As a graduate, James Lough had wanted to link experience with education. Later Lough became Prof of Experimental Psychology at NYU (1901-27), when he wanted to create a new kind of education that allowed students to learn on location. Lough took students to places like Grand Central Station and Wall St, to learn from experts.
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Students arrive on board
This became the foundation of an experiment that he ran in 1913 to take students offshore; he ran the first study abroad programme in America that gave university credit for travel experience. And it ran again in 1914. But not until 1923 were around-the-world cruises planned.
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Students gathered on the ship deck for lecture
Semester At Sea
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Because the programme was no longer sponsored by a single college, universities were eager to join and applications poured in. Thus Lough’s original vision eventually led to the successful maiden voyage of SS Ryndam in Sept 1926 when the grand educational experiment started. It departed New York, to take 8 months. SS Ryndam was decorated with flags from stem to stern, thousands lining the Fifth St pier to see off their loved ones, the excited students coming from 143 colleges in 40 states, as well as Canada, Cuba and Hawaii.
The ship had 504 students and 64 staff aboard, docking in c50 ports. The University World Cruise, the brainchild of NYU Psychology Professor James Lough, was intended to broaden students' learning, especially in global affairs. Lough thought the voyage would help students become Citizens of the World, linking education with real experience.
As the ship sailed, Lough described the plan: This shall not be a mere sightseeing tour, but a college year of educational travel and systematic study to develop an interest in foreign affairs, to train students to think in world terms, and to strengthen international good will. The lectures covered business studies, history, politics, biology, economics and many other subjects.
Students arrive on board This became the foundation of an experiment that he ran in 1913 to take students offshore; he ran the first study abroad programme in America that gave university credit for travel experience. And it ran again in 1914. But not until 1923 were around-the-world cruises planned.
Semester At Sea
One of Lough’s most significant partners was Constantine Raises, a Greek student who assisted with necessary academic and itinerary preparations. Although the programme was successfully planned, enrolments fell short and sailings were postponed. NYU dropped its programme sponsorship.
Shipping companies used to make money by bringing poor immigrants from Europe to US. But when the US introduced immigration restrictions in 1921, that business model collapsed. Thus the shipping companies needed to find a new business quickly. They converted their storage accommodation into Tourist Third Class and tried to fill it with students.
This made ship travel a perfect fit for Lough's passion for learning on-site. And a Floating University was the perfect fit for the shipping companies' new business model. It could be successful globally with students, advertising a whole new, cheap third-class travel business.
Shipping companies used to make money by bringing poor immigrants from Europe to US. But when the US introduced immigration restrictions in 1921, that business model collapsed. Thus the shipping companies needed to find a new business quickly. They converted their storage accommodation into Tourist Third Class and tried to fill it with students.
This made ship travel a perfect fit for Lough's passion for learning on-site. And a Floating University was the perfect fit for the shipping companies' new business model. It could be successful globally with students, advertising a whole new, cheap third-class travel business.
Exercising and socialising around the ship's pool
New York University/NYU had initially backed the ship venture but pulled out a few months prior to its departure. NYU realised that studying abroad could be dangerous. Furthermore it threatened their academic model, i.e to control the education the students would receive in the C20th. The universities wanted to determine “what was knowledge”, not the silly students on a ship travelling the world. Yet despite NYU withdrawing from the experiment, the ship university went ahead.
Because the programme was no longer sponsored by a single college, universities were eager to join and applications poured in. Thus Lough’s original vision eventually led to the successful maiden voyage of SS Ryndam in Sept 1926 when the grand educational experiment started. It departed New York, to take 8 months. SS Ryndam was decorated with flags from stem to stern, thousands lining the Fifth St pier to see off their loved ones, the excited students coming from 143 colleges in 40 states, as well as Canada, Cuba and Hawaii.
The ship had 504 students and 64 staff aboard, docking in c50 ports. The University World Cruise, the brainchild of NYU Psychology Professor James Lough, was intended to broaden students' learning, especially in global affairs. Lough thought the voyage would help students become Citizens of the World, linking education with real experience.
As the ship sailed, Lough described the plan: This shall not be a mere sightseeing tour, but a college year of educational travel and systematic study to develop an interest in foreign affairs, to train students to think in world terms, and to strengthen international good will. The lectures covered business studies, history, politics, biology, economics and many other subjects.
During the 8 month voyage, the ship covered 66,000 ks and visited 35 countries and 90+ cities, including Shanghai, Hong Kong, Manila, Bangkok, Colombo, Bombay, Haifa, Venice, Gibraltar, Lisbon and Oslo. They were hosted by local universities who organised lectures and receptions, and went on excursions to important sites eg Taj Mahal in India, pyramids in Egypt and Acropolis in Greece.
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University students visiting the Taj Mahal India
ABC.
America emerged from WWI rich but it hadn't yet established the global dominance that it later claimed. What's remarkable about 1926 was that American power was still being created so students were exploring and learning from British imperialism. They're were thinking about how the American empire was growing in the Philippines and comparing it to a British empire in India. They visited the Dutch East Indies and went to French Algeria, asking what would American world dominance look like?
The global venture allowed them to meet world leaders en route. In Italy, they met notable figures such as Pope Pius XI, prime minister Benito Mussolini and in Thailand, King Prajadhipok of Siam. The organisers had written to foreign governments and asked for their cooperation, leading to the connections. The students had American prosperity and post-war internationalism on their side; the world that was presented to these students was one shaped by American power in the interwar era.
Criticism increased as the ship sailed. The voyage was deemed an educational failure then, because students were enjoying themselves instead of attending lectures. And it was deemed a failure by the media, partly because of reports of students partying antics when docked in ports. The press spread stories of misbehaviour, alcoholism and pregnancies! But had the educational goals really failed?
Dr Tamson Pietsch at UTS's Australian Centre for Public History says many students on the floating university voyage described it as one of the great turning points of their lives. The trip was designed to allow students to learn beyond the classroom and the experiment was created with a diplomatic purpose in mind for America after WWI. It was also fashioning the elite that would go on to have great influence in USA. At their 1976 reunion, the students described the voyage as the greatest educational experience of their lives.
Conclusion
America emerged from WWI rich but it hadn't yet established the global dominance that it later claimed. What's remarkable about 1926 was that American power was still being created so students were exploring and learning from British imperialism. They're were thinking about how the American empire was growing in the Philippines and comparing it to a British empire in India. They visited the Dutch East Indies and went to French Algeria, asking what would American world dominance look like?
The global venture allowed them to meet world leaders en route. In Italy, they met notable figures such as Pope Pius XI, prime minister Benito Mussolini and in Thailand, King Prajadhipok of Siam. The organisers had written to foreign governments and asked for their cooperation, leading to the connections. The students had American prosperity and post-war internationalism on their side; the world that was presented to these students was one shaped by American power in the interwar era.
Criticism increased as the ship sailed. The voyage was deemed an educational failure then, because students were enjoying themselves instead of attending lectures. And it was deemed a failure by the media, partly because of reports of students partying antics when docked in ports. The press spread stories of misbehaviour, alcoholism and pregnancies! But had the educational goals really failed?
Dr Tamson Pietsch at UTS's Australian Centre for Public History says many students on the floating university voyage described it as one of the great turning points of their lives. The trip was designed to allow students to learn beyond the classroom and the experiment was created with a diplomatic purpose in mind for America after WWI. It was also fashioning the elite that would go on to have great influence in USA. At their 1976 reunion, the students described the voyage as the greatest educational experience of their lives.
Conclusion
Were there study courses run by NYU before 1926? Had there been other experiments in educational travel? In 1926 an American university went to sea and many people said they caused an international scandal and an educational failure. Yet this is now a significant part of student life, with one in four Australian students going abroad. I, Helen, personally spent 12 months studying in Israel, and my son went on a shorter course in Canada and USA. Both experiences were full of learning.
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Read Dr Tamson Pietsch, Floating University: Experience, Empire and Politics of Knowledge, 2023.