DENTON (UNT), Texas – Follow the Grammy-nominated One O’Clock Lab Band on its European tour, or journey through the wilderness of Chile’s Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve with the researchers and students of the Sub-Antarctic Biocultural Conservation Program. Those are just two of the opportunities being offered by the University of North Texas’ new Travel Learn Program.

The program is designed to offer once-in-a-lifetime voyages that highlight the expertise of UNT’s diverse faculty, as well as the university’s renowned programs and initiatives. Each customized itinerary combines leisure and sightseeing with lifelong learning. Staff members in the Center for Achievement and Lifelong Learning, which will oversee the program, say that they would like to offer six to eight specialized trips per year.

“We are excited about the opportunity to take people’s quest for learning beyond the classroom through these programs. Our goal is to offer unique educational opportunities that combine travel to interesting places with the expertise and insider knowledge of our UNT faculty,” said Marilyn Wagner, director of UNT’s Center for Achievement and Lifelong Learning.

The trips will be designed for members of UNT’s Emeritus College, alumni and community members. The first three trips have already been planned. Those trips are:

·  Ireland and Great Britain - October 2010

 Travel with the One O’Clock Lab Band as the band performs at the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival in Cork, Ireland. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about music from Steve Wiest, director of the nationally renowned lab band. They will also learn about literature from Dr. David Holdeman, chair of UNT’s Department of English. In addition to the educational components, participants will be able to enjoy the sights of Ireland and Great Britain, including Blarney Castle, Big Ben, Windsor Castle and many more. 

·  Cape Horn, Chile – January 2011

The Travel Learn Program’s second trip will allow participants to witness firsthand how scientists and students from UNT and its partner the University of Magallanes work together to link biological and cultural conversation with social well being through the Sub-Antarctic Biocultural Conservation Program (www.chile.unt.edu). Travelers will have the rare chance to explore one of the world’s most breathtaking wilderness areas, sailing through the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve on a four-day luxury cruise hosted by UNT faculty. In addition, participants will visit the Omora Ethnobotanical Park to see the work of Chilean and US students and researchers involved in this premier international and interdisciplinary program, which has been recognized with the 2009 Science and Practice of Ecology and Society Award. 

·  Israel – March 2011

Dr. Richard Golden, director of the Jewish studies program at UNT, says that this trip will have something for everyone including antiquity, politics of the modern world and Mediterranean beaches. Participants will explore the rich history of Israel, as well as the current way of life in the country. The itinerary includes some of the best preserved, most extensive ruins of the ancient Roman world, sites of religious significance and  a trip the modern city of Tel Aviv, which Golden calls the city that never sleeps. 

For more information on all of the Travel Learn Program’s UNT-focused trips, visit the CALL web site at http://call.unt.edu/lifelonglearning. The Travel Learn Program will also feature Alumni Journeys through AHI Travel. To learn more about those programs, visit http://unt.ahitravel.com.

For further information, contact Dianne Gibbons, manager of the Travel Learn Programs, at 940-565-3482 or at dianne.gibbons@unt.edu.