FROM THE DEPARTMENT CHAIR
Robson Marinho, PhD
Andrews University
Countdown!
The countdown for our Russian Study Tour has started, and we have now exactly 72 days left for our great adventure. All airline tickets have been issued and the final payment is being made this week. It is now time for preparation, so please check the latest news!
Welcome to Copenhagen!
Situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,931,467. With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen and the Swedish city of Malmö are growing into a combined metropolitan area.
Copenhagen has repeatedly been recognized as one of the cities with the best quality of life. It is also considered one of the world's most environmentally friendly cities. The water in the inner harbor is clean and safe for swimming. Besides, 36% of all citizens commute to work by bicycle.
Copenhagen is a major economic center of culture, business, media, science, information technology, research and development. Its strategic location and excellent infrastructure, with the largest airport in Scandinavia, have made the city a regional center. Since the turn of the millennium, Copenhagen has seen a strong urban and cultural development and has been described as a boom town. This is partly due to massive investments in cultural facilities as well as infrastructure and a new wave of successful designers, chefs and architects (adapted from Wikipedia).
Situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,931,467. With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen and the Swedish city of Malmö are growing into a combined metropolitan area.
Copenhagen has repeatedly been recognized as one of the cities with the best quality of life. It is also considered one of the world's most environmentally friendly cities. The water in the inner harbor is clean and safe for swimming. Besides, 36% of all citizens commute to work by bicycle.
Copenhagen is a major economic center of culture, business, media, science, information technology, research and development. Its strategic location and excellent infrastructure, with the largest airport in Scandinavia, have made the city a regional center. Since the turn of the millennium, Copenhagen has seen a strong urban and cultural development and has been described as a boom town. This is partly due to massive investments in cultural facilities as well as infrastructure and a new wave of successful designers, chefs and architects (adapted from Wikipedia).
Study Tour Registration
Summer registration will open on March 26, so you can register for the tour. The sooner you register the better. Here is what you will register for:
- Doctoral participants: LEAD778 Higher Education Study Tour (5 credits)
- Master participants: LEAD678 Higher Education Study Tour (5 credits)
Please keep in mind that, after registration, you need financial clearance for the trip, so you need to contact the Student Financial Services for financial approval. The contact information is: Vicki Thompson (vlt@andrews.edu) at the Andrews Financial Services (269-471-6995).
European Tour Video clip
If you want to have a taste or our previous Study Tour to Europe, please check the tour video on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9xle2dmeY8&context=C4b4538bADvjVQa1PpcFPZF0CLVjOKns9DfF2eTGa5u8QGh5x3408
You can also check the previous tour blog so you can start having fun. Just click on:
http://asiatourandrews.blogspot.com/
http://asiatourandrews.blogspot.com/
Updated Visa Information
As previously informed by email, the following updated information has been confirmed:
· Visa Application – ZVS has created a specific account number for our tour, so please mention that you are on a Trafalgar tour, account # 73102. If you have any questions during your application process, please call 866-788-1100 to speak with a ZVS specialist, and have your program name (Cossack Explorer) handy when you call.
Itinerary: ZVS is asking us to specify on the form the dates when we will enter Russia and Belarus so please provide the information specified below. For other itinerary details, please check our newsletter at:
Updated steps for applying at ZVS:
- First call ZVS at: 1-866-788-1100
- Provide the Group Tour Account - Trafalgar tour, account # 73102
- Follow the instructions
- Fill the online application as instructed: http://zvs.com/tourkits.php
- Type of visa for Russia: Tourist
- Validity: Single Entry (up to 30 days)
- Date of entry into Russia: June7
- Departure date from Russia: June 12
- Type of Visa to Belarus: Transit (Less than 48 hours, so it is cheaper)
- Date of entry into Belarus: June 12
- Departure date from Belarus: June 13
- Mail passport, photo and required documents as instructed
European Visa: Passport holders from Korea, Jamaica, and Africa, please be advised that you will need also a Schengen Visa to enter Denmark, so make sure to apply in advance for the three visas that you need. If you have any questions, please let me know.
Volunteer Support Team
In order to make this tour an unforgettable experience, we are planning to have a volunteer support team to perform specific tasks during the whole trip. We just got confirmation from Shawn and Beverly Collins who will be the Health Assistants (thank you!). If you are willing to volunteer for helping with special activities, please email us specifying your interest as follows:
TASK | VOLUNTEER TEAM |
Spiritual Coordinator | Someone who wants to lead our devotional moments |
Spiritual Team | Participants willing to share worship messages in short devotionals |
Tour Secretary | One volunteer to assist the tour coordinator with planning and record keeping |
Photographer | One experienced photographer to take pictures for our blog and slide show |
Blogger | One volunteer writer to describe the highlights of the tour on the journey, so we can post daily blogs (very informal) |
Video | One skilled camera-person to video record and edit highlights of our tour. |
Health Assistants | Shawn and Beverly Collins |
Social Coordinators | One creative person to lead occasional entertaining moments |
Other roles | Feel free to suggest other roles to enrich our experience! |
Tour Syllabus and Textbook
As announced last month, make sure to order your textbooks now so you have a chance to read them prior to the trip. Also, the Course Syllabus is available on the side menu of this page, with detailed information on required readings and course assignments. Here are the textbooks:
Wildavsky, Ben (2010). The Great Brain Race: How Global Universities Are Reshaping the World. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. ISBN-13: 9780691146898 (Kindle available).
Price: $17.79 at: http://www.amazon.com/
Johnson, David (2010). Politics, Modernisation and Educational Reform in Russia: From Past to Present (Oxford, United Kingdon: Symposium Books.
ISBN-13: 978-1873927410
Available for $48.00 at: http://www.amazon.com/
After the trip, participants are required to write a research paper/article addressing a topic in international Higher Education. Please see the syllabus for guidelines.
Tour Itinerary
As announced before, this is the itinerary of our Study Tour:
Day 1, Thursday May 31 - DEPART USA
Overnight flight to Copenhagen. Departing at 4:45 pm.
Overnight flight to Copenhagen. Departing at 4:45 pm.
Day 2, Friday June 1 - ARRIVE COPENHAGEN (3 NIGHTS)Welcome to Copenhagen, capital of Denmark. After check-in Relax and unwind after check-in.
In the afternoon, visit University of Copenhagen.
Hotel Scandic Sydhavnen
Day 3, Saturday June 2 - COPENHAGEN
In the morning, relax and enjoy our cross cultural worship and interaction meeting. After lunch, take a stroll through the city! Later we will meet our Travel Director and other fellow travelers.
Day 4, Sunday, June 3 - COPENHAGEN SIGHTSEEING
Your expert Local Guide takes you on a morning sightseeing tour, which includes the Little Mermaid, the Renaissance Stock Exchange, Royal Amalienborg Palace and Christiansborg Palace. Spend the rest of the day exploring the sights of your choice or shopping.
(Scandinavian buffet breakfast & dinner)
Day 5, Monday, June 4 - COPENHAGEN - STOCKHOLM
Cross the Oresund into Sweden and travel north through lush forests and meadows bordering the shores of Lake Vättern. Continue northwards to Stockholm, Sweden’s beautiful capital surrounded by islands. (Scandinavian buffet breakfast & dinner)
Hotel Scandic Kungen Kurva Day 6, Tuesday, June 5 - STOCKHOLM - AT SEA
Admire Stockholm’s biggest landmarks this morning with your knowledgeable Local Guide, with views of the Royal Palace and City Hall. Built on a maze of islands accessible by bridges, Stockholm is an interesting city to wander through. Don’t miss the opportunity to soak up the atmosphere before embarking on your mini-cruise to Finland!
(Scandinavian buffet breakfast / Dinner)
Day 7, Wednesday, June 6 - AT SEA - HELSINKI
Arrive early in Finland's capital for a sightseeing tour with your expert Local Guide. View Finlandia Hall, the Senate and market squares, sweeping boulevards and the beautiful domed Russian church.
Afternoon: Visit University of Helsinki. Subsequent class discussion.
(Scandinavian buffet breakfast & dinner)
Hotel Radisson Blu Espoo (Superior First Class)
Hotel Radisson Blu Espoo (Superior First Class)
Day 8, Thursday, June 7 - HELSINKI - ST. PETERSBURG (2 NIGHTS)
Follow the Finnish coast past the timber centre of Kotka, across the border into Russia and on through the town of Vyborg. Admire the scenery as you traverse the forests of Karelia, arriving later in St. Petersburg for a two-night stay. Enjoy complimentary drinks with dinner tonight! (Scandinavian buffet breakfast / Dinner)
Hotel Park Inn PulkovskayaDay 9, Friday, June 8 - ST. PETERSBURG SIGHTSEEING
The Tsar's Winter Palace, Nevsky Prospekt, St. Isaac's Cathedral, the Statue of Peter the Great all feature on your guided sightseeing tour. Visit the Hermitage Museum at noon.
The Tsar's Winter Palace, Nevsky Prospekt, St. Isaac's Cathedral, the Statue of Peter the Great all feature on your guided sightseeing tour. Visit the Hermitage Museum at noon.
Afternoon: Visit St. Petersburg State University – 3:00-5:00 pm. Subsequent class discussion.
7:00-8:00 pm – Cross-cultural worship and interaction meeting
(Buffet Breakfast & dinner)
Day 10, Saturday, June 9 - ST. PETERSBURG
After breakfast, cross the vast Russian steppes to the ancient city of Novgorod where you view the Kremlin Fort, Millennium Monument and St. Sophia Cathedral. Dine tonight at your hotel. (Buffet Breakfast / Dinner)
Hotel Park Inn Veliky
Day 11, Sunday, June 10 - MOSCOW (2 NIGHTS)
Your wonderful journey continues through picturesque villages to the Tver region where we will enjoy lunch. Then travel via Klin, the former home of Tchaikovsky, to the Russian capital, Moscow. (Buffet Breakfast & Lunch)
Hotel Holiday Inn Suchevsky
Day 12, Monday, June 11 - MOSCOW SIGHTSEEING
Moscow is a city full of wonderful buildings and monuments! Your knowledgeable Local Guide shows you an array of sights including Red Square, the Kremlin Walls and the domed St. Basil's Cathedral.
Moscow is a city full of wonderful buildings and monuments! Your knowledgeable Local Guide shows you an array of sights including Red Square, the Kremlin Walls and the domed St. Basil's Cathedral.
(Buffet Breakfast & dinner)
Afternoon: Visit Moscow State University – 2-4 pm. Subsequent class discussion.
Day 13, Tuesday, June 12 - MOSCOW - MINSK
Drive past the region of Borodino, site of Napoleon's great defeat, and stop for lunch near Smolensk. Later, cross the border into Belarus and continue to Minsk. After the Second World War the city was rebuilt in supreme Soviet style, which you can see during your orientation tour: wide avenues give on to gargantuan concrete buildings. It’s another world! Dine tonight at your hotel. (Buffet Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)
Hotel Jubileynaya (Superior Tourist)Day 14, Wednesday, June 13 - MINSK - BREST - WARSAW (2 NIGHTS)
Traverse the huge plains of Belarus and stop for lunch at Brest on the Polish frontier. Afterwards, cross the River Vistula and arrive later in Warsaw, Poland’s capital. (Buffet Breakfast & Lunch)
Novotel Warsaw Centrum (First Class)Day 15, Thursday, June 14 - WARSAW SIGHTSEEING
Your expert Local Guide shows you the site of the Warsaw Ghetto and the landmarks of Warsaw’s Old Town, which was almost entirely destroyed during the Second World War. Later, you might like to soak up the city’s culture and nightlife. (Buffet Breakfast & dinner)
Day 16, Friday, June 15 - WARSAW - BERLIN (2 NIGHTS)
Travel west across the plains of central Poland and over the border into Germany, arriving later in the exciting city of Berlin! (Buffet Breakfast & Dinner)
Hotel Park Plaza Prenzlauerberg
Travel west across the plains of central Poland and over the border into Germany, arriving later in the exciting city of Berlin! (Buffet Breakfast & Dinner)
Hotel Park Plaza Prenzlauerberg
Day 17, Saturday, June 16 - BERLIN SIGHTSEEING AND FREE TIME
From the Reichstag Building to the Tiergarten, Brandenburg Gate, Unter den Linden Boulevard and the German State Opera House, your experienced Local Guide shows you all Berlin’s highlights this morning. Spend the rest of the day seeing the sights of your choice, or perhaps join an optional excursion exploring the city’s secret past.
In the afternoon, relax and enjoy our cross cultural worship and interaction meeting.
(Buffet Breakfast & dinner)
Day 18, Sunday, June 17 - BERLIN - USA
Say goodbye to your Travel Director and travelling companions at the end of your memorable Study Tour. Transfers to Berlin Tegel Airport (Buffet Breakfast).
List of Participants
This is our current list of participants with whom will enjoy our trip together.
Name | Program | Comments |
1. Amilah Jamieson | Higher Education | |
2. Chantal Joanis | Higher Education | |
3. Ndalahwa Masanja | Higher Education | |
4. Sharese Swafford | Higher Education | |
5. Renaude Saint-Phard | Higher Education | |
6. Jeanne Katia Lopes | Higher Education | |
7. Hilda Scott | Educ. Leadership | |
8. Bill Colwell | Leadership | |
9. Cheolmin Jo | Leadership | |
10. Christiane Theiss | Leadership | |
11. Luis Mancebo | Leadership | |
12. Timothy Privette | Leadership | |
13. Ralph Chatoor | Leadership | |
14. Shawn Collins 15. Beverly Collins, 16. Noah Collins 17. Kendall Collins | Leadership | |
Guest | ||
Guest | ||
Guest | ||
18. Winston Crawford | M. Div. | |
19. Rose Monroe | Higher Education | |
20. José Iran Miguel 21. Rachel Miguel | Guest Guest | |
22. Eliel Unglaub 23. Denise Unglaub | Guest Guest | |
24. Robson Marinho | Tour Coordinator |
