Hello [My First Name]
It is with deep disappointment that we write to tell you that The Scholar Ship has been unable to secure the funding necessary to continue the program at this time.
For you, this means that TSS will not be sailing for our September 2008 and future voyages as planned. We understand that it may be a challenge to make other plans, especially if you intended to sail with us in September. Please know that we are committed to helping you pursue your study abroad goals and, if necessary, sort out your plans for next semester. As soon as we can, we will provide you with information and resources for this transition.
You must have important questions that you would like answered. We are available to answer them by phone or email. Please be patient. As you can imagine, the phone lines are extremely busy, but we will work hard to ensure that you get the answers you need. To reach your admission advisor by email, simply reply to this message.
The values that have defined the program since conception continue to sustain our commitment to The Scholar Ship. Intercultural competence and leadership skills are fundamental for the next generation of global leaders to be empathetic and effective. Holding tight to this belief, it is our sincere desire for The Scholar Ship program to carry on. Look for us in the future.
Warmest Regards,
The Scholar Ship Team
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No SurpriseI was not the least bit surprised by the announcement because of all that had gone on administratively during the Maiden Voyage and also because of the excessive cost of tuition - $20,000 for a semester. When I was offered the job aboard TSS, I was given the option of making the first or the second voyage. I immediately opted for the first one because I had serious doubts it would ever make a second one. It did make another voyage, as it turned out, but it was the last.
I went to the TSS website, www.thescholarship.com to see what was there. Another announcement was on the homepage, addressed to prospective students for the September 2008 voyage:
Dear Prospective Student,
We regret to inform you that The Scholar Ship has been unable to secure funding necessary to continue the program at this time.
The Scholar Ship has been hailed as a bold experiment in international and global education. To be sustained, bold experiments need time to be adopted and accepted. In a few short years, the program has demonstrated to the academic community worldwide that its ambitious, innovative learning model made a significant impact on the development of participants’ intercultural competence and leadership skills. These qualities are essential for success in the global workforce and a prerequisite for global citizenship.
As we know, innovative learning models cannot be created alone; they require collaboration. We are grateful for the opportunity to have worked with prestigious partners in developing and delivering our first two voyages. In addition, we are grateful for the chance our students and our partners took to participate in a program without a track record. Making this dream real has been intrinsically exciting, not only for us, but more importantly for the hundreds of students, faculty, staff, and partners who have experienced it firsthand.
We apologize to those who have been adversely affected by this news. We will be working with those students who have enrolled in our September 2008 and January 2009 voyages. Our intentions are to identify alternative options for the upcoming terms. All fees and documented out-of-pocket expenses will be refunded to current applicants.
The story of The Scholar Ship lives in each person associated with it. You have been especially important as a co-writer of the story. We hope that you will continue to co-write the story and sincerely elicit any insights or ideas you have for its continuation.
Sincerely,
The Scholar Ship Team
[Source: http://www.thescholarship.com/]
= = = = = = = = =The Final Word
On 24 June, I received a final, thank you email from TSS:
The Scholar Ship Thanks you!
Dear TSS Faculty and Staff Alumni
Our purpose in writing you is to express the sincere regret that The Scholar Ship has been unable to secure funding to continue the program. We are grateful for the generosity of our previous financial sponsor which provided us with significant resources to develop the program from concept to reality. Unfortunately we are canceling the September 2008 and future voyages at this time and we will be closing the office in Baltimore by the end of June. Making the dream real has been intrinsically exciting, not only for us, but more importantly for the hundreds of students, faculty, staff and partners who have experienced the dream. While you most likely have already received word of this decision, we wanted to contact you to express our gratitude for your contributions to this program.
As we all know, The Scholar Ship has been hailed as a bold experiment in international and global education. In order to be sustained, bold experiments need time to be adopted and accepted. In a few short years, the program has demonstrated to the academic community worldwide that an ambitious, innovative learning model has had a significant impact on the development of participants' intercultural competence and leadership skills in an academic setting. These qualities are essential for success in the global workforce and a prerequisite for global citizenship. Moreover, your contributions in the co-creation of this transnational learning community based upon an integrated academic curriculum with community life and port experiences will be long remembered.
The story of The Scholar Ship lives in each person associated with it. You have been especially important as a co-writer of the story. We hope that you consider staying in touch with each other and the TSS mission and vision by joining one or more of the many TSS Facebook communities that have been formed. This will allow you to stay in contact with students, staff and faculty from both voyages. If you have not already joined any of the myriad of TSS Facebook communities, you may do so by following the steps below:
1) Go to www.facebook.com
2) Look to the light blue box on the right for "Sign up for Facebook". In doing so, you have the ability to release as much or as little information that you want. It will not "spam" your email, it will not ask for much private information, etc.
3) To join a specific TSS group, you need to click on the "groups" link in the right hand column and type "TSS" and hit enter. You will then be given a listing of a wide range of groups that may or may not be relevant to The Scholar Ship. You can click on the title of the group you are interested in and you will then be guided as to the joining protocols. Most of the TSS-specific groups are "open" in that anyone can join (pending administrator approval).
4) A quick way to find these groups is to start "making friends" with other TSSers and see which groups they belong to and join from there. This is a common practice.
On behalf of the entire TSS organization, we would like you to know that we are most appreciative of your efforts and dedication in the co-creation of a program that has had significant impact on the lives of all participants. We wish you the very best for your future.
Sincerely and in gratitude,
The Academic Team at TSS
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I agree that the TSS program was a bold experiment and it certainly was a wonderful experience in many ways, in spite of its start-up challenges. The concept is superb. Hopefully, someone, somewhere, sometime will create a viable, sustainable program with goals similar to the stated goals of The Scholar Ship program. I would like to be part of it.
Good-bye, TSS.
