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Clydebuilt liner starts new life
as The Scholar Ship
Departed Piraeus with over 200 students from 35 countries
The Scholar Ship, the first oceangoing study-abroad program
developed specifically for an international student body, made its
maiden voyage from Athens, Greece on September 5, 2007. More than 200
undergraduate and postgraduate students from 35 countries will travel
to four continents over 16 weeks.
The Scholar Ship, backed by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., and
supported by seven international universities, will immerse students
and faculty in an intercultural living and learning environment aboard
a 201-meter ocean liner specially equipped for the academic program.
Students and staff embarked on The Scholar Ship in Piraeus, Athens on
a westward course to Lisbon, Portugal; Panama City, Panama; Guayaquil,
Ecuador; Papeete, Tahiti; Auckland, New Zealand; Sydney, Australia;
and Shanghai, Macau and Hong Kong in China. Ports of call provide
extensive educational opportunities for students through a port
program in which students participate in academic field study,
community service and independent travel.
Seven international universities collaborated in the curricula
development for The Scholar Ship, including the University of
California, Berkeley and Macquarie University in Sydney, which has
been designated to award academic credit to students. Other
participating "Academic Stewards" include Fudan University, China;
Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico; Cardiff University, United Kingdom;
Al Akhawayn University, Morocco; and the University of Ghana.
Multinational corporations such as IBM, Microsoft and HSBC Bank also
have been engaged to ensure the program's learning outcomes are
relevant and practical for students. The Scholar Ship's introduction
reflects the increased interest and extraordinary growth in enriching
study abroad programs worldwide.
"The Scholar Ship promises to be a microcosm of our global age: a
laboratory for global democracy," said John Lie, Dean of International
and Area Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. "In
creating a truly transnational learning community, with its stress on
experiential learning, The Scholar Ship represents a bold experiment
in international and global education."
Program fees are approximately $20,000 per semester. A $ 2 million
fund has been established for the 2007/2008 academic year to broaden
the availability of the program to students from diverse backgrounds.
Grants are awarded based on academic merit and economic need.
The Scholar Ship is the ex MONA LISA which started life as the
KUNGSHOLM built by the famous John Brown Clydebank shipyard in
1966 for Swedish America Lines. In her long career she has been a P&O
ship operating as SEA PRINCESS and then as VICTORIA. In 2000 she
appeared with a Union Castle funnel whilst on charter for the
centenary revival of that famous line. Latterly she operated as the
MONA LISA, owned by Leonardo Shipping.
Of note as well is that she acted as a temporary replacement for the
M/V SEA DIAMOND, which went aground off the coast of Santorini and
sank earlier in April
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