This year, more programs have been added to Elon University’s Winter Term options to accommodate the growing desire of students to travel domestically and globally. While many students stay on campus and take a class during the three-week period, others choose to take advantage of Elon’s various study abroad programs.

Mark Dalhouse, director of Study USA, said he noticed the passion that a majority of Elon students have for studying abroad.

“It’s a privilege to be able to help create those kinds of opportunities,” he said.

Senior Daniela Pereyra participated in a domestic Winter Term program in 2015. As an International Fellow, she and her peers completed the Discovering Dixie course, consisting of a road trip to 10 different Southeastern cities.

“I think that it’s just the right amount of time for you to be introduced to a different lifestyle and mentality,” Pereyra said.

Study USA has brought students to places such as Los Angeles, New York, Washington, D.C. and, more recently, Alaska. Summer programs include Elon in LA, Elon in NYC, Elon in Alaska and Elon in DC. For winter term, several unique programs are open for application.

New programs for 2016 include programs in Orlando, Miami, Anaheim and Des Moines. A new program that has a lot of students excited is called “Happiest Place? The Science of Happiness” at Disney. Beginning in Disney World and ending in Disneyland, students will spend time in both areas studying the manufacture of happiness.

“It’s my hope that that will be a yearly offering because I think that is going to strike a chord every year,” Dalhouse said.

The program fulfills a General Studies requirement in the area of Civilization or Society, and is already completely full.

Dalhouse plans new courses with current events in mind.

“My goal for Study USA is to have our programs be able to address current issues as they happen here in the US, so that our students have the opportunity to get a front seat,” he said.

One example is the new course called “The Trail Starts Here: The Iowa Caucuses.” Taught by Richard Landesberg, associate professor of communications, this class allows students to engage in important parts of the presidential campaign and get an inside look at the primary process. Dalhouse plans to join Landesberg and students on the 10-day program in Iowa.

As far as benefits to the program, Dalhouse believes traveling during Winter Term offers immersion.

“It’s a short period of time,” he said. “It really does throw you in the deep end of the pool on a topic or a location.”

As Study USA grows, one of Dalhouse’s main goals is to stress the existence of global engagement within the United States.

“You don’t need a passport to have a global experience,” Dalhouse said.

With all the changes and diversity in the United States today, Dalhouse believes in the importance of uncovering global connections in our own country.

Pereyra agrees, adding that travel creates growth, even if its stateside.

“I think that most Elon students tend to underestimate how much the U.S. has to offer,” she said. “The diverse populations, cultures, languages and environments found in the States can take your mind and personal development quite far.”

For students looking for international travel, there are several options still available. Popular programs like “Pacific Rim,” “The Holocaust Journey” and “Ecotourism in New Zealand” have filled, but plenty of other international courses remain open for application.

With the exception of the Sundance Film Festival course, Study USA programs are open to students of all years. The deadline to apply for all Winter Term programs is Sept. 15.

Looking ahead, Dalhouse and the rest of the Winter Term team already have ideas in place for next year. Courses to look forward to include a study of mindfulness in Massachusetts and a class that will examine the experience of Iraqi and Syrian refugees here in North Carolina.

In addition to new Winter Term courses, faculty and administrative support has already been given to possible summer programs in Nashville, Tennessee and San Francisco. Though still in the planning stages, Dalhouse is hopeful that these programs will be available for summer 2017.