Charles Anderson/The Mossy Log
Lewis & Clark students say they were left scrambling after the college canceled its Siena, Italy and Australia study abroad programs for Spring 2027, forcing some to reconsider long term academic and travel plans.
According to McKenna Fairbairn, a coordinator in the Overseas Office, the programs were canceled after they did not receive enough applications to run.
“For faculty-led programs, we typically need 15-17 applications to consider the program viable,” Fairbairn said in an interview with The Mossy Log.
Faculty-led programs like Siena and Australia often require more resources to operate because they involve sending LC faculty members abroad and organizing housing, coursework and travel logistics for a specific cohort of students. By contrast, other study abroad options use third parties — the popular Prague program collaborates with the Academic Experience in Prague program at Charles University to coordinate curriculum and housing. These programs do not require the college to send its own staff overseas, which can make them easier to run even with smaller numbers of students. Because both the Siena and Australia programs fall into the faculty-led category, they depend on reaching a minimum number of applicants to move forward.
The cancellations came as a surprise to many students who had already begun planning their semesters around the programs. Abigail Schultz ’28, a student who applied to the Siena program, told The Mossy Log she had chosen the program partly because it fit neatly into her academic plans.
“It worked well because it filled my language requirement pretty quickly,” she said. “I’ve always really wanted to study in Italy because I’m picking up a minor in art history. Italy is the mecca of art history.”
Schultz said she first learned the program had been canceled when she received an email during class. While she initially thought the email was declaring her acceptance, instead it informed students that the program was canceled.
“I was so mad that I walked out of class and went straight to the study abroad office,” she said.
Schultz ultimately decided to pursue a different option. She now plans to study in Florence, Italy next semester through an external program that will still allow her to transfer credits back to LC.
Still, she said the experience changed how she thinks about the role study abroad plays in her education and made her reconsider her dedication to the college.
“I’m honestly not that dedicated to Lewis & Clark, especially after this,” she said. “I feel like a lot of the reason why I stayed was to study abroad. And now I feel like I can get this education elsewhere more cheaply.” Other students described similar sense of disappointment.
Satya Whitby ’28, another student who had applied to the Siena program, said they had planned to participate since before enrolling at the school.
“I knew that I was going to apply to Siena pretty much when I toured Lewis & Clark,” Whitby said. “I asked ‘is there Italian classes?’ They said, ‘no, but if you take this trip you can.’ I looked into it, and then I committed to Lewis & Clark.”
When the program was canceled, Whitby said in the moment, they felt “pretty defeated,” and described the notification as frustrating.
Moxie Dully ’28, another student who had applied to the Australia program, said studying abroad was one of the reasons she chose LC.
“I basically came to Lewis & Clark because I knew that they had really good abroad programs,” she said in an interview with The Mossy Log.
The Australia program’s structure had particularly appealed to her.
“The way it was set up was really intriguing to me. I liked that it was faculty-led in a small group,” she said. “It just sounded like a really amazing program setup that I wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else.”
When Dully learned the program had been canceled, she said she was “really, really devastated.”
Students affected by the cancellations were encouraged to explore other study abroad options, either at LC or elsewhere.
However, Whitby, for one, said navigating alternatives, especially external programs, can be difficult without clear guidance.
“Outside programs are a really complicated process, and there isn’t much support to walk you through it,” they said.
Whitby also noted the high costs of many outside programs.
Some students have successfully transitioned into alternative programs, while others have sought opportunities outside the college’s offerings.
“We have directed all impacted students who were interested in switching to other programs that have space for them and that are relevant to their academic focus,” Fairbairn said.
Despite the disruption, the Overseas Office says the cancellations to Siena and Australia are temporary.
“We intend for both to run in future semesters,” Fairbairn said. “This cancellation only impacts Spring 2027.”
The office also said it plans to investigate why the programs received fewer applications this year.
“We plan to have a focus group or survey of students to try to gain insight into how students are choosing programs and what they are looking for in a program,” Fairbairn said.
The cancellations have prompted questions among students about how study abroad programs are funded. Whitby and Dully say they were told directly by the abroad office that the college limits the number of students studying abroad to maintain tuition revenue on campus.
Despite this, Fairbairn states that this is not the case.
“Students who go abroad on our programs still pay tuition, plus a program fee that includes room and board, to Lewis & Clark,” she said. “We’re not sure what they’re referring to here — it’s not an Overseas Office policy.”
For many students, the experience has underscored how central study abroad opportunities are to their college plans. While some students have found alternative paths, others say the cancellations have forced them to rethink their expectations about studying abroad and staying at LC in the future.
About the Author
