Local student studying in Chile

Benjamin Evenson, son of Marne and Mark Evenson of St. Joseph, is studying in Chile during fall semester 2012 through the Office for Education Abroad at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, and St. John’s University in Collegeville. Evenson is a junior Hispanic studies major at SJU.
The Chilean program is hosted by Universidad Adolfo Ibañez, a private university located in Viña del Mar, a city of 350,000 residents. The campus is situated in central Chile, 70 miles west of Santiago, the country’s capital. Students are encouraged to advance their Spanish language skills and integrate into the rich and diverse culture through service-learning opportunities and by living with Chilean host families. Marietta Franulic, adjunct instructor of Hispanic studies at CSB and SJU, is the director of the program for fall 2012.
The College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University are ranked No. 1 nationally among baccalaureate institutions with students who participate in mid-length study-abroad programs according to the annual report on international education, Open Doors 2012, published by the Institute of International Education. The two schools, which shared the top spot with Bucknell University, had 381 students study abroad on mid-length programs during the 2010-11 school year, the latest year measured by IIE.
CSB and SJU also received the 2012 Sen. Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization by NAFSA that recognizes schools for outstanding achievement in internationalization.
Before graduating, nearly 60 percent of CSB students and 46 percent of SJU students will participate in a study-abroad program. There are 19 semester-long programs administered by CSB and SJU, including 16 which are faculty-led, which are located in 15 countries on six continents.