Newsletter of the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University
A former design student talked about establishing a scholarship through the Texas A&M Foundation to help students have a study abroad experience like he did in the early 80s during an interview (2 MB) on the Texas A&M Sports Radio Network.
David Baker, who earned a Bachelor of Environmental Design degree in 1983, said with the globalization of the economy it's becoming more important for students to get the broad perspective a study abroad experience provides.
Baker, a principal with the Houston-based Wilson Architectural Group, spoke with radio host Dave South prior to the Nov. 6, 2010 Aggie football victory over Oklahoma.
He said study abroad was a terrific experience that widened his perspective.
"Not just about architecture but about different cultures and the way different people think, which I have found has served me very well in my professional practice," said Baker, adding that in addition to his work taking him of the country, he has worked with multinational firms doing business in the U.S.
The merit of Texas A&M's study abroad programs was recognized by the Institute of International Education's "Open Doors," report, which ranked the Aggie program15th in the nation for the 2008-9 school year, In the same report, Texas A&M ranked 33rd in the category of the total number of students studying abroad among doctoral institutions nationwide.
It's much more expensive now for students to study overseas, Baker said, and to help defray those costs, he and another former student sprung into action.
"He and I felt very strongly that we needed to do something about helping College of Architecture students so we set up a scholarship specifically targeting the study abroad program and we're encouraging everybody else to do the same thing," Baker said.
Hear Dave South’s interview with David Baker.
The Texas A&M Foundation's homepage is at http://giving.tamu.edu/.
Learn more about the College of Architecture's study abroad programs at http://www.arch.tamu.edu/academics/study-abroad/.
- Posted: Dec. 3, 2010 -
Contact: Phillip Rollfing, prollfing@archone.tamu.edu or 979.458.0442.
David Baker
