“I pride myself that I don’t hold them by the hand,” Deering said. “In London, they have to learn to be on their own in a foreign country. I don’t spoon-feed them. I give them the schedule — it’s quite tight — and I just tell them what they’ve got to do and where they’ve got to be on what days.” 

With Deering’s extensive planning and a wide network of contacts, this schedule consists of nearly 40 different learning experiences for students to participate in over one month.

“The whole program is inundated with design from a completely different perspective,” Deering said. “We’ve built such a strong network of friends, designers and art directors in London. We have an editorial designer come, a man who owns and runs an illustration agency and visits from a calligrapher and writer, so they get full educational experience and a great travel program in one.” 

At the end of the month, students return to campus with a completely new perspective on design. For Moira Gervay, who also participated in the summer 2023 program, these opportunities had a lasting impact on her personal and professional development. 

“Bill wanted us to learn more about both our careers and ourselves while abroad,” Gervay said. “His connections within the design industry allowed us to talk to people we would otherwise never have met. He wants students to leave their study abroad experience feeling fulfilled.”

While many of his planned excursions are consistent from year to year, Deering said that no two programs are exactly the same. 

“We may go back to the same designer or the same advertising agency or visit the same people, but the information given to the students is different,” Deering said. “From the very first program to now, the industry has evolved, so the program has evolved with it.”

With plans to retire from UD next year, Deering planned for the summer 2024 program to be his final excursion. However, according to Matt Drexler, director of study abroad, Deering’s students famously cheer as he agrees to “one more program,” year after year.  

“I wasn't going to do it again next year now that I'm retiring, but I got so much support and so many complaints about not going again, that I probably will continue it next year,” he said.

For faculty members who consider proposing a future study abroad program, Deering advises that “they have to do their homework.” 

“You need to be hands-on and realize that, to do study abroad, you cannot be complacent,” Deering said. “You have to put the time in and do your research. You can’t just offer it. You have to listen to the students.”

Above all, Deering said that to lead a successful study abroad program, especially one with a life of 24 years, you have to really want to do it. 

“I’m still very hungry and very much desiring that the students get the best educational experience they can,” Deering said.

To learn more about UD Study Abroad and upcoming global education opportunities, visit www.udel.edu/global/studyabroad. 

About the Center for Global Programs and Studies

The Center for Global Programs and Services (CGPS) at the University of Delaware is home to the operations of UD Global, which includes Study Abroad, International Student and Scholar Services, World Scholars Program and Global Outreach and Partnerships. The Center provides leadership and collaborative innovation in support of all of the University's global initiatives and campus internationalization efforts, with its Global 360 Strategy serving as a roadmap for infusing international perspectives throughout the University’s scholarship, research, and service missions. Focused on a student-centered approach, CGPS provides expert advising and a wealth of global engagement opportunities to the UD campus community, including the weekly International Coffee Hour in the fall and spring semesters.

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