29,000Ton Ocean Liner to be Transformed Into 1st Oceangoing Campus for University Students Worldwide

[The Straight Story]

29,000-Ton Ocean Liner to be Transformed Into First Oceangoing Campus for University Students Worldwide




The Scholar Ship -- Multicultural Study Abroad Program -- to Make Maiden
Voyage from Athens in September 2007

BALTIMORE, Feb 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/-- The Scholar Ship today
announced the lease of a 29,000-ton ocean liner that will become the first
oceangoing education program developed specifically for an international
student body. The application deadline for the September voyage is April
30.

The Scholar Ship will transform the 660-foot (201 meters) ocean liner
to accommodate 600 undergraduate and graduate students in a multicultural
academic and living environment. The ship, which will be re-named The
Scholar Ship, has 389 staterooms that can accommodate 778 students and
faculty, as well as 416 crew members. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. provides
funding and operational support for The Scholar Ship.

The Scholar Ship will make its maiden voyage in September 2007 from
Piraeus (Athens), Greece and sail westward on a compelling itinerary that
includes stops in Lisbon, Portugal; Panama City, Panama; Guayaquil,
Ecuador; Papeete, Tahiti; Suva, Fiji; Sydney, Australia; Shanghai, China;
and Okinawa and Kobe, Japan. In addition to the program's extensive onboard
curriculum, each port of call provides a distinct educational platform from
which students engage in academic field study, shore excursions, and
independent travel.

"Finding a vessel we could transform into an oceangoing campus was a
unique challenge," said Michael Bonner, chief operating officer of The
Scholar Ship. "We wanted a ship with ample public space, expansive outdoor
deck areas, comfortable staterooms, and appropriately sized rooms to
conduct classes. After nearly a year of reviewing dozens of alternatives,
we found a vessel that is ideally suited for our program. It is a classic
ocean liner with a deep-draft hull, spacious rooms and decks designed
specifically for longer global voyages."

Seven highly respected international universities have collaborated on
the development of The Scholar Ship's rigorous onboard and port programs.
The Scholar Ship's Consortium of Academic Stewards includes the University
of California, Berkeley (United States), Macquarie University (Australia),
Fudan University (China), Tecnologico de Monterrey (Mexico), Al Akhawayn
University (Morocco), University of Ghana (Sub-Saharan Africa), and Cardiff
University (United Kingdom).

"The Scholar Ship's student diversity is distinctive among shipboard
study programs," said Dr. Joseph Olander, president of The Scholar Ship and
a prolific author and esteemed university president in the U.S. and abroad.
"Of the students requesting applications, the Americas represent 36 percent
of student interest, Europe/Middle East/Africa -- 44 percent and Asia
Pacific -- 20 percent. The faculty and onboard staff are similarly
diverse."

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