Earlham College Border Studies Program

Thank you to everyone who came out last night to celebrate and share memories of the program. Thank you La Indita for the food and Miz Skoden for the music! Thank you to everyone who shared words of how much BSP meant to them. Thank you to the homestay families, the Spanish TAs, the community members, the internships, and all the students who traveled to be here with us on this beautiful night. Thank you❤️
Gracias a todos que vinieron anoche a celebrar y compartir memorias del BSP. Gracias a La Indita por la comida y Miz Skoden por la musica! Gracias a todos que compartieron palabras de lo que significaba BSP para ellos. Gracias a las familias anfitrionas, los TAs de la clase de Español, la comunidad, las pasantias, y a todos los estudiantes que viajaron para estar con nosotros en esta linda noche. Gracias ❤️

We are sad to announce that due to declining enrollment, Earlham College has decided to decommission the Border Studies Program (BSP) effective June 30th.

While it is true that the program enrollment has been in decline since the pandemic in 2020, we had remained hopeful that the BSP would continue. As we begin the task of sunsetting the program we are reminded of the important and transformative role it has played in our students’ lives. Over the past 27 years, BSP has endeavored to create a program deeply embedded in the borderlands. We celebrate and uplift grassroots knowledge, recognizing the crucial role that the community plays in driving social justice and inspiring change. Countless students have undergone remarkable growth during their time in the program, gaining invaluable insights and experiences. We are devastated by the news of the program’s closure and we imagine many of you are too.

The Border Studies Program owes much of its success to the incredible support and collaboration of our community partners. We extend our gratitude to the many homestay families who opened not only their homes but also their hearts, providing care and kindness to students as they navigated the challenges of the semester. We are deeply thankful for all our field study and internship sites that have offered our students practical, analytical, and emotional insights into the commitment required for social justice and change. We appreciate our language teaching assistants, whose crucial support has helped students understand how language can transcend borders. We are also grateful to our partners in Mexico and the United States who have led our trips and arranged meaningful learning opportunities; the individuals, writers, activists and community members who have spoken in our classes; the many people who welcomed us into their communities and homes; and, of course, the many generations of teachers, faculty, staff, co-learners, and co-strugglers who have contributed to our program over the years. Last but certainly not least, we thank all the students who chose to spend their semester with us in the borderlands.

We would love to read your memories or testimonials in the comments ❤️