Founder's Welcome

Dear Students, Parents and Teachers,

I am delighted to introduce to you Oxbridge Academic Programs: a study abroad opportunity that first drew hundreds of bright, enthusiastic middle and high school students to study in Oxford in 1985, and has since expanded to include Cambridge, Paris, Barcelona, Montpellier, and New York . As we enter the summer of 2012, we continue to emphasize our founding principles: imaginative teaching, experiential learning, and cultural enrichment, all charged with the excitement of living in some of the most historic cities in the world.

One key to our success over the years has been our truly outstanding faculty. I cannot pretend to be modest about a group of teachers whose credentials are studded with Rhodes, Gates, Marshall and Fulbright Scholarships, as well as Mellon Fellowships, teaching posts at Oxford, Cambridge, the Sorbonne, and Ivy League American Universities, as well as awards for excellence in the arts, the sciences, in scholarship, and in teaching. If you could see them in the classroom, where their energy and passion for their subjects and their talent for inspiring students shine so brilliantly, then you would understand why I believe they are the finest faculty assembled anywhere for this kind of program.

Ultimately, the program depends on the students who enroll, the interests they bring, and the energy they contribute. Our students come from everywhere: New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Seattle, Puerto Rico, British Columbia, and abroad. The past few years have seen an increasing internationalization of our student body with students from 60 countries, including: Australia, Brazil, England, France, Italy, India, South Africa, Japan, China, Singapore, Russia, Hungary, Austria, and Turkey.

Some students come to pursue a subject they love, others to try one they've never done; some to polish their writing or build a background for college, or simply experience life in a college environment; others to escape the pressures of GPA and class rank; and others to experience living abroad or to indulge their love of the English, Spanish or French culture. Most have a mixture of purposes. But judging from the thousands of students that we have had over the years, they all have a special experience. Not just an incremental increase in factual knowledge, but a transformation in their sense of themselves, their own capabilities, and the place of learning and creativity in their lives.

This coming summer will be especially exciting. There are several new courses and more distinguished guests than ever. I hope that as you read this literature and talk to our former students, you will come to share their feeling about the unique opportunities our programs offer. For the right student, there is nothing like it. I look forward to meeting many of you this year, or even better, in Europe or New York next summer.

Sincerely,

James G. Basker
Founder and President