Published: Sep 5, 2007
University of Tampa alumnus Axel Claesges and his wife, Ann, recently
established a $4,000 annual scholarship to support UT students’
participation in study abroad and international programs.
The
annual scholarship, part of a comprehensive planned gift, was named the
Axel and Ann Claesges Study Abroad Fund and will assist and encourage
deserving undergraduate and graduate students with financial need to
complete an international experience or study abroad program.
Axel
Claesges, a 1962 alumnus, worked for 25 years as a professor in the
Department of Foreign Languages at West Virginia University and
developed a study abroad program in Germany. Ann, a graduate of
Vanderbilt University, served as a schoolteacher. Ann and Axel Claesges
live in Nashville.
Dan Gura, vice president for development and
college relations, said Axel and Ann Claesges were impressed with The
University of Tampa’s intimate, residential atmosphere, and with the
fact that their donation could make a large impact on students’
experiences.
Last May, four UT nursing students were awarded
$1,000 scholarships each, which enabled them to travel with a group to
Ecuador to tour medical and psychiatric hospitals, meet with local
nursing faculty and students and engage in a community health project in
an elementary school. The trip was part of the university’s nursing
program's overseas medical mission, and was coordinated by Kim Curry, UT
assistant professor of nursing.
Karen Alford, a UT nursing
graduate student and one of the scholarship recipients, said the
exposure to health care in a third world country was invaluable.
“I
think all of us came away with a greater awareness and sensitivity to
the cultural diversity we increasingly see in our local hospitals,
clinics and various healthcare settings,” Alford said.
Gura said the gift also affirms The University of Tampa’s focus on global learning.
“Study
abroad is a critical part of UT students’ educations, and the
Claesgeses’ gift enables even more students to engage in global learning
and global service,” Gura said.
For more information, contact The Office of Public Information at (813) 253-6232 or
publicinfo@ut.edu.