When Sarah Altrogge graduates from Lake Erie College, she will leave with not only a diploma and book smarts, but firsthand knowledge of what it s like to be jarred awake by screeching monkeys in the tropics. International experiences are important to Lake Erie College, a small liberal-arts school known for its equestrian program. School administrators hope all students see wild monkeys or medieval castles or European museums during their education.
Freshman orientation includes sitting for a passport photo.
As an incentive to accumulating stamps in those passports, the school created its Passport to the Future program. After four semesters, any full-time student can take an international group trip at no cost beyond tuition. About 200 students have taken advantage so far, visiting places such as England, Ireland, France, Italy, Austria, Germany and El Salvador. Part of this year s groups left for England yesterday. The rest will leave for Spain on Saturday.