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Sheng Lu, associate professor and director of graduate studies in the UD Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies,
was one of the conduits to Keough joining the 4+1 program. “I
definitely want to continue to improve students’ learning experiences
and create even more opportunities for them,” said Lu.
Lu
began directing the Fashion 4+1 program last fall. He has two goals for
the program: to create more awareness and to create more connections.
The program is slowly growing in popularity, with approximately two
students enrolled in the program per year. However, Lu would like to see
more students try out a 4+1 offering.
“I'm currently
working with some industry partners, especially in my research area, to
really allow me to have the chance to work with the industry very
closely,” shared Lu of his efforts to broaden the opportunities this
accelerated program offers. In the future, he hopes to create and
nurture long-term industry partnerships that may lead to paid
internships focused on high-level research and sponsored by scholarships
for those in the fashion 4+1 program.
A total of 15 departments across the College of Arts and Sciences also offer a 4+1 option for their students, including the UD Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures.
Laura
Salsini, the director of the Italian Studies BA/MA 4+1 program, shares
the same wish as Lu: that more students become aware of this unique
opportunity. The department also offers two 4+1 programs that allow for a
student to earn a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s focused
on education in languages, literatures and cultures within five years.
“We
hope that more students take advantage of this degree,” said Salsini, a
professor of Italian at UD who noted that many language students often
enroll in dual academic programming or 4+1 offerings. “We also hope that
more faculty from other departments recognize how valuable it is to
have these students [4+1] in their classes.”