UCT rules the world

UCT runs one world-beating student exchange programme. So says the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), a US-based group that arranges semester-abroad opportunities - at universities like UCT - for American and Canadian students from its consortium of 200 North American institutions. At its annual conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in November, CIEE named UCT as the winner of its 2004 programme excellence award. The accolade recognises the quality of learning, teaching and the overall exchange experience at host institutions. "For us that means students become engaged with the host country, its culture and its issues," says CIEE's programme director for Africa, Bradley Rink. The CIEE currently has offices at 60 institutions from 30 countries, all up for the award. That tally includes a CIEE study centre at UCT, managed by Quinton Redcliffe and Felicity Baker from quarters at the International Academics' Exchange Office (IAPO), which acts as go-between for students with UCT. CIEE usually brings over about 50 students to UCT each semester, but will boast a bumper crop of 100 - including a Japanese student - for the first semester of 2005. Next year, the organisation kick-starts a service-learning programme with Shawco in which its students' community work are tied to their academics.