CANR honors recipient of 2024 H. Paul Roberts Award for Distinguished Service in Study Abroad Programs
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EmailThe Southern African Wildlife College will receive the 2024 H. Paul Roberts Award for Distinguished Service in Study Abroad Programs on May 2.
The Southern African Wildlife College will receive the 2024 H. Paul Roberts Award for Distinguished Service in Study Abroad Programs on May 2.
The H. Paul Roberts Award for Distinguished Service in Education Abroad recognizes faculty and staff who give their time and creativity to the development and implementation of education abroad programs, as well as those who work behind the scenes to support the students who participate in education abroad.
The Southern African Wildlife College (SAWC) is an accredited higher education and learning institution in Hoedspruit, South Africa. SAWC has been in active collaboration with MSU and CANR since 2003, enabling numerous students, faculty and staff to participate in conservation research and training initiatives in Africa. In additional collaboration with conservation groups and government agencies, SAWC promotes hands-on training with the goal of conserving Africa’s wildlife and ecosystems. The college is recognized as a Southern African Development Community (SADC) center of excellence and has trained over 23,000 conservationists across various disciplines.
The SAWC hosts numerous study abroad programs for MSU students, ranging in focus from African wildlife conservation to sustainability and ecotourism. These programs tackle ongoing conservation, ecological and economic issues while connecting participants with local experts actively engaged in fostering positive change. This structure allows students a unique, hands-on experience to collaborate on topics of critical importance.
According to one individual in collaboration with the college, “The partnership with SAWC has allowed MSU students and faculty to participate in multiple once-in-a-lifetime experiences: weeks in the African bush surrounded by lions, giraffes, antelope, etc., and the capture and tagging or GPS-collaring of elephants and rhinoceros. Having participated in these moments personally, watched the joy and tears of students, and after reading through their course journals, I am convinced that these experiences facilitated by SAWC were transformative in the lives of students and faculty alike. SAWC is an incredibly deserving partner of MSU.”
