Semester at Sea (SaS) is a study-abroad program which was founded in 1963 and managed by the Institute for Shipboard Education (ISE) in Fort Collins, Colorado. Colorado State University is the current academic sponsor and the program is conducted on a cruise ship. Nearly 73,000 undergraduate students from over 1,500 colleges and universities have participated in Semester at Sea. During the spring and fall semesters, up to 600 undergraduates participate in the 100- to 110-day program. During the semester the ship circumnavigates the globe, traveling from North America east (across the Atlantic) or west (across the Pacific) and visiting 10 to 11 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, South America, and North America. Although the program had voyages through the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal, piracy concerns in the Gulf of Aden have changed a typical voyage to around Africa. History The program which was founded in 1963 and managed by the Institute for Shipboard Education (ISE). ISE had hosted a summer, 65-day Semester at Sea program which focused on one region of the world. In May 2011, SaS introduced a 26-day Maymester voyage with a curriculum based around the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals. The Maymester voyage offered students the opportunity to earn four to five transferable credits. After the Maymester 2012 voyage, however, Semester at Sea canceled the short-term voyages due to low enrollment. A two-week, December–January Enrichment Voyage for continuing education participants was also cancelled. The voyages' itineraries focused on Central and South America, often transiting the Panama Canal or traveling up the Amazon River. Before 2000 A student died in a 1993 hiking accident, and five students were killed in a bus crash during a field trip in India in spring 1996. The spring 1994 voyage (on the SS Universe) ended in Hong Kong because the ship was scheduled for dry-dock maintenance after the voyage. However, the ship was unable to adhere to its sailing schedule during the semester due to mechanical difficulties. It made several unscheduled stops, and had to anchor between ports while repairs were made. The ship was towed to the South China Sea and anchored overnight, guarded by crew members against piracy. A planned stop at Manila was canceled, and the Universe was rerouted to Singapore. Examinations were completed at anchor in the harbor, and the students and faculty were flown to the next two planned ports (Osaka and Shanghai). In Shanghai, the