Historical Context

In 1962, the faculty, administrators and board of directors of Kalamazoo College created the K-Plan, a holistic curriculum that combines excellent academic preparation with invaluable practical experience. Since its inception, study abroad has been at the very heart of a Kalamazoo College education. Visionary donor Dr. Richard Light’s endowment of the study abroad program aimed to make that experience possible for every Kalamazoo student. And, indeed, over the past forty years, more than 80% of all Kalamazoo College students have spent time in a foreign country during their four years at the college. The College has long been known for the high quality of its study abroad programs; in 2002, a U.S. News and World Report article ranked “K” College and its Center for International Programs #1 in the nation for study abroad. Most Kalamazoo study abroad programs involve: the learning of a new foreign language and/or the honing of a foreign language previously studied on campus; homestays with families from the host culture; academic coursework offered mainly by host culture professors and institutions of higher learning; opportunities to travel and explore the host culture that go beyond the oft-visited tourist sites; the chance to carry out a supervised but individualized Integrative Cultural Research Project.

"How does KPIC differ from the the current/typical K College study abroad experience?"

Winter of the Sophomore Year
In the Winter of the Sophomore year, all students wishing to study abroad submit an application to the CIP (Center for International Programs). Those wishing to participate in KPIC (Kalamazoo Project for Intercultural Communication) fill out an additional application in the hopes of being selected to participate in this program.

Spring of the Sophomore year
All study abroad participants attend a series of orientation sessions conducted by the Center for International Programs. Students in the KPIC program also attend a 10 week pre-departure seminar, bearing 1/2 unit of K College academic credit.

Junior Year
While abroad, most students on study abroad take classes and do an Integrative Cultural Research Project (ICRP). Students in the KPIC program take classes and do an ICRP. They also write home about their experiences on a regular basis to a group selected before departure (a church group, a school class, a civic organization, etc.), often writing on topics assigned by the KPIC coordinator.

In the Junior Spring
All returning students are invited to a Welcome Home re-entry luncheon in their honor. Students in the KPIC program also attend a 10 week re-entry seminar (bearing 1/2 unit of K College academic credit). They also fulfill a certain number of speaking engagements, sharing their experiences abroad with a variety of audiences, both off-campus and on.

In the Senior Year
During the Senior Year, as their schedules permit, students in the KPIC program continue to accept speaking engagements, both in the Kalamazoo community and beyond.

See: Syllabus for KPIC