Agricultural communications instructor Clara Dickinson joined seven fellow faculty members as part of the inaugural cohort of Missouri State University’s Education Abroad Faculty Fellows Program.  

The initiative provides guidance and learning opportunities for faculty to develop and lead successful and meaningful education abroad programs. 

Dickinson participated in a series of interactive workshops in the spring and a five-day sustainability focused trip to Costa Rica from May 19-23.  

From student to leader

Dickinson’s interest in education abroad comes from her own study abroad experience in Brazil while she was a Missouri State student. It shaped her college journey and influenced her career path. 

As a faculty member, she wants to help students have similar life-changing experiences. 

“I was thrilled to be chosen for the program because I felt like it would make me a better faculty leader to have that knowledge,” Dickinson said. 

Her focus was learning how to make study abroad programs more affordable and accessible for students.  

“It’s helpful to find tips and tricks like helping students get scholarships, so studying abroad won’t be a financial burden,” she said.  

Bringing international insights to teaching 

Inspired by her experience in the program, Dickinson plans to lead her own education abroad trip soon. Her goal is to enrich her teaching with knowledge gained abroad.  

In her classes, students create mock communications plans for businesses. Some choose to focus on international businesses, while others highlight local small businesses they have a connection to. She wants to encourage students to approach this hands-on project through a global lens. 

“We live in the Midwest — fresh fruits and vegetables in winter often come from abroad,” Dickinson noted.  

She encourages students to consider how global systems influence marketing and consumer perceptions. 

For Dickinson, global learning matters because food connects us all. She believes every agriculture student should gain international exposure.  

“If we don’t understand other agricultural systems, we can’t improve our own,” she said.

Through insights from abroad, students can help to grow their own food better at home. 

Highlights from Costa Rica 

One of the things that stood out to Dickinson about Costa Rica was how preserving the natural ecosystem is a priority due to its rich biodiversity.  

“Seeing how farmers collaborate with nature rather than disrupt it was a powerful learning experience,” she said.

During the trip, she and the other faculty members met with organizations supporting sustainable tourism in the country and visited a coffee farm. They learned about coffee production from planting and roasting to packaging.  

“From an agriculture perspective, it’s a valuable experience because it includes everything — from growing and composting to fertilizing and processing — key aspects of agriculture that are often overlooked,” Dickinson said.  

Other highlights included visiting a national wildlife park and spending time with an indigenous tribe. 

“It was a fun experience,” Dickinson said. “This program is a great way to ease into the process and build a strong foundation before taking on a leadership role.”  

 Learn more about agricultural communications