As international educators, the staff of the Office of International Studies promises to:

• Act in such a way that students’ best interests are represented in our advising, programming, and support services.
• Seek to further students’ academic goals and address those needs that stem from more holistic--personal, developmental, social concerns.
• Operate in a way that is consistent with the mission of an Augustinian university, which “encourages an understanding and appreciation of the diversity of cultures and experiences… and the development of an international perspective.”
• Underscore individual advising with the premise that ALL students that study overseas will still graduate on time, given that they successfully complete all approved courses.
• Serve as an academic resource during all aspects of the overseas educational experience: before, during, and after the sojourn.
• Provide the most up-to-date information available on programs, health and safety matters, and cross-cultural issues.
• Create, promote, or suggest programs offering students the most immersion in the local host culture, and avoid those programs that treat students merely as customers or academic tourists.
• Remember that the primary constituent for this Office is always the students, not parents, overseas colleagues, or personal contacts.

As applicants to and participants in an overseas education program, students will:

• Behave in a way that makes them not only exemplary representatives of Villanova University, but also highly regarded ambassadors for the United States of America.
• Articulate their desire to study overseas in terms of a skill that they want to develop, one that is based on academic, personal, or professional goals.
• Remember that the privilege of studying abroad remains couched in academic parameters. “Study abroad is an extension of, not a break from, the Villanova education.”
• Understand that as adults, they are ultimately responsible for their own choices, personal safety, and fortitude.
• Keep in mind two important aspects of Augustinian pedagogy: that “experience” does not necessarily mean “knowledge” and that learning is an active, not a passive, process. These beliefs imply that in order to truly learn about a host culture, it is not enough to be merely a spectator, but rather to become engaged in that culture.