Abilene Christian University celebrated the opening of a new facility for its Study Abroad program in Oxford, England, on July 12.
The North Oxford home can accommodate more than two dozen students and faculty, with eight bedrooms, six bathrooms, two kitchens, five reception rooms, a studio, outside deck and backyard.
ACU students and faculty have been living and studying in Oxford for more than 30 years, but this is the first time for ACU to own rather than lease a residence for the program.
“The new residence for ACU’s Study Abroad program in Oxford gives ACU a greater sense of permanence in this historic city,” said Stephen Shewmaker, executive director of ACU Study Abroad. “And in a place that’s been around for well over 1,000 years, that matters in ways that are not always easy for us to appreciate.”
ACU purchased the house in 2019 and renovated it for about a year and a half. Students and faculty began living in the facility in Fall 2021.
Also at the ceremony, ACU announced two new endowed scholarships for students studying abroad.
The Clayton-Haught Study Abroad Endowed Scholarship was created to encourage and support students to study abroad. Cathy and Dan Haught established the endowed scholarship in honor of Cathy’s father, John Clayton, and Dan’s mother, Paulette Petersen Haught, for their commitment to education and to celebrate the love of exploration they instilled in both of their families.
An anonymous donor funded the Janine and Ron Morgan Study Abroad Endowed Scholarship to support students majoring in history and global studies to participate in study abroad. The scholarship honors Dr. Ron Morgan, professor of history and global studies, and Dr. Janine Morgan, instructor of Bible, missions and ministry. The Morgans directed ACU’s Oxford Study Abroad program from 2003 to 2012 and created meaningful experiences for hundreds of students and faculty members and set the tone for the ACU Study Abroad programs to come.
– Wendy Kilmer
July 13, 2022