2026 and then: London program celebrates 25 years of transforming students into global citizens

This year marks the silver anniversary of Lipscomb’s Global Learning program in London, which has transformed over time since its beginnings in 2001 as an eight-week summer internship program.

“Students learn to get over being a tourist and become truly global citizens,” said Matt Hearn, a professor who has been a faculty leader for six years.

The program started small, offering only post-graduation summer trips focused on international internships. Over time, student interest in the program grew.

In 2014, Lipscomb launched its first full fall semester in London. After experimenting with both fall and spring offerings for two years, the university made it a permanent fall program in 2016.

The program did have challenges to overcome. In 2013, the program was based in Bath, England, but administrators quickly realized students were draining their money on train tickets to reach London.

The solution was to move the program to England’s capital city. Now students live in AES (Anglo Educational Services) apartments and focus on mastering their daily commute to class rather than expensive weekend trips into the city.

Today’s London program offers students far more than stereotypical British experiences.

“London is diverse with multicultural internships where the food is more than just fish and chips,” said Kate Minchew, Lipscomb’s director of global learning.

Students navigate public transportation, master map reading and learn to balance newfound independence while creating a temporary home thousands of miles from campus. It’s about broadening perspectives beyond Lipscomb’s tight-knit community.

“Lipscomb’s goal was to globalize the campus and get students to encounter the world outside of Lipscomb’s bubble,” Hearn said.

The internship component, which had dissolved for several years, made its comeback in 2021. Now students once again gain hands-on professional experience working overseas, adding real-world credentials to their transformative cultural immersion.

For students willing to step outside their comfort zones, the London program offers something invaluable: the chance to discover who they are while discovering the world.

As Hearn put it, London has been a place for “seeing students realize they can do things they never thought they could do.”