It's my birthday...and we have a back to back visit today!
Our visit today -University of Bath. Our first campus that has a secluded, one-way in, one-way out type campus. How beautiful...lots of greenery, and field space. We were immediately greeted by 10 staff members from the student services division. Our conversations went from study abroad and the new UK fee structure to support services for mental health and counseling. What a fantastic visit! It was great to see that issues that affect US students are also some challenges for UK students. I was most impressed with the progress and increased support and education there is around mental health support. Most significant was the education and awareness provided for faculty and staff as first responders. I look forward to researching this information more and sharing this with my colleagues on campus. My running list of ideas/questions/new initiatives from all of these visits has filled 3 pages. I hope my campus allies share my enthusiasm for these ideas! Additionally, I've decided to change my paper topic to comparing mental health/counseling support services for students. I've been so intrigued by the varying levels of support in the UK that I think a comparative look at legislation and culture will be intersting in the evaluation .
On my short list of UK "must do's", one had to be to the Jane Austen Museum in Bath. A sucker for all things cheesy, this museum did not disappoint. It was quite small, but it was so adorable! I needed to get a Mr. Darcy bookmark and had a great laugh going through the BBC film memorabilia and the many books and movies that are somewhat related to Jane Austen and her work.
My birthday finished with a fantastic Italian dinner and drinks at a local pub! What a wonderful thus far!(insert pictures later)
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