A group of 13 business students spent two weeks studying at Edge Hill University in Ormskirk, England, with Dr. Jody Lipford and Professor Cindy Lucking. The trip also included various day trips throughout Great Britain as well.

While at Edge Hill, PC students took a course titled “Economic Growth and Development” which focused on economic theories of growth as well as history, giving particular attention to the Industrial Revolution and the textile industry that developed in northern England as well as long run gains in health and material welfare. Students spent a few hours a day in the classroom at Edge Hill, studying under their PC professors.

Edge Hill University, one of PC’s partner schools, is home to more than 9,000 undergraduate students and 1,000 graduate students. Edge Hill is located close to the thriving market town of Ormskirk in the heart of northwest England.

“The town of Ormskirk, located between Liverpool and Manchester, was ideal for our study of economic growth, the Industrial Revolution, and the role that cotton played in both,” said Lipford, professor of economics and business administration.

When they were not in class, the students and professors took day trips to Liverpool, Conwy, Chester, Manchester, York, and the Lake District. Students also had the opportunity to take an overnight trip to London and to visit Quarry Bank Mill, a preserved textile mill of the Industrial Revolution located in Styal.

For Lipford, Quarry Bank Mill was a highlight of the trip. “Students and faculty learned about how the mill operated, the difficulties and poor conditions faced by those who worked there, and the dramatic increase in textile production that began in the Industrial Revolution,” he said.

Some students offered other experiences that served as highlights for them. “In my opinion, the highlights of the trip included visiting Conwy Castle in Wales and the hike we went on in the Lake District,” said Caroline Dyar. “Conwy Castle was amazing because most of the castle was still standing, and we got to walk on the turrets which offered a beautiful view of the countryside and the coast.”

“Liverpool and Wales were my favorite places that we visited because they both had such beautiful architecture and so much history,” said Megan Hrovat.

Christopher Miller mentioned watching Everton, an English soccer club, play as one of the trip’s highlights. Students who attended the game experienced the last time Tim Howard, a goalkeeper for Everton and the United States National Team, played for the club before returning to the Major League Soccer in the U.S.

“This experience changed me in the sense that I now have a much better understanding of British culture. We were living in the same dorms as British students, studying in the same buildings as them, and eating at the same restaurants as them. It was really neat to simply live every day life side by side with people from a different culture,” said Dyar.

“I had the time of my life in England studying and traveling with my fellow Blue Hose,” said Hrovat. “It was an amazing opportunity, and I can’t wait to go back.”

Presbyterian College is located on a striking 240-acre campus in Clinton, between Columbia and Greenville, S.C. Offering challenging academics and a culture of honor, ethics, and service that prepares students to be leaders in communities, PC offers its students the benefit of engaging with an exceptional faculty who take individual interest in their students’ well-being, both personally and in the classroom. The Presbyterian College School of Pharmacy opened in 2010, and is dedicated to the ideals of leadership, honor to the profession, and service to the community. For more information about Presbyterian College, visit www.presby.edu.