James E. Seaver

 12/07/07

Scholarship will help KU students travel abroad to study western civilization

LAWRENCE — A recent gift will support study abroad by humanities and western civilization students and honor a longtime director of the western civilization program at the University of Kansas.

Antha Spreckelmeyer gave $30,000 to establish the James E. Seaver, Ph.D. Study Abroad Fund in Western Civilization. She has been associate director of the Humanities and Western Civilization Program since 1998. She named the fund for Seaver, professor emeritus of history, to recognize his service as director of the program from 1957 to 1984.

The Seaver fund will provide support for one student each spring semester who is enrolled in a special section of Western Civilization II. Students in this section meet like others throughout the semester but travel to London for about 10 days during spring break. The section carries a program fee of about $1,800 in addition to regular tuition, and the scholarship covers that fee.

During the trip, the class spends mornings together visiting sites related to class readings, and students spend afternoons visiting additional sites on their own. Each student maintains a reading journal in Lawrence and a travel journal in London and integrates the two into a portfolio focused on a unifying theme.

“We offer an academic program, not just travel,” said Spreckelmeyer, who teaches the class and accompanies the students abroad. “The visits tie into their readings. Beyond that, it’s about exposure, to see that the entire world does not revolve around the things we might find important.”

James Woelfel, director of the Humanities and Western Civilization Program said, “This is the first time we’ve been able to offer any study-abroad scholarship within the program. I’m really delighted. We hope it might be the beginning of other scholarship funds.”

Spreckelmeyer has accompanied numerous study abroad groups. She said, “KU students abroad are absolutely the best. They’re very involved and attentive to the work and what they’re seeing. They make us very proud.”

Selection of the recipient is based on merit, with need as a secondary consideration. The first recipient of the award is Jennifer Harness, a junior from Ottawa majoring in genetics and planning to attend medical school.

“There are no scientific study abroad programs,” she said. “I have so many interests in the arts, humanities, history. I’m not going to get that in a science curriculum or medical school. Travel is one way to bring those other interests to life.”

Harness’ selection will be announced formally Feb. 7 in conjunction with the 21st annual James E. Seaver Lecture on Continuing Issues in Western Civilization.

In addition to Seaver’s leadership role in the western civilization program, he is known for his love of opera. Since 1952, Seaver has produced a radio program “Opera is my Hobby,” which airs weekly on KANU FM 91.5, the public radio station at KU.

The Seaver fund is managed by KU Endowment, an independent, nonprofit organization serving as the official fundraising and fund-management organization for KU. Founded in 1891, KU Endowment is the first foundation of its kind at a U.S. public university.