As the summer school session comes to an end at ACN, I’m struck once again by how rich and exciting these summer courses are — for students and for faculty.  With an ongoing emphasis on human rights and on environmental issues, summer school here at ACN yields unique and memorable opportunities for students to couple their classroom learning with real world experiences. Visits to one of Norway’s famous high security prisons, tours of the Nobel Peace Prize Institute, and visits with ambassadors and Norwegian parliamentarians, are just a few of the experiences students have been able to participate in as part of their summer school classes.  In addition, ACN provides the summer school students — like the students during the fall and summer terms — with fun events through the weeks that help them get to know each other and to form friendships.

This is my fourth time teaching the summer school session here, and every year, including this year, I have witnessed a small group of students from many places in the U.S. and Norway come together at ACN and, in a few short weeks, become a tight-knit group of friends who have developed passionate views about their roles in solving human rights and environmental problems. Every semester at ACN is excellent, but there is something special about summer, and this year, like all the others, I come away far richer for meeting, knowing, and working with these fantastic American College of Norway students.

Warm summer greetings from Dr. Tami Carmichael.

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