Expanding Horizons

Chris Fancher.

Before Chris Fancher went to Italy as part of UB’s Classics in the Mediterranean course, he didn’t know how he would cover the trip’s cost.

He considered a loan—something he had managed to avoid by living at home and working 30 hours a week. He applied for funding, but without much hope.

To his surprise, he received a President’s Circle scholarship designated for study abroad by Western New York students at UB. To his greater surprise, he came home with a new view of his future. Chris discovered he was as interested in the ordinary people he met in Italy as in their distant ancestors.

He was fascinated by a modern culture different from his own. Now he’s added a major: business administration, with a concentration in international business. The scholarship took him further than he’d planned. He says, “If I hadn’t gone on that trip, I don’t know how different things would be for me now.”

Personal Transformation

UB sponsors more than 80 study-abroad programs, from Australia to Brazil, Canada to China and beyond. There are eight programs in Japan alone. Donor-supported study-abroad programs provide students with lifechanging experiences.