Engineering the ideal study abroad program

​​For Ismat Shah, getting involved with Study Abroad at the University of Delaware was a result of “being in the right place at the right time.”

During his first year at UD, Shah attended a meeting with some German visitors intended to strengthen ties between the states of Delaware and Bremen. When the idea of foreign exchange and studying abroad was discussed, Shah’s interest was piqued.

“I knew there were no existing study abroad programs in the College of Engineering at that time, so I raised my hand, and that is how it all started,” Shah said.

Shah made a department-wide impact by simply raising his hand, extending global education opportunities to engineering students. Over the next two decades, Shah would make an even more profound, personal impact on the lives of nearly 500 students who would participate in his one-of-a-kind study abroad programs.

This impact is exhibited by the impressive number of student nominations that Shah received for the Faculty Director of the Year Award. Since 2012, the title has honored faculty members who go above and beyond planning and leading life-changing study abroad programs. While the long-standing tradition at the University was paused due to pandemic-related travel restrictions, the Center for Global Programs and Services (CGPS) reinstated the tradition this year, recognizing outstanding faculty leaders from the past three years. ​

Shah, who is tied for the most all-time nominations among all UD study abroad faculty, was recently named the 2023 Faculty Director of the Year. To celebrate this accomplishment, Shah was honored at the Facul-Tea Time event on May 16 in the Faculty Commons, along with professors Bill Deering and Suresh Sundaram, who were named the 2022 and 2024 recipients, respectively.

At the awards ceremony, Director of Study Abroad Matt Drexler applauded the innovative and comprehensive learning experience that makes Shah’s study abroad programs stand out most to students and staff. He said that if he were to study abroad, he would choose one of Shah’s programs.

“Ismat leads one of the programs that I’m dying to attend someday,” Drexler said. “A mix of science, history and culture, Ismat takes students on truly unique and perspective-building programs. He somehow manages to link things like Greek and Turkish history and culture with a trip to Geneva to watch atomic particles collide in one of the world’s most advanced physics research centers.”

Shah intentionally fits energy, materials science and history into one study abroad program, giving students exposure to multiple fields within the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering.

“I deliberately try to combine all these subjects so students get a much better understanding of the nexus of energy, environment and history,” Shah said. “European history, being much longer and more complex than ours, serves as a great background for my courses. I see students come back with a totally different perspective on energy and the environment, ready to take their own global responsibility toward these critical issues.”

Since 2003, when Shah led his first cohort to Bremen, Germany, he has directed 23 programs based in Germany, Spain, Italy, France, Turkey, Portugal, Switzerland and Greece. In addition, he often arranges group visits to sites in neighboring countries and cities. For instance, he led excursions to North Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia, Paris and Milan during his program in Thessaloniki, Greece.

Shah has never gone to the same country or university two years in a row.

“Changing locations involves more work, but I get to explore new places,” he said.

Shah relies not only on CGPS support but also on the connections he builds with international universities to develop a new experience each year.

“They love the idea of 20 United States students visiting and living on their campus for one month,” Shah said. “The daily interactions between the foreign faculty and students are priceless. Personally, I would never direct a program where we are not based in a university.” ​

After participating in Shah’s 2022 program in Marseille, France, Emma Fitzgibbon joined Shah as his teaching assistant during his 2023 program in Thessaloniki, Greece. During these experiences, Fitzgibbon observed how Shah’s international connections contributed to the students’ experience.

“Ismat is an incredibly worldly and knowledgeable traveler who encourages those around him to learn more about the culture and history of each place that we have the privilege to visit,” Fitzgibbon said. “I guarantee that in almost every country, there will be a person or family that remembers Ismat from previous travels and welcomes him and his group with open arms.”

According to his students, Shah finds the perfect balance between teaching students in and out of the classroom while abroad.

“Ismat truly values both making sure you understand the content of the class but also understands that we are abroad and wants us to experience everything being abroad has to offer,” said Jack Kelly, who participated in Shah’s 2024 Winter Session in Portugal. “No matter what, Ismat is there to help and wants to make sure you are doing well.”

Shah said he feels motivated by the students to continue the tradition of studying abroad. ​

“I get much more energy from these students than the energy I put in myself,” he said. “Just think of what your hard work is doing in terms of the cultural, intellectual and academic growth by making available this unique opportunity to the students. Isn’t that what being a professor is all about?”

Next up, Shah’s travels will lead him to the University of the Basque Country, where he will spend the month of January 2025 immersing his students in the culture, energy and environment of San Sebastian, Spain.

Shah’s study abroad plans do not end there. In fact, he has already begun scouting locations for the following year.

“Most of my programs, with the exception of Turkey, have so far been in Western Europe,” Shah said. “The United States culture is still, in some shape and form, a reflection of European culture, so students do not get much exposure to non-western hemisphere culture.”

This summer, Shah will personally visit Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda to explore the possibility of leading future programs there.

To learn more about UD Study Abroad and upcoming global education opportunities, visit www.udel.edu/global/studyabroad.​

About the Center for Global Programs and Studies

The Center for Global Programs and Services (CGPS) at the University of Delaware is home to the operations of UD Global, which includes Study Abroad, International Student and Scholar Services, World Scholars Program and Global Outreach and Partnerships. The Center provides leadership and collaborative innovation in support of all of the University's global initiatives and campus internationalization efforts, with its Global 360 Strategy serving as a roadmap for infusing international perspectives throughout the University’s scholarship, research, and service missions. Focused on a student-centered approach, CGPS provides expert advising and a wealth of global engagement opportunities to the UD campus community, including the weekly International Coffee Hour in the fall and spring semesters.

Follow and engage with @UDGlobal on Instagram and X for the latest updates on everything global happening at UD.​

Article by Grace Kearns 

Photos courtesy of Hayden Atkinson, Defne Elbeyi and Emma Fitzgibbon 

June 20, 2024​