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Vol. 17 No. 7
March 2003
Spotlight on Spanish Universities
LAST MAY, COLLEGE BOUND was
selected by the Español Recurso Economico for a working
trip around Spain organized by the Association for the Development
of Spanish as an Economic Resource and the Institute of Spanish
Foreign Trade.
The aim: to look at Spanish higher education and tour Spanish
universities. The reason: the Spanish government recently instituted
a new law that makes Spanish universities more accessible to
other Spaniards throughout the country, to other Europeans and
to Americans. As a result, Spanish universities are restructuring
their educational systems and looking for ways to be more global
with new trans-Atlantic links.
At first glance, Spain might seem like an unusual place for
CB to profile. But consider these facts:
- The Hispanic population in the United States is now the number
one minority;
- Hispanics are the number one demographic group in California
and now account for more than half the births in that state;
- More people speak Spanish in the world than English.
Indeed, according to the 2000 U.S. Census figures, the Hispanic
population in the United States has grown rapidly in the past
decade. There are 35.3 million Hispanics in the U.S. (By some
estimates there are as many as eight million uncounted.) This
is more than 12 percent of the U.S. population, and more than
the entire population of Canada, as the Publishers Marketing
Association recently noted.
In fact, Census figures released in January show that the
Latino population in the U.S. is growing at five times the rate
of the non-Hispanic population. By 2033, one in five Americans
will be Hispanic. By 2050, one in four in the U.S. will be Latino.
Already, more people in the world now speak Spanish as their
first language (332 million) than English (322 million.) And,
the fifth largest television network in the U.S.? Univision.
In Illinois alone, Hispanic students comprised 16 percent
of the school enrollment for 2001-02, up from 15 percent a year
before. About 150,000 students list English as their second language,
110,000 of those list Spanish as their first language.
The bottom line is this: There are many more Spanish-speaking
students looking for higher education opportunities. And the
odds are increasing that many of today's high school and college
students will need a working knowledge of Spanish as part of
their job, business, profession and daily life in the years ahead.
With the dramatic shift in demographics occurring in the U.S.,
there is a real need for more Spanish-speaking teachers, doctors,
lawyers and even those with liberal arts degrees. Plus, education
has gone global in ways that just a few years ago would have
seemed unfathomable.
It makes sense, then, to look at Spanish universities as one
option for Hispanics, other Spanish-speaking students and English-speaking
students desiring to become proficient in Spanish language and
culture. And CB found that Spain is actively looking for ways
to accommodate such students.
SPAIN RESTRUCTURES ITS
UNIVERSITIES
Spain has been known for centuries for its higher
education, particularly in the humanities, literature and Spanish
language. Its universities are among the oldest in the world
and are fascinating both in terms of the architecture of the
buildings, housing, classes and the curriculum.
Now Spain is retooling for the 21st century, building new
campuses or even renovating 16th century convents into high-tech
laboratories of learning. Its programs in engineering, technology
and medicine are breaking new ground. Some universities are beefing
up their teacher training programs to provide summer programs
for would-be teachers who want a quick and reliable way to learn
Spanish and be proficient as a Spanish-speaking teacher in elementary
or secondary schools in the United States and worldwide.
But, also, while its university population has dramatically
grown since the 1960s when there were 50,000 university students
(today, there are 1.5 million university students), Spain currently
has one of the lowest birthrates in the world and its higher
education student population is actually declining.
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IMPACT OF THE EUROPEAN
UNION
In addition, according to officials at the Spanish
Ministry of Education, it has been necessary to change the structures
of the educational system in Spain to align with the European
Union. With the creation of the EU, European universities are
taking a broader view of the education they provide and the students
they recruit. The Socrates program, for example, has been established
as a network of European universities that enables students to
fulfill their course requirements at other European universities.
Erasmus is one exchange program enabling students who are citizens
of one of the members of the EU to pay the fees at their host
institutions, but attend other universities in Europe.
This has put pressure on universities throughout Europe to
open their doors to students outside their own country. In 1999,
30 countries signed what is known as the Bologna agreement, and
European universities have been undergoing a restructuring to
accommodate the new influx of international students and modernize
programs.
In many cases, this has meant separating the traditional European
programs that combined a BA and MA degree into two degree programs.
In addition, as The Chronicle of Higher Education reported
last May, a number of European business schools are expanding
their programs and to provide MBA programs for the global market.
LONG-STANDING PROGRAMS
Luckily, there already exists a wide range of exchange
programs with the U.S. to build upon. The University of Madrid,
for example, has provided an overseas experience for many American
schools such as Indiana University. Or more recently, the University
of Seville established programs with several colleges such as
Keene State College in New Hampshire. The University of Michigan
has a program at the University of Barcelona. But now hundreds
of U.S. universities and colleges are establishing agreements
with a variety of Spanish institutions of higher education.
These programs range from exchanges to joint ventures to independent
degrees. Most U.S. students visit for a year. But as the pressure
continues for greater flexibility in degree programs and the
need for greater globalization, there are those who may be able
to consider a four-year program at a foreign university.
Here are five Spanish universities and institutes CB visited
that you may not have thought of and what they might offer for
Americans and other foreigners interested in immersing themselves
into Spanish culture and language while pursuing a degree. (Tuition,
fees and admissions requirements will vary. See web links noted
for each university.)
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INSIDE
SPANISH UNIVERSITIES
University of Alcalá
Walk the same streets where author Miguel de Cervantes once strolled
in Alcalá de Henares, a town proclaimed a World Heritage
Site by UNESCO. Located about an hour out of Madrid, the University
of Alcalá offers language courses ranging from a weekly,
monthly, semesters or full academic year. Alcalá offers
intensive, semester, annual and individual courses in Spanish
Language, Hispanic Culture and business Spanish.
 The
U. of Alcalá will also adapt programs to individual needs.
And it offers a master's degree program in the teaching of Spanish
as a Foreign Language. Class sizes are limited to 14 students
with five attainment levels--beginners, intermediate, advanced,
higher and proficiency. It prepares students for the DELE examination.
Students can also complete a Business Spanish certificate program.
University of Salamanca
Located in the region of Castilla y Leon, 125 miles from
Madrid, Salamanca has been a university city since 1218! The
region is known as "the cradle of Spanish culture"
and boasts artistic treasures and Spanish Romanesque architecture.
Here, students can see 2,000 castles and fortresses, 3,000 palaces
and stately homes, and 10,000 churches reflecting the history
of Spanish religious painting.
Yet, today the city of Salamanca also is a modern city and
was named a European Capital of Culture for 2002.
The University of Salamanca has 35,742 undergraduate students
and 73 degree programs in the liberal arts, sciences and engineering.
This includes 7,000 foreign students in Spanish language and
culture. Sixty percent of the students come from the provinces
around Salamanca and the rest of the students are from all over
the world, according to Antonio Rios, an official at the university.
Latin America represents the largest number of foreign students.
But for 30 years, more than 150,000 students from all over the
world have taken Spanish language courses at the University of
Salamanca.
Salamanca offers year-long programs, courses for the summer,
teacher training as well as traditional undergraduate and master's
degrees in the humanities, social sciences, law and medicine,
Spanish language and Spanish cultures.
The Spanish language and culture courses are offered through
the International Courses Office and are organized according
to five levels of proficiency-from beginners to upper level.
The maximum number of students in each language class is 14.
Students may attend courses by trimester (October to June) or
monthly or during the summer. Hispanic Studies is offered as
is a University Master's in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language.
Programs are also designed for individuals or small groups
sent by other universities. A Diploma of Hispanic Studies requires
a full academic year from October to May of upper level courses
on Spanish language, grammar, history, geography, art and economy.
A special integrated program includes students who have a command
of Spanish and want to take their courses with Spanish students.
Students live in residence halls or with Spanish families.
The University of Salamanca has agreements with over 250 universities
worldwide. Brown University has an exchange program with Salamanca,
as does Penn State, Georgetown, New York State (SUNY) and Indiana,
for example. Other universities involved with Salamanca in a
variety of programs are North Carolina, Georgia and the universities
of Colorado, Texas and New Mexico.
One of the international attractions at Salamanca is its library,
the first university library in Europe founded in 1254. It preserves
2,800 manuscripts from the 11th to the 17th centuries as well
as antique books and maps arranged by subject and size and in
a protected room controlled for temperature. Here are the original
works of Euclides and Erasmus as well as a 17th century map of
America.
At the same time, the University boasts a modern Center for
Cancer Research which opened in 2000 and offers opportunities
for graduate students interested in scientific research.
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The University of Valladolid
This university is also located in the Castile and Leon region
of Spain, and is also one of the oldest in Europe.
One of its extraordinary features is the Santa Cruz Library
filled with rare books and maps from all over the world dating
back to 1352.
While the city is also steeped in history, the university
campus today is spread over four locations with 95 degree courses
in the Humanities Studies, Social Sciences, Health Sciences,
Natural and Engineering Sciences. The Miguel Delibes University
Campus opened in 1996 with new technologies and telecommunications
and a Language Center.
But it has offered international courses since 1949. One of
its missions is to teach Spanish to foreigners.
Students come from Latin America, the U.S. and Canada. The
university has agreements with 150 institutions worldwide with
exchanges of teachers and students for study, research and teaching.
It has special agreements with the EU for the Socrates-Erasmus
program and with students from Latin America.
Languages are taught in the Language Center, built in 1997,
and equipped with language labs and multimedia classrooms. There
are academic courses leading to a language and culture certificate,
Spanish studies certificate and a full year-long academic courses.
Diplomas of Spanish as a Foreign Language are also given.
The School of Engineering includes a five-year degree program
in Industrial Engineering, Industrial Organization Engineering
and Industrial Automatic Control and Electronics Engineering.
It also offers graduate programs in Quality Management and another
in Hazard Prevention at the Workplace. Fourteen departments offer
doctoral programs. Students can also participate in a wide range
of science and technological research ranging from chemical engineering
to electronic engineering.
Students wishing to study at Valladolid, for example, must
complete an admissions form with documentation proving that the
student is or has been registered at a Spanish or foreign university,
documentation indicating a student's language proficiency, a
visa for studying and medical insurance covering foreign assistance.
Its Foreign Students Guide is available in both English
and Spanish. But the University notes that students should have
a working knowledge of Spanish as classes are conducted in Spanish.
University of CastillaLaMancha
(Toledo Campus)
Located 45 miles south of Madrid on the banks of the river
Tagus, Toledo encompasses Moorish architecture reflecting the
Jewish, Christian and Muslim medieval times, narrow winding streets,
towers and art. Toledo was once home to the Spanish painter El
Greco.
While also steeped in history, the area has built on its past.
The Alcazar, for example, is the huge fortress dating to Roman
times and is now a library and museum providing the public with
free access to computers and the Internet. A 16th century Dominican
convent is undergoing an architectural renovation to maintain
the elegance of the building with open court yards and modern
library facilities.
Although set in a medieval city, the modern University of
CastillaLa Mancha was founded in 1984 and today has five
different campuses with 35,000 students. Toledo itself has 8,000
students. Programs run throughout the year.
Students can study economic, business administration, law
and the humanities. The University of North Carolina Greensboro,
for example, sends 100 undergraduates for a full year of study.
Other programs are with Northern Illinois, the University of
Kentucky and Kentucky State. The University of Toledo in Ohio
is a sister city. The Toledo campus is also working with Gallaudet
University on bilingual Spanish language.
The rebuilt campus is transformed from a traditional higher
education institution to a truly international campus. Its aggressively
promoting Spanish language courses for foreigners combined with
art, history, and bilingualism for those who want to be teachers,
according to Carlos Rubio, director of ESTO, Espanol en Toledo.
The university also offers one- to four-month programs that
include: Business Spanish combined with practical work experience
in local banks, shops, and factories; Medical Spanish with students
working also in hospitals with doctors and nurses; Spanish for
legal purposes; Spanish for military purposes; Mainstream Spanish
language and culture and literature such as tracing the route
of Don Quixote; Intensive courses in Spanish and Spanish teaching
for American Spanish teachers.
The university also has new facilities built on the edge of
the city housing sports science, environment, chemistry and technical
engineering programs. Students have the option of living with
a family or in dorms.
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ESADE
In 1958, a group of industrialists from the Spanish region
of Catalonia and the members of the Society of Jesuits began
an undergraduate program in Barcelona for training professional
managers with an international outlook. ESADE stands for Escuela
Superior de Administration y Direccion de Empressa.
Since then, ESADE has created an Executive Development Center,
MBA program, Language School, Law School, School of Tourism and
International Executive Center. It also has a Madrid campus.
Today, the ESADE Business School is Spain's largest business
school and is regarded as one of the best business schools in
the world, according to The Wall Street Journal's first
survey of corporate recruiters with Harris Interactive Inc. last
year.
The ESADE campus in Barcelona features an ultra-modern building
designed by Manuel Nunex Yanovsky in 1992, the year Barcelona
was home to the Olympics.
ESADE currently has student exchange programs with 15 U.S.
universities and agreements with 80 universities on five continents.
Last year, 597 international students were pursing their studies
at ESADE from the United States, Canada, Latin America and Asia.
ESADE offers a five-year combined undergraduate and master's
degree in administration program, full-time MBA programs, Language
School Distance Learning Programs and Teacher Education, a yearly
program aimed at balancing the theoretical with the practical.
The International Executive Center offers a new Global E-business
Masters program that is taught in English simultaneously at six
business schools around the world. ESADE has a new joint doctoral
program in Management Sciences with ESAN, the Graduate Business
School in Peru.
There is also a summer program for teachers. Participants
are expected to have a command of the language before enrolling.
The general management classes in the MBA program, though,
may be taken in either English or Spanish. But students are expected
to be fluent in both by the end of the two-year program. Sixty-five
percent of the full-time students in its bilingual MBA program
are foreigners.
There is also a program of public management for top civil
servants and those interested in policy management.
ESCADE does offer scholarships for undergraduates and loans
for MBA students. Tuition, for example, is $6,000 per year for
undergraduates and additional for housing. The MBA is $35,000-$38,000
for a two-year program.
The Language School offers a second Business language with
the instruction in Spanish. The School works with schools in
the U.S. such as Case Western Reserve, UCLA and the University
of California.
Resources
More about these universities and others can be found on
the World Wide Web and from the following sources.
Also, for a survey of colleges and universities in Europe
offering degree programs taught in English see English-Language-Taught
Degree Programmes in European Higher Education by Academic
Cooperation Association.
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U.S. Issues
and Initiatives
The U.S. Department of Education recently announced a $500,000
grant to the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and the Hispanic Scholarship
Fund Institute to create a Partnership for Excellence in Latino
Higher Education, a three-year initiative to increase parental
involvement in K-12 schools. For more info see www.NoChildLeftBehind.gov
- Meanwhile, a study by Public Agenda found that 65
percent of Hispanic parents (compared with 47 percent of black
parents and 33 percent of white parents) believe that a college
education is the single most important factor of an individual's
success.
- Yet, Hispanic students drop out of high school four times
the rate of non-Hispanic white students. "Almost half of
Hispanic students do not graduate from high school or are below
grade level," says a December issue of Hispanic magazine.
Thirty-seven percent of Hispanics do not finish high school,
compared to 15 percent of the national average.
- However, those who graduate from high school go on to college
at a higher rate than other major ethnic groups, according to
the Pew Hispanic Center which released a report in the fall.
Yet, they lag behind other groups in completing their undergraduate
degree. For a full report see www.pewhispanic.org
- American universities themselves are scrambling for ways
to keep up with the influx of Spanish-speaking students.In November,the
Illinois State University in Normal announced it had received
$3 million in federal funds for bilingual training for education
majors and teacher 's aides.
- City Colleges in Chicago and the National Autonomous University
of Mexico,the oldest in the Western Hemisphere,have joined forces
to focus on both Spanish and English language courses.
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NEWS YOU CAN USE
Freshmen Facts. UCLA's annual survey of 282,549
freshmen at four-year 437 colleges turned up some interesting
data. In 1966, 60 percent of freshmen considered following politics
to be "very important" or essential. This year, nearly
33 percent felt that way, up from 31 percent last year. About
28 percent of the freshmen call themselves "liberals,"
a 2-point decrease from 2001, while 20 identified themselves
as "conservatives," up almost 1 percent from 2001.
Just over 50 percent identify themselves as "middle of the
road."
Over 65 percent of the respondents said they have some or
major concern that they will not have enough money to pay for
college. And 47 percent expect they will have to get a job to
help pay their school bills.
How hard was it for students
to get into the colleges of their choice? Almost 70 percent
of the surveyed freshmen were attending their first-choice school,
while over 9 percent ended up at their third or lower choice
school. And 49 percent favor abolishing Affirmative Action in
college admissions.
Some 16 percent plan to major in business, nearly 13 percent
in the arts and humanities, 12 percent in the professions and
almost 11 percent in education. But nearly 52 percent expect
they will be satisfied with their college experience. And over
42 percent expect to earn a master's degree.
Financial Aid for Distance
Learners? Congress is considering a change in financial aid
regulations that would allow students at colleges that enroll
more than half of their students in distance learning to be eligible
for federal financial aid. Several Republican congressmen have
introduced the legislation. A similar bill was killed by Democrats
last year because Republicans refused to allow amendments. CB
will keep you informed.
Record Graduation Rate for
Athletes. An all-time high 60 percent of athletes who entered
college in the 1995-96 school year graduated on time, according
to new statistics from the NCAA. That's 2 percent better than
the graduation rate for all students during the same period.
Graduation rates for athletes in all competitive areas except
for men's basketball, made progress. Only 43 percent of the b-ball
players graduated on time. African-American athletes graduate
at a higher rate than other black men. But both white male football
and basketball players graduate at lower rates than other white
students.
Foreign Student Tracking Delayed.
The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) extended
the January 30, 2003 deadline for tracking foreign students on
campus until February 15 because so many colleges and universities
are having trouble getting their Student and Exchange Visitor
Information System(s) (Sevis) up and running. After the new date,
the INS will only accept Sevis versions of visa forms from the
colleges. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education,
only 2,700 of an estimated 4,300 postsecondary institutions are
on board with the system. Many are having technological problems
complying.
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ADMISSIONS
WATCH
No Changes for Early Decision
at Brown and Princeton. Both Brown and Princeton will continue
to prohibit students who apply Early Decision to also apply to
another school. Princeton tells prospective applicants that "You
may make an Early Decision application to Princeton only if you
are not applying Early Action or Early Decision to any other
college or university." The policies of the two schools
are in contradiction to the policy of the National Association
for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC), but reflect the idea
that students will apply ED/EA to the school that they have decided
is absolutely for them.
More Writing Tests. As
announced in the fall, beginning in 2004, college applicants
will be required to complete a new writing section on the SAT.
But the ACT's new writing test will be optional. Because of that
loophole which could allow some students to escape a writing
test, the University of Michigan and the University of Texas
have announced that they will require all applicants to take
a proctored writing test. Other universities are likely to enact
similar policies. That ultimately could convince the ACT to make
its test mandatory. In any case, high schools and students will
need to put more emphasis on writing.
Minority Enrollment Climbs.
According to a new report by the American Council on Education
(ACE), about 3.3 percent more minority students were enrolled
in a college in 1999 than in 1998, when minority enrollment increased
by 3.2 percent. ACE also reported that 5.8 percent more bachelor
degrees were earned by minorities.
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COLLEGE BOUND's Publisher/Editor: R. Craig
Sautter, DePaul University; Chief Operating Officer: Sally
Reed; Contributor: Marc Davis; Circulation: Irma
Gonzalez-Hider; Illustration: Louis Coronel; Board
of Advisors: Rosita Fernandez-Rojo, Choate-Rosemary Hall;
Claire D. Friedlander, Bedford (N.Y.) Central School District;
Howard Greene, author, The Greenes' Guides to Educational
Planning Series; Frank C. Leana, Ph.D., educational
counselor; Virginia Vogel, Educational Guidance Services;
M. Fredric Volkmann, Washington University in St. Louis,
Mary Ann Willis, Bayside Academy (Daphne, Ala.).
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