As western Pennsylvania was shovelling out from under a December snow, five adult students from Seton Hill University were flying across the Atlantic for a week of intensive study. And sun. And maybe a game or two of baccarat. The five students, all working toward masters degrees in business administration at Seton Hill, left Friday for Monaco. Yes, the French Riviera. Playground of the jet set. They’re taking a course in organizational processes at the International University of Monaco. But this self-described group of overachievers said they probably won’t be spending much time rubbing elbows with the rich and famous. Donna Hixson, of Greensburg; Kathy Shirey, of Youngstown; Kim Opsitnick, of Hempfield Township; Brenda Shaffer, of Bear Rocks; and Debbie Nye, of Greensburg, will be knee-deep in 500-page textbooks and studying for a final exam they’ll take on Friday. And if that isn’t enough, they took along the textbooks for their next course — it begins in January — and hope to get a jump on reading them. When Thomas Boyle, director of Seton Hill’s MBA program and a visiting scholar at the University of Monaco, first floated the idea of sending Seton Hill students to the University of Monaco, members of the group blew it off. “Yeah, right Dr. Boyle,” they said. Then they started debating whether to take their husbands, Shirey said. Seton Hill is hoping to start a formal exchange program with the university. This group — dubbed the Monaco Five — is the first from Seton Hill to sign on for the exchange. The women met while working on their undergraduate degrees through Seton Hill’s adult degree program. They clicked immediately. None had planned to earn an MBA, but they talked one another into it. They will graduate together in June. And this week, after being inoculated against the flu, tetanus and hepatitis A, they can rest their sore arms in apartments in the town of Bille Franche, where a number of Mediterranean cruise ships dock. Of the five, only one has previously traveled abroad. Nye, 45, is a commercial lender with First National Bank of Pennsylvania. She said each member of the group brings something different to it. They are, naturally, well-organized. Two members of the group took digital cameras. One carried a camcorder. Another took a 35mm camera so they can share photos without duplicating. They even designated two people to carry the converters that are needed to operate American-made devices such as hair dryers and travel irons on European electrical current. Nye concedes she may be the ultimate overachiever. She earned her undergraduate degree in two years. During those years, her brother had a heart transplant, her husband had brain tumor surgery and her father-in-law died. “They were a couple of tough years,” she said. And she worked full-time during that period, too. “I’m a multi-tasker,” Nye said. “If I’m not doing 12 things all at once, I’m not happy.” Hixson, 47, knows she has plenty of irons in the fire. “Between the MBA program, working full time and our home lives, it’s been pretty intense,” she said. It was Hixson, the others said, who laid the groundwork for the trip. “This is very uncharacteristic for me. I’m the quiet one in the back,” she said. “But it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” Shaffer, 41, is probably the most traveled member of the group. She joined the Air Force right after high school and spent three years in England, living outside Oxford. Shaffer has been to Greece, Scotland, Wales, Poland, France and Mexico. She considers herself normal. “Just wait until they see us,” she said with a laugh. But “normal” to Shaffer means serving Thanksgiving dinner to 40 people at her home in Bear Rocks, packing for a week overseas and working full time. Some of the families are seeing an overlap in their schooling. Shaffer’s daughter, Erica, a junior at West Virginia University, graduated from high school in the same month her mother graduated from Seton Hill. Opsitnick’s husband, Randy, will receive his undergraduate degree at the same time as his wife receives her MBA. Shaffer said the MBA program has been intense. “I’m looking forward to painting or basket weaving after this,” she said. Shirey, 38, has worked for the state for 19 years. She said doors began to open for her after she received her bachelor’s degree. She hopes her MBA will open more. Married with two stepchildren, Shirey, like the others, works 40 hours a week and attends classes at Seton Hill four hours a week. That doesn’t include time spent working with the group via e-mail or in person. The low cost of the Monaco trip helped to make it attractive. Air fare was $449. Because it’s the off-season, two-bedroom apartments are costing them just $160 each for the week. Opsitnick, 39, has been going to school for 12 years. She started at Westmoreland County Community College. “It took me five years to get a two-year degree,” she said. She took some time off before going to Seton Hill. Opsitnick may be making up for lost time in the MBA program. She already has the Power Point backdrops ready for the group’s next project. She said the program will open more doors for the group. “It will offer us a chance to do what we want to do, when we want to do it,” she said. The women don’t expect this trip to be all about books and schoolwork, though. They hope to have at least two days of fun. Nye wants to take a side trip to Italy for “real” Italian pizza, She makes her pizza at home from scratch. The women may even squeeze in a trek to Cannes or the Alps. No doubt they’ll take along a couple of textbooks. Additional Information:

About Monaco

The Principality of Monaco is the second smallest country in the world, after Vatican City. It covers one square mile. The nation sits along the Mediterranean Sea, near the French-Italian border. The country’s population is 32,032. Its official language is French, but English and Italian are widely spoken. Monaco’s most widespread religion is Roman Catholic. The weather is considered ideal. Average winter temperatures range between 48 and 58 degrees. Average summer temperature is 80 degrees. Monaco enjoys more than 300 days of sunlight each year. Source: Monaco Tourism Web site.

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