Jeffrey Hildebrand has been hired by the UTM Center for Global Studies and International Education as a university travel consultant.

In the mornings, Hildebrand will work on all arrangements necessary for travel-study programs and university-related trips planned by faculty, administration and staff. Part of his role, he said, is to arrange staff conferences and educational trips as needed for any university employee. History professor Stan Sieber is still the university’s travel-study coordinator and will also remain available to help employees with travel questions.

However, Hildebrand said he will be available in the afternoons to help university employees arrange non-business travel if they need assistance.

Hildebrand’s office is 124A Gooch Hall, his extension is 3581, and he will be available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. He can also be reached via e-mail at jhildebrand@utm.edu.

Dr. Paul Crapo, director of the Center for Global Studies, said the Center is planning an open house for Hildebrand sometime after the beginning of the spring 2007 semester.

Meanwhile, the university is sponsoring at least three travel-study opportunities during spring break, including trips to Venezuela, northern Spain and eastern Canada. Following are the details:

•South America/Venezuela – During spring break, students will experience the diversity of natural and cultural features offered by this nation. The Andes Mountains and the cities of Merida, Santa Ana, San Miguel and Bocono, also called the garden of Venezuela, are among the sites to be visited. The group also will travel to the Gran Sabana, which is home to Angel Falls, the highest waterfall in the world. For more information, contact Helmut Wenz, professor of geography, at 881-7438 or Stan Sieber, professor of history, at 881-7467.

•Northern Spain – Dr. Daniel Nappo, interim chair of the UTM Department of Modern Foreign Languages will guide this trip from March 7-19.

The trip will include visits to Madrid, Zaragoza and Barcelona. Madrid, the Spanish capital with nearly 5.5 million people, will offer students the opportunity to visit world-class museums and various historical sites.

Some of the featured sites include the Prado Museum, home of the largest Velázquez and Goya public collections in the world; the Reina Sofía Museum, home of Picasso’s masterpiece, “Guernica”; the medieval city of Toledo; the Roman aqueduct of Segovia; and a Sunday bullfight in Las Ventas, the legendary “plaza de toros” of Spain. Students will stay one day and one night in Zaragoza, where they will visit the famous Palace of the Aljafería. Rounding out the trip in Barcelona, participants will visit the Picasso Museum, stroll down las Ramblas and experience the architecture of Antoni Gaudí, Spain’s most celebrated and mysterious architect. Additional Barcelona highlights include a visit to the Montserrat monastery, which is nestled in the mountains and offers students a breathtaking view of the countryside of Catalunya.

In all three cities, students will have the opportunity to shop for souvenirs and experience Spanish cuisine and culture.

The cost of the trip is $2,500 and includes round-trip air fare from Memphis to Amsterdam to Madrid and from Barcelona to Amsterdam to Memphis; round-trip bus service from Martin to Memphis; 11 nights of hotel accommodations (based on double occupancy); hotel service charges and taxes (VAT); transportation in Spain on trains and chartered buses; admission to all events including the bullfight; a daily buffet breakfast; and a farewell dinner in Barcelona.

UTM credits in Spanish, strategic management and business policy, and/or business administration international study will be available to qualified participants.

For more information or to see an itinerary, contact Nappo at 881-7420 or 881-7428.

•Eastern Canada —Students will visit Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City from March 8-17. Students will first visit Montreal, a city that offers historic sites, ethnic neighborhoods and modern businesses and shopping districts.

Among featured stops are the Jacques Cartier Square, China Town, Little Italy, the Notre Dame Basilica, the downtown underground shopping center and the “Royal Mount,” from which students will have a view of the city’s skyline. Students will travel next to Ottawa, where they will visit the Parliament, the Canadian Supreme Court and Canada Foreign Affairs.

The National Gallery of Canada, the Rideau Canal and the ByWard outdoor market are among other stops. Quebec City will take students back to the 17th and 18th centuries with historic sites associated with Cartier, Champlain and the English conquest of Canada. Students will visit the Chateau Frontenac, the Quebec “National Assembly,” the Ministry of International Relations and the Old City, which is set on a cliff overlooking the St. Lawrence River.

The cost is approximately $1,800 and includes round-trip flight, ground transportation in Canada and hotel room (double occupancy) for nine nights. The cost of meals is not included.

In all three cities, students will have the chance to shop for souvenirs and experience authentic cuisine in Canadian, Quebec and ethnic restaurants.

For more information and/or an itinerary, call Dr. Paul Crapo, director of the Center for Global Studies and International Education, at 881-1023.

University Relations contributed to this report.