Free Hands-on Workshop Focusing on Diversity in International Education

Last Tuesday, Kerry Geffert from the American Institute For Foreign Study (AIFS) posted to SECUSS-L about an upcoming and important workshop on diversity in international education that I think many IHEC Blog readers will find of interest.  I have copied and pasted the majority of Kerry’s post to SECUSS-L below with his permission:

 

The American Institute For Foreign Study (AIFS) and Diversity Abroad cordially invite you to attend a unique hands-on workshop focusing on Diversity in International Education.

The event will be held on Tuesday September 21st at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. and will be co-sponsored by the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO), the Institute of International Education (IIE) and Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU).

This is a free workshop with a generous grant provided by the American Institute For Foreign Study (AIFS) Foundation. Participation is limited to study abroad advisors and study abroad directors. The event will start at 10am, include lunch with an address given by a prominent speaker in the field and will conclude at 4pm.

Potential workshop topics include:

 *   What research currently exists and what additional research is needed?
 *   How can we better utilize returning students to increase diversity in study abroad?
 *   What part does location play in increasing diversity in study abroad?
 *   What is the potential role of non-study abroad organizations (on & off campus) in the expansion of a diverse study abroad population?
 *   What diversity scholarships are available now? How can we obtain additional funding?
 *   What are the next steps to increase diversity in education abroad?

* * All participants are encouraged to give a $25 donation to the Foundation upon arrival.

Please RSVP by August 1st. If you are interested in being a discussion panelist to share your knowledge and help lend to discussion, please let us know when you respond. Please RSVP online at http://www.aifs.com/education_workshop.asp.

For more information and to RSVP, please contact Paulette Aguirre at paguirre@aifs.com

DETAILS SUMMARY:

*     What:        Hands-on Workshop Focusing on Diversity in International Education

*     When:        September 21, 2010  (10am-4pm)

*     Where:       National Press Club, Washington, DC

I have been asked to update some of the data tables I have compiled and published in the past for this workshop and I will be doing so in the coming days.  I always make my data tables available and free and will do so after the workshop.

Photo credit:  Frerike

IHEC Blog Interview with Christopher Murphy about Writing for and Publishing at NAFSA

During the NAFSA annual conference in Kansas City, Missouri this past May I was fortunate to interview Christopher Murphy, Senior Director for Publications at NAFSA, about the publishing process at NAFSA.  I first met Christopher during the NAFSA Winter Leadership Meeting in January 2006 when I joined the NAFSA Subcommittee on Information Management (SIM) representing the Teaching, Learning and Scholarship Knowledge Community.  I had the pleasure of serving on this committee for three years and I really learned a lot about publishing from Christopher and his NAFSA colleagues!

Do you have an idea for a NAFSA publication?  Do you have an idea for an article for International Educator?  If so, be sure to check out the "Get Published in NAFSA Publications" webpage here.  You should also feel free to contact one of the SIM members who are listed on this same webpage.

Many colleagues and IHEC Blog readers know that I'm a fan and collector of international education literature and I encourage you to take a look around NAFSA's publication website to see what resources are available to help with your practice and/or research efforts.  Also, if you find yourself at a NAFSA annual conference be sure to set aside time to visit the NAFSA Bookstore where you can find a nice selection of publications by NAFSA as well as from other publishers!

Photo credit:  David Comp, 2010 NAFSA Annual Conference, Kansas City, Missouti

IHEC Blog Highlights New Book "Innovation Through Education: Building the Knowledge Economy in the Middle East"

For the second day in a row I am highlighting a new book that I think many IHEC Blog readers will be interested in reading.  Like all book "reviews" on IHEC Blog I write less like I'm reviewing for a journal and more like I'm informing about a book that I think is worthwhile to investigate further.


During the NAFSA annual conference I picked the entire Global Education Research Reports series (a joint effort by the Institute of International Education (IIE) and the AIFS Foundation (really great stuff they are doing in the field and they'll be mentioned again in a post next week!).  I first posted to IHEC Blog about the Global Education Research Reports series back in June 2008.   While in Kansas City this past May I picked-up the first three books in the series from the American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS) booth in the exhibit hall (see my post from Tuesday about my exhibit hall activities) as they are an annual must stop for me because of the excellent literature they provide (shh! let's keep it a secret so no one gets to their booth before me to get all of the good literature).  The fourth book in the series Innovation Through Education: Building the Knowledge Economy in the Middle East was recently published and promoted just after the NAFSA conference.  I was fortunate to get a copy (almost hot off the press) from a secret source!  While I wanted to post to IHEC Blog earlier about this new book I wanted to read it first and did so just this past weekend.  There are five  reports scheduled for this series and as soon as the fifth is published I'll be sure to post to IHEC Blog about it!  


I really enjoyed reading Innovation Through Education: Building the Knowledge Economy in the Middle East and found it to be very informative and it is one of the best reports that I have read in quite some time (and I often find my nose buried in international education literature).  I work with many, many students in my day job as Senior Adviser for International Initiatives in The College at The University of Chicago who want to study and/or research independently in the Middle East (as well as those who already have been in the region and plan to return) and I also work with incoming international exchange students from Egypt.  This book is an excellent resource for my practice in the field as well as in my side research and consulting activities.


The Table of Contents follows:


Foreword 

Allan E. Goodman, President and CEO, IIE

Bill Gertz, President and CEO, AIFS 
Introduction 
Jamil Salmi, World Bank 
Chapter 1: The “Knowledge Society” in the Middle East 
Daniel Kirk, American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Chapter 2: Different Emirates, Different Models: Creating Global Institutions in the Gulf States 
Spencer Witte, Ishtirak
Chapter 3: Higher Education Creates Higher Expectations in Jordan: Combatting the Loss of the Kingdom’s Intellectual Wealth 
Robert G. Ayan Jr., Cambridge Advisors LLC
Chapter 4: Strategic Planning in Higher Education in the Middle East: The Case of Non-Gulf Countries 
Hana A. El-Ghali, Qianyi Chen, and John L. Yeager, University of Pittsburgh 
Chapter 5: The Role of Internationalization in Women’s Education in the Middle East 
Haifa Reda Jamal Al-Lail, Effat University 
Chapter 6: Promoting U.S.–Middle Eastern Cultural Understanding through Youth Exchange 
Sherifa M.B.E. Fayez, AFS Egypt  and Dan Prinzing, Idaho Human Rights Education Center 
Chapter 7: Advancing U.S. Study Abroad in the Arab World 
Jerome Bookin-Weiner, AMIDEAST and Ahmad Majdoubeh, University of Jordan 
Chapter 8: The U.S. Arabic Distance Learning Network: An Effort to Expand Instruction in a Less Commonly Taught Languages 
Norman J. Peterson and Yvonne M. Rudman, Montana State University 
Appendices
IIE’s Activities in the MENA Region 
Daniel Obst, IIE and Liz Khalifa, IIE/MENA


Classifying Higher Education Institutions in the MENA Region: A Pilot Project 

Rajika Bhandari and Robert Gutierrez, IIE 

Historical Trends in Student Mobility from the Middle East to the United States 

Shepherd Laughlin and Patricia Chow, IIE 

You can learn about all of the four books published thus far in the Global Education Research Reports series here.

New Book In The Spotlight: “Transformations at the Edge of the World: Forming Global Christians through the Study Abroad Experience”

From time to time I highlight/review books on IHEC Blog and today I wanted to highlight a new book I received from (2010) Abilene Christian University Press that many IHEC Blog readers may find of interest.  Transformations at the Edge of the World: Forming Global Christians through the Study Abroad Experience is edited by Ronald J. Morgan and Cynthia Toms Smedley and is 272 pages in length.  Here is a description of Transformations at the Edge of the World from the website:

“For the editors of this volume, "the edge of the world" is neither a place of physical remoteness where cell phone coverage runs out nor a region of economic marginality. Instead, it is a place of personal transformations, the point of convergence between the individual student's spiritual development and her commitment to global engagement. The formation of such students requires a holistic approach to education, one that connects knowledge with action and heart with head. In the study abroad context, holistic education emphasizes ethical formation, cultivation of empathy, the creation of deep communities, and commitment to social responsibility.


This collection of essays is characterized by the diversity of its voices. The contributors represent a broad range of faith-based institutions and a wide array of academic disciplines. The study abroad programs they describe, scattered across five continents including North America, reflect a variety of models. Gathered into this pioneering collection are essays that theorize about the conjunction of spiritual formation and global engagement, share practices that are already bearing fruit, and identify potential areas of growth and improvement for the future.”


What I like about Transformations at the Edge of the World is that it focuses on an aspect of study abroad [spirituality] that is quite often neglected in the literature base of our field.  I found Transformations at the Edge of the World to be an excellent read and I highly recommend it to all colleagues and researchers in the field and not just those working at Christian Colleges, Universities and organizations.  Additionally, Transformations at the Edge of the World is very reasonably priced at $24.99 and you can order it here.  Following is an abbreviated Table of Contents:

Table of Contents

Foreword—Ken Bussema (Vice President of the Council for Christian Colleges and

Universities)

Introduction—Cynthia Toms Smedley (University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana;

Center for Social Concerns)

Part I:

The Journey Inward

Chapter One: Doors to Transformation— Janine Paden Morgan (Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas; ACU in Oxford)

Chapter Two: Students Abroad as Tourists and Pilgrims— John D. Barbour (St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota; semester in Asia)

Chapter Three: Reflection as a Means of Discovery: Where Is God in the Experience?— Andrea Smith Shappell (University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana; Center for Social Concerns)

Chapter Four: Seizing the “God Appointments” When There Is Cultural Disorientation in a Study Abroad Program— Lon Fendall (George Fox University, Newberg, Oregon; semester in Bolivia-Paraguay)

Part II:

Inward Journey to Outward Living: Community Teacher

Chapter Five: New Monasticism Meets Renaissance Bottega: Gordon College’s Semester Program in Orvieto, Italy— JohnSkillen (Gordon College, Wenham, Massachusetts; semester in Orvieto, Italy)

Chapter Six: An Intentional Roman Catholic Community: Integrating Faith, Reason, and Service at the Heart of the Church— Don Briel (University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota; semester in Rome)

Part III:

Coming Face to Face with the Social Other: Bridging Intercommunal Divides

Chapter Seven: “With Open Eyes”: Cultivating World Christians through Intercultural Awareness— Laura Montgomery and Mary Docter (Westmont College, Santa Barbara, California; Westmont in Mexico)

Chapter Eight: Who Is My Neighbor? Forming Kingdom People in a World of Conflict— Ronald J. Morgan (Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas; ACU in Oxford)

Chapter Nine: Middle Eastern Mirrors for the Children of Empire— David Holt (Council for Christian Colleges and Universities [CCCU] Middle East Studies Program, Cairo, Egypt)

Chapter Ten: San Francisco Urban Program: Encountering America’s Future-Tense— Scott McClelland, Karen Andrews, and Brad Berky (Westmont College, Santa Barbara, California; San Francisco Urban Program)

Part IV:

TheYear of the Lord’s Good Favor: Cultivating Solidarity with the Global Poor

Chapter Eleven: Learning from Slums: Study and Service in Solidarity with the World’s Urban Poor— Richard Slimbach (Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, California; Global Studies Program, India, Philippines, and Haiti)

Chapter Twelve: The Phenomenology of a Christian Environmental Study Abroad Program— Chris Elisara (Creation Care Study Program, San Diego, California; Belize, New Zealand, and Samoa)

Chapter Thirteen: The Study Service Term: An Alignment of a Religious Tradition with an Academic Program— Thomas J. Meyers (Goshen College, Goshen, Indiana; Study Service Term, primarily working in developing countries)

Conclusion: Toward Successful Transformations— Ronald J. Morgan (Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas; ACU in Oxford)

Appendix: Liturgies for Study Abroad— Janine Paden Morgan (Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas; ACU in Oxford)

Literature obtained during the NAFSA Annual Conference & IHEC Blog Posts this Week

During the NAFSA conference I always find time to stroll through the exhibit hall.  I sometimes find it to be the most educational part of the conference.  To be sure, I’m always on the hunt for chotchkies for my kids and I think this year I did not disappoint!  I also started collecting pins (not buttons) from all of the various booths and I have a nice little collection going for the past three years.  More important, however, is that strolling through the exhibit hall provides an excellent opportunity for me to brush up on my anthropological and field/observational research skills (though I have no formal training in this area).  I find it very educational to see how various institutions, organizations, companies and countries present themselves to the field and I always find it fascinating to sit back and watch all of the people from all over the world interacting and working to establish exchanges/agreements as the exhibit hall is so much more than an us [U.S.] and them transaction.

Another practice of mine in the exhibit hall is searching for and collecting reports and books for my various research activities and to be housed in my Bury Book International Education Library & Archive.  NAFSA 2010 was exceptionally good to me as you can see from the photo pictured with this post (includes much of the literature I picked-up).  This week I will be highlighting some of literature I picked-up in the exhibit hall as well as some of the literature I was given (Many thanks IIE and MIUSA).  Additionally, I hope to post about a new publication about study abroad in the U.S. that I recently received.  To end this week I plan to post my video interview with Christopher Murphy, Senior Publications Director at NAFSA, as we discussed writing and publishing with NAFSA.

In case you missed my tweet (with photo) from #nafsa10 about the new CIEE Occasional Paper #32 titled “Study Abroad and its Transformative Power” by Gerald W. Fry, R. Michael Paige, Jae-Eun Jon, Jon Dillow and Kyoung-Ah Nam I thought I would put this great new publication on your radar.  CIEE has resurrected their popular Occasional Papers series and based on my conversation with a colleague at CIEE involved with bringing this new Occasional Paper to the field there will hopefully be more to come in the future!  You can access the Study Abroad and its Transformative Power Occasional Paper #32 here and all of the CIEE Occasional Papers here.

Share Your Story – U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy

The U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy is collecting stories from citizen diplomats to feature on their new website to highlight the great work many Americans are doing all over the world. The great part about collecting these stories is that they will automatically be included in The Center’s bi-annual National Awards for Global Citizen Diplomacy (past awardee includes Greg Mortenson). The Awards' link will have nomination instructions on the webpage.  The Center will make a monetary donation to an organization chosen by each awardee (there will be six individuals awarded). The ceremony will be held during the U.S. Summit & Initiative for Global Citizen Diplomacy in Washington, D.C. in November, during a special cultural event hosted by the International Cultural Engagement Task Force.

Read about retired U.S. Army veteran and police officer Stephen Fryburg:

I'm a retired police officer and US Army veteran (member of Veterans for Peace), served 3 years, 74-77. When the US decided to attack Iraq, out of frustration, I created a website that I have continued to maintain called the Human Club, www.humanclub.org. The website serves to get people to envision themselves as global citizens.  Then I joined with a group of people in the Dayton Ohio area who were trying to get a peace museum started, 2003. I became the only full time volunteer of the museum so that we could get the museum started, the Dayton International Peace Museum, and eventually became a board member and director of the museum, all volunteer positions.

Or what about the story from Linnea Keats:

Since 1989 my husband and I have been engaged in hosting college and high school students through various programs the promote international exchange to develop mutual respect, cultural understanding and promote peace.  We have worked with AFS, AYUSA, our local sister city program and our own individual internship program prior to 9/11.   As a result of our efforts we have hosted 37 exchange students for various lengths of time ranging from two weeks to eleven months.  Students represent every Continent inhabit on a permanent basis by man.  Our goal has always been to share and respect our cultures, develop a sense of awareness for the needs of different people, maintain communication, and share the daily life between our exchange students. Through friendship and goodwill peace prevails around the world.  We always maintain the attitude that we are not correct or wrong.  More importantly we are different.  Through the differences we learn how similar we really are.  Peace.

Follow the Center on Twitter here and on Facebook here and on YouTube here and finally on their blog here.      

INDO-U.S. Summit on Higher Education, July 30, 31 and August 1, 2010

Shortly before the NAFSA annual conference back in May I was invited to attend the INDO-U.S. Summit on Higher Education of the Indo-American Society by one of the task force members.  Unfortunately, I’m not able to attend but I offered to post to IHEC Blog about the Summit as I think it sounds really interesting and it has received little attention here in the U.S.

The Summit aims at building synergies between Universities abroad and in India so as to create opportunities for better system in India’s Higher Education Programmes. The Event is co-sponsored by Global Knowledge Initiative, Washington, D.C., the Institute of International Education, the U.S. Consulate General, Mumbai, and the American Chamber of Commerce in India among others.  United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has been invited as the Keynote Speaker!  Following is a brief description of the summit that I copied and pasted from one of the conference documents.

Highlights of the Summit

• The Government of India is planning to open avenues for foreign educational institutions by introducing the Foreign Educational Institutions Bill in the Indian Parliament.  This will create new opportunities for several foreign educational institutions keen on opening in India.
• The Hon'ble Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Government of India Shri. KAPIL SIBAL has been invited as Chief Guest

• This Summit is co-sponsored by AMCHAM (American Chamber of Commerce) and supported by USG

• Several Deans and Heads of reputed American and other foreign Universities will participate in this interactive Summit

• From India, Deans and V ice Chancellors of leading Universities will participate

• Leading Speakers from U.S., U.K., reputed Indian Educational Institutes of higher learning and other Institutes from Europe, Switzerland, Singapore, Malaysia and Japan are also being invited

• You can compare notes and explore with WHO'S WHO in Education the world over

You can learn more about the Indo-American Society on their website at  http://www.indoamericansociety.org/.  You can also find a detailed 15 page brochure as well as register for the Summit at http://www.indoamericansociety.org/events.asp.