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Meet or contact the Lausanne Program Staff.
Lausanne is located in the French speaking part of Switzerland on picturesque Lake Geneva, a few hours from the Swiss Alps and 30 minutes from Geneva, the most international city in Europe and home to the European headquarters of the United Nations. Because of its location, Lausanne is a very diverse city, hosting people from different countries from all over the world. The city also hosts many universities including Lausanne University, the Ecole Hotelière de Lausanne (students from over 90 countries study here) the EPFL, and Pepperdine University. There are also a number of International schools to cater to the diverse work force. Lausanne has a population of 130,000 people and is one of the safest cities in Europe with outstanding public transportation. This magnificent city is centrally located for easy train access to all the major cities of Europe. Students can take a bullet train to Paris in less than four hours!
Students who study in Pepperdine's Lausanne program experience the pedestrian life of Lausanne's city center, viewing magnificent buildings and historical sites as they walk through the city. There is a great outdoor market twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays where local produce and flowers are sold in the streets. The students love a café in town called the Barbare, where they can get the thickest, most intense chocolate drink ever. Lausanne has very old wooden stairs leading up to an ancient cathedral that is an extremely significant part of Lausanne history. There is a fountain in the town center with a talking clock that recounts the story of the Canton of Vaud (Lausanne is in the Canton of Vaud). The city center is beautiful and the port is about 20 minutes walk away in the picturesque port of Ouchy. Ouchy is home to the Olympic Museum and to some lovely old hotels and restaurants. It has a wonderful lakeside walk which goes by lovely small port towns such as Lutry, Pully, Cully and many others.
The Pepperdine facility is located in La Croisée near the centre of Lausanne. La Croisée has a picturesque view of Lake Geneva and the French Alps. The seven-story facility is equipped with a student center, a room with a TV and DVD player, two computer rooms (four desktop computers and two LaserJet printers), a cafeteria, and a communal kitchen. There are also three classrooms, two in the original church building attached to the main building. The rooms are named after famous Swiss writers, artists and travelers, such as Salle Ramuz, Ella Maillart and Tinguely.
The Pepperdine Lausanne program was recently opened in January 2007 when 42 pioneering students came to the Croisée hotel as guests and as the first Lausanne students. The hotel was the property of a Christian foundation, part of a Christian hotel chain and managed by Jesus Bustamante. La Croisée was discovered when Robert Mayenfisch, an architect, was on a roof as part of his work. At that time, La Croisée had many guests who would visit for a couple of nights or who lived there on a long-term basis. The Pepperdine students lived in the building with other guests until January 2008. The last guest living there with our Pepperdine students was eighty-year old Madame Regina Brandily who finally moved out to her new home in September 2009.
The program was officially opened in March 2009 by the Daniel Brelaz, the Mayor of Lausanne, in the presence of President Andy Benton, Dr. Charles Hall, Mary Mayenfisch-Tobin, his Excellency the Irish ambassador and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Lynch, and the Countess de Rola, widow of the famous painter Balthus (Count de Rola).
A light breakfast is provided in the house seven days a week. Group dinners are provided at a local restaurant three days a week and lunches are provided in La Croisée from Monday through Thursday. Students receive money credited on a Stored Valued Card for dinners on Sunday and Thursday and lunches on Friday. The funds can be used in many establishments throughout Lausanne or students may withdraw cash from the card at any ATM to purchase food.
Some locations students have visited in the past include Greece, Corsica, Ireland, France and Belgium. In the fall of 2011, students will be traveling to Normandy, and in the spring of 2012, the educational field trip will be to Israel. Locations of the 2012-2013 Educational Field Trips have not been determined.
In all of our International Programs, students are encouraged to join local organizations or participate in activities that allow them to meet and interact with locals for a more intensive intercultural experience. One organization students work with is Neighbors Global Connections (NGC), an international organization based in Lausanne whose aim is "to promote peacemaking, dialogue, and reconciliation between individuals, communities, and nations in conflict." Through its community outreach programs, NGC helps develop peacemaking skills within the local community. Another opportunity Lausanne students have is to volunteer at the Bethanie Elderly Home.
Past and current students have also joined local gyms, and have made friends with other local students by means of a tandem program run by the University of Lausanne. Students from both universities have teamed up with a class of high school students from the region. This class came to the campus and spent time with our students for pizza and discussion night. Visit the Lausanne Service Project Blog to what students have to say about their service experiences!
The academic program at Seaver College is organized into eight divisions. They offer 38 majors in a variety of disciplines and 36 interdisciplinary majors.
