanzaa Festival, worship opportunities for non-Christian groups, ethnic or non-Western cultural speakers and entertainers, women’s and men’s issues are addressed by the Office in an attempt to enhance the rich cultural diversity represented on the Heidelberg College campus.

The Heidelberg English Language Institute (HELI)

Heidelberg College requires that international students and students whose first language is not English have sufficient knowledge of the English language to benefit from their academic studies. Therefore, all new students must either take a Heidelberg in-house TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) when they arrive on campus or furnish an official E.T.S. International TOEFL score form, recent to within one year of the date of application to the College.

Students may also be required to submit other forms of evaluation, such as a written essay and/ or oral interview. Based on the results of these evaluations, the students are placed in one of three programs best suited to their language-skill level. (1) Students whose test scores and other skill evaluations indicate a need for further training in English are placed in an all-HELI intensive English program: 20 to 25 hours a week of coursework including class sessions and laboratories. (2) Students who show a high level of English proficiency in some skill areas, but who still need to develop in others, are placed in a transition program. In this program, students are permitted to take one or more academic classes while continuing to improve their English skills in HELI classes. (3) Those students whose TOEFL scores and language-skill evaluations show an acceptable level of language fluency in all skill areas are eligible for a full-time academic program.

All HELI classes appear on the regular academic schedule. HELI course descriptions appear under the heading ENGLISH LANGUAGE INSTITUTE in the Courses of Study section of this Catalog. Either a passing oral evaluation or successful completion of ELI 132 and the HELI oral evaluation are prerequisites for COM 100. Either a passing TOEFL essay evaluation or successful completion of ELI 142 and the HELI TOEFL essay evaluation are prerequisites for ENG 101. Only credits earned in 100-level courses are applicable toward a bachelor’s degree at Heidelberg College.

The American Junior Year, Semester, or Summer Study at Heidelberg University, Germany

See our website for additional information at http://www.heidelberg.edu/ajy.

Since 1958, Heidelberg College students have had a unique study abroad option available to them. For a summer, a semester or a full year, students can live and learn the German language through the College’s program at Heidelberg University, Germany. Total immersion in the German culture is the College’s goal, therefore all coursework and communication which takes place in the College’s German office is conducted in German. Students from all areas of the United States are accepted for participation in the American Junior Year Program although Heidelberg College students have advantages in applying for admission.

To be eligible for admission into the program, a student must have obtained at least junior status prior to entering the university (or have sophomore standing and strong SAT or ACT scores) with a cumulative grade point average of B or better. In addition, the student must have completed at least two years of college or university-level Germany study or the equivalent and secured the recommendation of the head of the Department of German, assuring that he or she has a sufficient grasp of the language to follow a full-time course at a German university. Students need not major in German to participate.

Although a full year of study is strongly recommended, students can study during the fall or spring semesters. The fall term runs from late August through late December; however, due to the differing academic calendar at the University of Heidelberg, the spring term does not begin until mid-February and runs through mid-July. The conditions for admission for the semester options or the full year of study are identical.

Studying at the University of Heidelberg—Germany’s oldest university—students will find themselves developing a more independent and self-reliant attitude toward learning. A rich educational and cultural experience awaits any student who chooses the American Junior Year Program. The cost of the program is kept as low as possible to facilitate the participation of Heidelberg College students. Financial aid is also made available to Heidelberg College students. More detailed information about this unique study abroad option is available through the Language Department or the Office of International and Multicultural Programs located in the Campus Center, Room 306.

The Center for Cross-Cultural Study, Spain

Heidelberg College, through a special cooperation agreement with The Center for Cross-Cultural Study (CC-CS), sponsors a study abroad program in Seville, Spain; Alicante, Spain and in Córdoba, Argentina.

The Center offers a variety of courses in Spanish language, literature, culture, history, art history, political science, business and regional folk dance throughout the year. Emphasis is placed on total cultural immersion. Therefore, the courses include references to the active
cultural life of Spain and Argentina, with on-site classes at centers of government and study visits to museums and monuments complementary to the regular courses. The Center offers a program of study visits and travels both in the vicinity and in other provinces. It is also expected that students speak Spanish at all times with faculty, staff and fellow students.

Students may spend a semester, a full year or a summer studying at The Center depending on their needs and time. They may apply to the Intensive Intermediate Semester Program in Spanish Language and Culture or the Upper Division Spanish Studies Program. Admission to these programs will be determined according to prior college Spanish training.

Heidelberg College students may apply for financial aid to attend this program. They should contact the Financial Aid Office early in the semester previous to the semester they expect to participate in this program.

Detailed information concerning the program is available upon request from the Languages Department or the Office of International and Multicultural Programs in Room 306 of the Campus Center.

Oxford Study Abroad Programme

An agreement between Heidelberg College and the Oxford Study Abroad Programme allows qualified students to study for one or two semesters at Oxford University in Oxford, England, one of the world’s most prestigious universities. The agreement facilitates admission to the University for students in good standing in the Honors Program who have completed two years of college. Students not enrolled in the Honors Program are also eligible and can be recommended for the study-abroad program at Oxford. For further information, see the Dean of Honors Program or the Director of International Academic Programs.

Cemanahuac Educational Community in Cuernavaca, Mexico

Students of all levels of Spanish may choose a short-term or semester-long experience studying Spanish at the Cemanahuac Educational Community in the colonial city of Cuernavaca, Mexico. While studying in Mexico, students live with a host family and also enjoy the opportunity to participate in field study excursions to sites of archeological and historical interest. Frequent destinations include the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon at Teotihuacán, the Museum of Anthropology, the Templo Mayor in the center of the Valley of Mexico and performances of the Folkloric Ballet.

Other Study Abroad Programs

Heidelberg College offers qualified students the opportunity to study at seven universities in five countries through the East Central College Consortium exchange agreements of which Heidelberg College is a member. Under these arrangements, Heidelberg students remain registered at Heidelberg and pay their normal tuition but live and study at: Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka (Japan), The Inter-American University of Puerto Rico at San German (PR), The University of Prince Edward Island (Canada), The University of Quebec at one of its six campuses (Canada), The University of Saskatchewan (Canada), Universidad Blas Pascal in Cordoba (Argentina), University of Karlstad (Sweden), American College of Thessaloniki (Greece) and Beijing Institute of Petrochemical Technology (People’s Republic of China).

Depending on the specific ECC exchange agreement, students will pay tuition fees to Heidelberg College while room and board fees are paid to the host university. Qualifying students will retain financial aid awarded through Heidelberg. The cost to a student for one or two semesters abroad may be no more than the cost at Heidelberg College plus travel expenses and incidentals. Students must qualify for study abroad at Heidelberg College before applying for the ECC exchange programs. Students must be in at least their second year of collegiate study, maintain an acceptable GPA and meet all other study abroad requirements proscribed by the individual program or institution. Most of the programs do not require prior foreign language proficiency. These exchange programs will also bring students from the partner institutions to Heidelberg College, adding to the diversity of the campus.

Heidelberg College also has an agreement with Intercontinental Recruitment and Support Services of the United Kingdom to enroll qualifying students directly into the following United Kingdom university programs: The University of Kent at Canterbury (Canterbury, United Kingdom), The University of York (York, United Kingdom), University of Sunderland (Sunderland, United Kingdom), University of Bristol (Bristol, United Kingdom), University of Limerick (Limerick, Ireland) and University of Dundee (Scotland).

Heidelberg College students are eligible for the Irish-American Scholars Program through the BEI (Business Education Initiative), which is sponsored by the government of Northern Ireland. Students may apply for a one semester or two semester program of tuition-free study at Queens University in Belfast, the University of Ulster or the Belfast Institute. Final selections will be made in mid-February. Further information and applications are available in the International and Multicultural Programs Office in Room 306 of the Campus Center.

Other study abroad opportunities are available through numerous agencies and institutions. The CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange) and AIFS (American Institute for Foreign Study) offer study abroad opportunities throughout the world as do Butler University, Arcadia University and similar institutions.

Information regarding study abroad opportunities is available in the Office of International and Multicultural Programs located in the Campus Center, Room 306. Short term, summer term, work or international internship opportunity information may also be secured in the Off-Campus
Resource Library located in the same Campus Center office.

The Washington Semester

Qualified students may apply for a semester’s appointment (ordinarily in the junior year) to Heidelberg College’s Washington Semester Program.

The Washington Semester, administered by The American University in Washington, enables students to obtain valuable, work and study experiences within governmental or private agencies or institutions in the nations capital. Each Washington Semester student enrolls in special seminars and engages in individual research and career-oriented work experiences.

Students can choose from among the following topic seminars: American Politics, Foreign Policy, International Business and Trade, International Environment and Development, International Law and Organizations, Journalism, Justice, Israel: Studies, Contemporary Islam, Peace and Conflict Resolution, Public Law, and Transforming Communities. Many of these programs involve overseas study. Situated on its own college campus in a residential neighborhood in Northwestern Washington, with over 500 students from all over the world, the Washington Semester is a true international community and experience.

Other Off-Campus Programs and Opportunities

To supplement their course work on campus, students may choose from a variety of off-campus study programs that provide practical, career-related experiences. For students intending to enter careers in science research or business and government positions in the natural sciences, Heidelberg offers opportunities for on-site field work in the study of habitats not found in northwestern Ohio and participation in excavation of an archaeological site. For descriptions see Anthropology 250 and 251.

Individuals desiring career-oriented experiences in the natural science fields may participate in the ongoing research programs of water quality studies involving northern Ohio streams and Lake Erie. The Heidelberg National Center for Water Quality Research, which was founded within the Heidelberg Department of Biology in 1969 as the Sandusky River Project, has involved a number of students through course and laboratory work, internships and part-time work. Since its founding, the laboratory has been supported by grants from governmental and private agencies totaling about $5 million. The NCWQR’s water analysis laboratory at Heidelberg is one of the best-equipped facilities of its type in the nation and plays a central role in the College’s water resources major.

Heidelberg students interested in the environment can benefit from the opportunity to study in the four nature preserves possessed and managed by the College within a 15-mile radius of the campus. These wood lots, the gifts of alumni and friends of Heidelberg, total 91.8 acres.

ROTC Program

Heidelberg College has an agreement with Bowling Green State University for students who wish to take Air Force and Army ROTC courses for the purpose of earning appointments as commissioned officers. A maximum of 20 semester hours may be applied toward the Heidelberg College bachelor’s degree. Students are required to complete and sign a learning contract prior to enrollment in ROTC courses. Further information on these programs is available from the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Course numbers and descriptions can be found on the BGSU website www.bgsu.edu under MSL for Army courses and AERO for Air Force courses.

U.S. Marshals Service

Heidelberg College has a cooperative arrangement with the U.S. Marshals Service through their Centralized Student Career Experience Program (CSCEP). Qualified students are hired for the equivalent of 16 weeks of work with the U.S. Marshals Service. Upon completion, qualified interns may be converted to permanent employment. Students must be at least 20 years old, be a U.S. citizen, have a major in political science, criminal justice, or psychology with a major GPA of 3.0, and have a cumulative GPA of 2.75. Some of the other requirements include passing a fitness test, a federal background check and a medical exam. More information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov/.