Colorado might not border an ocean, but that hasn’t stopped the Institute for Shipboard Education — the group behind the popular Semester at Sea program — from laying anchor at Colorado State University.

ISE and CSU announced a five-year contract Thursday, which entails ISE moving its offices from Charlottesville, Virginia, to Fort Collins. With the partnership, students from various universities enrolled in the Semester at Sea program will earn CSU credit that will transfer to their home institutions.

Additionally, the partnership with ISE will provide more scholarships for CSU students interested in leaving the landlocked state.

“A partnership with Colorado State University will enhance the Semester at Sea experience, and we are eager to begin our journey together,” Kenn Gaither, president of ISE, wrote in a press release.

According to Gaither, CSU aligns with ISE’s core values because of the University’s commitment to experiential learning and internationalization. In the past five years, the number of CSU students involved in education abroad has increased by 70 percent.

The partnership will officially begin June 2016 after ISE’s current agreement with the University of Virginia ends. According to the press release, CSU will support ISE through academic, administrative and student recruiting resources.

According to Mary Stromberger, chair of the CSU Faculty Council, the partnership will provide opportunities for faculty to serve as academic deans during voyages.

“I see these as tremendous benefits to the CSU faculty and our students,” Stromberger said in the press release.

The Semester at Sea program recently announced a sixth ship that will serve as a mobile campus. For over 50 years, Semester at Sea has collaborated with four academic sponsors and has harbored 60,000 students from over 1,700 colleges.

Collegian Senior Reporter Skyler Leonard can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @Skyler_Leonard.