Study Abroad

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Study Abroad

• New Ideas and Formats during an Economic Downturn

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Stonecoast MFA IN CREATIVE WRITING Ireland
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• Low residency MFA in Creative Writing
• Two 10-day residencies at the Stone House on the
  coast of Maine
• 90 student capacity

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Stonecoast in Ireland
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The Stonecoast in Ireland program enables ten
current Stonecoast MFA students each semester to
spend a residency in Ireland working with
Stonecoast faculty and prominent Irish writers.
The intense, week-long residency offers a full
slate of seminars, workshops, and readings.
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Who participates ?

• 10 Matriculated Graduate Students
• 2 Stonecoast MFA Faculty members
• 1 Staff member
• 2-3 Guest Irish Writers

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What do they do?

• 7 Days in Dingle (summer) or Howth (winter)
• 2 Workshops every day
• Seminars by Faculty and Guests
• Field Trips entertainment
• Student Flash Seminars (presentations)
• Readings every evening

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Revenue Enhancement

• Our iconic facility in Maine has limited capacity
• Having 10 students enrolled in the residency in
  Ireland allows us to grow
• Added tuition is greater than the added cost of
  the Ireland program
• Great recruitment tool

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http//www.usm.maine.edu/stonecoastmfa/
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• Our new idea at the University of Southern Maine
  was initiated by a faculty member with ties to
  Ireland who wanted to extend our low-residency
  MFA in Creative Writing program abroad. At the
  same time we were faced by the economic reality
  that our enrollment was capped at 90 by our
  iconic coast of Maine facility. The solution was
  to add a residency option for 10 students in
  Ireland. This residency roughly coincides with
  the summer and winter residency in Maine and can
  be used by students to fulfill one of their four
  required residencies during the two year MFA.
  With this option we can now enroll 100 students
  in the program. Even with the additional costs
  of the Irish residencies, we end up with net
  positive revenue.
• In addition to the revenue we have also found
  that having the Irish residency option is a
  valuable recruitment tool. As Im sure you all
  know, the low residency MFA in Creative Writing
  field is very competitive. Currently 15-20 of
  applicants mention Stonecoast in Ireland program
  on their application form as a reason for their
  interest in our program. Since we started this
  program in summer 2006 more and more of our peer
  institutions have started residencies abroad.
• The program description of this panel mentions
  that we have Irish students studying alongside
  American students. This has actually not come to
  pass although it remains a future option. The
  MFA program director Annie Finch has considered a
  model which would allow Irish students to
  complete 3 of 4 residencies in Ireland and one in
  the US, in other words reversing the pattern of
  American students. She is concerned that we will
  lose the important sense of community which
  develops in our current model. Also the Irish
  residency has an academically different texture
  from those in Maine. It is small and intimate,
  becomes an incubator for new ideas in student
  work, and has helped some students to blossom.
  This has translated back to the States by
  breaking down barriers between students as only a
  shared experience can. On the other hand, with
  only two faculty led workshops and 10 students,
  it does not have the richness or diversity of the
  American residencies. Ted Deppe, leader of
  Stonecoast in Ireland, lives there year round and
  is a member of the Irish community of writers.
  Ted is able to invite a wonderful selection of
  Irish Writers as guest faculty and speakers but
  has found the culture to be less receptive than
  expected to an MFA program in Creative Writing.
• The model works by keeping a very tight control
  on costs. Of course faculty and students always
  have lots of great ideas for enhancements and
  expansion but we try to keep such enthusiasm
  realistic, as best we can. The program generates
  some additional revenue and we could probably
  accommodate up to 15 students in Ireland each
  time. However, if there were too many more
  students it would have a negative impact on or
  overall ability to administrate the program. We
  try to keep an eye on the both the US and Irish
  staff capacity for oversight.
• Our future plans include keeping the Irish
  residency at least for a number of years, and
  continuing to explore the idea of enrolling Irish
  students. Our other thought is that perhaps we
  will use the Ireland model to start another such
  residency abroad, allowing us to expand our
  student numbers more. This again raises a
  concern about staff capacity for oversight. We
  may also in time to bring Stonecoast in Ireland
  to an end and replace it with residencies in
  another country.
• So, in conclusion, this is a small success story
  and has allowed us to grow enrollments and
  provide a valuable study abroad experience within
  the confines of a low-residency program.