In May 2024, 17 PC students from a variety of academic disciplines traveled to France’s second-largest city in partnership with the private French business school IDRAC.

by Sarah Murphy

Presbyterian College students in Lyon, France

The Presbyterian College summer study abroad program in Lyon, France—which first launched in 2009—celebrated its 15th trip to the country’s second largest city in May.

Overseen by Patrick Kiley, Ph.D., Professor of French & Director of International Studies in the Department of Modern Foreign Languages, the summer program is offered to students of all academic disciplines through a partnership with the private French business school IDRAC. PC students spend four weeks in Lyon, taking courses and going on excursions throughout France. 17 PC students completed the program this year.

Kiley says that like any study abroad program, the goal of the Lyon trip is to create opportunities that challenge students to embrace cultural differences and to encourage them to participate in a journey of self-discovery.

“It’s always exciting to see students’ progress at the end of the 4-week program,” says Kiley. “Their culture shock in the first week is replaced with a sense of accomplishment and empowerment when they realize that they can indeed communicate in basic French, or that they can understand the ‘hidden’ values, norms, and unspoken rules of proper business etiquette in France.”

The courses students take at IDRAC are focused on business applications, so Kiley purposefully designs exercises and projects that require PC students to explore Lyon in search of answers. He encourages students to challenge themselves and take risks, even if they are not confident in the language or are unfamiliar with the customs and norms of the host country. 

“As much as I love teaching French in the classroom, the instruction of a foreign language has much more of an impact when a student can make the cultural and linguistic connections in the content of the course by studying abroad in the host country where the language is spoken,” says Kiley. “In the context of Lyon, the city becomes the classroom and ‘textbook,’ and my lectures and discussions become the secondary sources of knowledge for students.” 

Business Administration major Jose Gutierrez had never been to Europe before and wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to immerse himself in French culture. He joined the 2024 trip to Lyon and says he experienced immense personal growth, global awareness, and foreign language development.

“It was a great program, one I would definitely want to repeat,” says Gutierrez of his four-week adventure. “You get to experience the city as a resident, rather than a tourist. Lyon is a city with beautiful architecture and delicious gastronomy. The population transmits a sense of elegance and beauty, which enhances their polite, generous personality. For other students planning on going or facing doubts, I highly encourage you to take the opportunity.”

Kiley says the Summer Program in Lyon has consistently been one of his highlights of teaching at PC since its beginning in 2009. Only two students went to Lyon the first summer, with no on-site program director. They now send on average 12-15 students a year with the guidance of a director and a full range of administrative staff that help plan the curriculum and interesting cultural excursions in and outside of Lyon.

“By the end of the 4-week program, I’ve rarely encountered a PC student who has not been transformed by their experience in Lyon,” says Kiley. “From mastering the simple greeting of ‘bonjour’ and the cultural gesture of la bise, to analyzing the different marketing strategies of companies in the U.S. and France, I believe that students leave the program with a more developed and refined set of skills they’ll need in the interconnected world we live in.”

Learn more about the Lyon study abroad program by emailing Dr. Kiley, pdkiley@presby.edu.