ABOUT US
The Office of Education Abroad (OEA) supports international opportunities that encourage our students to pursue academic endeavors that strengthen critical thinking and cultivate an appreciation for life-long learning and a curiosity about the world.
Through our study abroad programs, students practice real-world problem-solving by living and studying in an unfamiliar environment, while developing confidence, an increased sense of personal identity, flexibility, empathy, and creativity. Students strengthen cross-cultural communication and language skills by engaging with local communities and gaining exposure to the way professionals interact in a global work environment
Our goal is for students who participate to learn how to work with people, communities and organizations from varied cultural perspectives to create positive change on a local and global level.
As international educators, the staff of OEA promises to:
- Act in such a way that students’ best interests are represented in our advising, programming, and support services.
- Seek to further students’ academic goals and address those needs that stem from more holistic--personal, developmental, social concerns.
- Operate in a way that is consistent with the mission of an Augustinian university, which “encourages an understanding and appreciation of the diversity of cultures and experiences… and the development of an international perspective.”
- Underscore individual advising with the premise that all students that study overseas will still graduate on time, given that they successfully complete all approved courses.
- Serve as an academic resource during all aspects of the overseas educational experience: before, during and after the sojourn.
- Provide the most up-to-date information available on programs, health and safety matters and cross-cultural issues.
- Create, promote, or suggest programs offering students the most immersion in the local host culture, and avoid those programs that treat students merely as customers or academic tourists.
- Remember that the primary constituent for this Office is always the students, not parents, overseas colleagues or personal contacts.
As applicants to and participants in an overseas education program, students will:
- Behave in a way that makes them not only exemplary representatives of Villanova University, but also highly regarded ambassadors for the United States of America.
- Articulate their desire to study overseas in terms of a skill that they want to develop, one that is based on academic, personal or professional goals.
- Remember that the privilege of studying abroad remains couched in academic parameters. “Study abroad is an extension of, not a break from, the Villanova education.”
- Understand that as adults, they are ultimately responsible for their own choices, personal safety and experience.
- Keep in mind two important aspects of Augustinian pedagogy: that “experience” does not necessarily mean “knowledge” and that learning is an active, not a passive, process. These beliefs imply that in order to truly learn about a host culture, it is not enough to be merely a spectator, but rather to become engaged in that culture.
MEET OUR TEAM
Liz Campanella
Director
Email
Advising: Engineering, Nursing
Programs: Affiliated Partner Programs
Chat me via Microsoft Teams | *Availability noted below
Levi Brautigan
Associate Director
Email
Advising: Science, Arts (except COM, ECA & PSC)
Programs: VU Semester in Cadiz; Affiliated Partner Programs
Chat me via Microsoft Teams | *Availability noted below
Michelle Barton
Assistant Director
Email
Advising: Communication
Programs: Villanova Semester Programs (except VU Cadiz); Affiliated Partner Programs
Chat me via Microsoft Teams | *Availability noted below
Michelle Isel-Margolis
Assistant Director
Email
Advising: Villanova Summer Programs
Programs: Villanova Summer Programs; Villanova Short Term Programs
Chat me via Microsoft Teams | *Availability noted below
Emma Hagan
Study Abroad Advisor
Email
Advising: Business, Communication, Economics
Programs: Affiliated Partner Programs
Chat me via Microsoft Teams | *Availability noted below
Avery Jamison
Study Abroad Advisor
Email
Advising: Political Science, CLAS Economics, Communication & Psychology
Programs: Affiliated Partner Programs
Chat me via Microsoft Teams | *Availability noted below
Carolina Favazza
Administrative Assistant
Email
Chat me via Microsoft Teams | *Availability noted below
Microsoft Teams chat can be an easy way to get a quick answer to a simple question!
OEA Staff are available via Microsoft Teams chat Monday through Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
General chat questions should be directed towards Carolina Favazza and OEA Advisor-specific questions to the correct Advisor above.
Previously scheduled appointments may limit your OEA Advisor's ability to respond immediately, but we will do our best to get back to you quickly.
After-hours emergencies should be directed to Villanova Public Safety at 610-519-4444.