Vice Provost Riedinger attended the annual meeting of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) from November 10 – 12. A member of APLU’s Commission on International Initiatives Executive Committee, he served as a discussion panelist and engaged with university leaders from across the country around issues related to international education.
The panel discussion, titled The Future of International and Foreign Language Education: What More Can Government and Universities Do Together?, explored opportunities for partnership between the US Department of Education and public universities to support world language and international education. The panelists also discussed the need for universities to equip graduates for success in the global economy. Maureen McLaughlin, the US Department of Education’s Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Education and Director of International Affairs, as well as leaders from the University of Arizona and The Ohio State University also participated as panelists.
Vice Provost Riedinger also attended a working dinner convened by APLU President Peter McPherson to brainstorm strategies for increasing US student participation in study abroad in the absence of increased federal funding for scholarships.
UW’s President Young and Vice Provost for Global Affairs Riedinger visited China and Japan from October 26 to November 7, making stops in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. The leaders met with UW alumni and friends, parents of current UW students, as well as key institutional partners.
The trip marked the beginning of an exciting new chapter for UW’s connection with international alumni, students, and parents. In Beijing and Shanghai, President Young and Vice Provost Riedinger connected with UW alumni and parents. Leadership groups of UW alumni living in China provided ideas for how UW can support the development of alumni organizations and deepen international alumni involvement.
In the first-ever meetings between university leadership and parents of international students in their home country, Vice Provost Riedinger was “impressed with the strength of [the parents’] affection for UW… and their keen interest in the success of their daughters and sons, both inside and outside of the classroom.” Feedback from the parent meetings highlighted the need for improved communication with international students and parents about the resources available at UW – from academic advising to faculty office hours.
Meetings with institutional partners focused on strengthening research partnerships, increasing collaboration among faculty, and creating additional opportunities for UW students to engage in research, internships, and experiential learning in China.
Today on the University of Washington campus, over 1200 students visited the annual Study Abroad Fair in Mary Gates Hall Commons. International universities such as Waseda University, Universidad de Guadalajara, and University of Bristol, as well as representatives from UW faculty-led programs, scholarship programs, and other organizations – over 60 in all – were on hand to provide information about the many opportunities available for study, research, and internships abroad. Study Abroad Peer Mentors and International Programs & Exchanges staff members were available during the fair to direct students to appropriate resources and provide new ideas. Student participants could also attend information sessions during the fair, including several on study abroad scholarships.
Study Abroad Peer Advisers Samantha Walters, Melissa Wong, and Jackie Lungmus
“The Study Abroad Fair creates a really exciting atmosphere for students,” says Mike Renes, a Study Abroad Adviser and Regional Lead, “they can come into the Office of International Programs & Exchanges any day for advising and learn about program options, but getting to talk with a Program Director or alumni of a program makes it real for them and gives them a good sense of the kind of experience they’ll have on the ground. That’s what the Study Abroad Fair is all about.”
The Office of International Programs & Exchanges plans to hold the Study Abroad Fair at the HUB next year to provide room for additional participants and information sessions. “We’re very excited to move the fair to a new home in the HUB,” says Renes, “the new space will give the fair room to grow. Even students who come in thinking study abroad may not be possible will have the chance to come and learn everything they need to know… from program options to how to fund it.”
This summer, 11 Husky football and softball players participated in a unique study abroad program to Tahiti. Facilitated by UW Athletics and the Department of Anthropology, the two-week-long program allowed UW student-athletes to connect with Tahitian community members by sharing their passion for sport. The program’s shorter time frame allowed them to maintain their rigorous training schedule. Participating student-athletes made big sacrifices to join the trip. “They had to choose between [using the break] to visit family or study abroad,” says Liberty Bracken, an Academic Adviser for UW Student-Athlete Academic Services who coordinated the program.
Tahitian club football players at a clinic Photo: Liberty Bracken
While in Tahiti, the UW football players facilitated nightly clinics for 5 Tahitian-American football teams. The softball players introduced local women and girls to their female-dominated sport. Female athletes are a novelty in Tahiti, where most women do not participate in organized sports. “Watching [UW softball player] Kaitlin Inglesby pitch was very impressive… the women began to think of the players as great role models for Tahitian girls,” says Bracken. Off the field, the Husky athletes connected with Tahitian culture by teaching English through PE classes at Punavai Elementary School, where they met with 17 classes and over 400 students.
The trip was also academically focused, and the student-athletes engaged in lectures and field trips related to topics of local interest, including the impact of decolonization and nuclear testing. In addition, the athletes kept journals to note their observations about Tahitian culture, politics, language, and identity.
UW athletes and Tahitian hosts practice a traditional dance Photo: Liberty Bracken
UW football and softball players made meaningful and long-lasting connections with the Tahitian community through the program. “The kindness and generosity of the UW athletes in coaching and mentoring Tahitian teams made a huge difference,” says Bracken, “the student athletes were so open to learning about the Tahitian players’ lives and journeys… football and softball helped to facilitate that.”
When it was time for the student-athletes to return home, over 60 community members came to the airport to bid them farewell. The emotional sendoff was a fitting end to a transformative experience for 11 Huskies, in which, as they put it, “Tahiti became our second home.”
The Institute for International Education recently named UW a top producer of Fulbright scholars. The efforts of UW staff and faculty members are key to the scholars’ success, both on-campus and abroad.
In late September, 51 UW faculty and staff members volunteered to serve as Fulbright campus interviewers, providing feedback to 58 UW seniors and graduate students who applied to the Fulbright US student program for next year. The Institute for International Education recently named UW a top producer of Fulbright Scholars.
“The campus selection process demonstrates the wide-ranging resources and research interests available at UW,” say Robin Chang, Marilyn Gray, and Natalia Dyba, UW’s Fulbright advisers. It is just one of many ways that UW contributes to the success of Fulbrighters, abroad and on campus.
Dr. Yan Cimon
“I don’t think there’s another university that would so readily accept a business faculty member in the College of Engineering,” reflects Dr. Yan Cimon, the 2012 – 2013 Fulbright Visiting Chair in Innovation at the UW College of Engineering’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “I benefited greatly from my amazing colleagues and research group at UW… they were instrumental in making my Fulbright year a success.” Dr. Cimon is Associate Professor of Strategy at Université Laval in Quebec, Canada and Deputy Director of CIRRELT, the Interuniversity Research Center on Logistics, Transportation and Enterprise Networks.
While at UW, Dr. Cimon investigated the integration of international value chains through a multi-disciplinary research project. He also collaborated extensively with UW Scholars, including Dr. Anne Goodchild of the College of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “The cross-fertilization of ideas between visiting Fulbright and UW scholars enriches the level of academic scholarship and discourse at the university and makes UW very globally relevant,” he says.
Sam Lim Photo: May Lim
Sam Lim, a UW alumnus and Fulbright US Student Program Fellow to Germany, emphasizes the importance of his UW education in preparing him for his Fulbright fellowship. “My research experiences, particularly the ethnographic research I did with Dr. Taso Lagos during a study abroad program in Greece, allowed me to go on my Fulbright to Germany feeling quite comfortable with my research goals. Another critical aspect of my Fulbright prep work was simply the access I had to UW faculty mentors who helped me shape my research approach.”
As a Fulbright Fellow in Germany, Sam served as an enthusiastic ambassador. “I have great pride in being an American and a UW alumnus. I always seemed to find an opportunity to inform [fellow Fulbrighters and friends in Berlin] that the UW would be a great place for them to further their career. One ended up coming to UW for a summer research opportunity.” Currently completing his Master of Arts in Education Policy at Columbia University’s Teachers College, Sam continued his ambassadorial work when he was selected in 2012 as a Fulbright Alumni Ambassador to assist with Fulbright’s national outreach efforts.
For visiting Fulbrighters and those abroad, UW is an ideal place to prepare for international scholarship and make strong connections with fellow innovators.
This week, visiting international exchange students and UW students returning from international university exchanges met and socialized in the University District. UW hosts over 200 exchange students every year from countries all over the world. Meanwhile, over 170 UW students pursue direct exchanges at universities abroad.
For the international exchange students, who have been in Seattle for just a few days, the event was a chance to meet new friends and get acquainted with the campus and community they will call home for the next few months. Returning students came to connect with friends made at international universities and share their knowledge of UW with new friends.
The crowd at the social Photo: Sara StubbsPeachayaporn Pongsarojanavit, Ling Liu, and Luca Orlando Photo: Sara Stubbs
Over hamburgers, Luca Orlando of Bocconi University in Italy chatted with Ling Liu and Peachayaporn Pongsarojanavit, both from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. All three students are living on campus and excited to learn more about all that UW has to offer.
“The campus is really peaceful and friendly,” said Luca, “in Italy we don’t have anything like [UW], with the buildings all together and parks in between.” All three students came to campus without much knowledge of Seattle or the Puget Sound region, but they are all ready to begin their studies and take advantage of UW’s diverse academic offerings. They plan to pursue courses in finance, biological sciences, and Swedish language.
Kellie Nada, Yusuke Tanaka, Ethan Dill, and Gaku Murakami Photo: Sara Stubbs
Not far away, Japanese students Gaku Murakami of Kyoto University and Yusuke Tanaka of Kobe University were ‘friending’ Kellie Nada and Ethan Dill on Facebook. Ethan and Kellie are UW students just returning from an exchange to Waseda University in Japan, and had met Gaku and Yasuke through mutual friends. Because of this connection, Yusuke is living in a group house with Kellie. All four students agree that connecting visiting and returning students is a great way to make friends and extend relationships built abroad.
During her sophomore year study abroad, Theresa Maloney fell in love – with Rome, art history, and the UW Rome Center itself. When she returned to Seattle, she immediately began preparing to apply for the Rome Center Intern position. The internship allows one exceptional undergraduate to live at the Rome Center for a year, conduct in-depth research, and gain professional experience in student affairs, facilities management, and administrative work.
Theresa prepared for the competitive internship position by taking additional Italian language courses, delving deeper into her art history studies, and seeking out faculty mentors who could help her design research proposals. “It’s important to find [faculty] who will support you in your research,” she advises, “you need to be serious and work with advisers and professors to develop a feasible project.” Her hard work paid off, and she was selected as the Rome Center Intern.
Theresa visits Piazza Navona with fellow UW students
While in Rome, Theresa engaged in two research projects. The first examined the appearance of women in Renaissance portraiture. In particular, she focused on a painting by Lorenzo Lotto and wrote a paper outlining increasingly dynamic roles of women during the course of the Renaissance. Her second research project focused on Rome’s Baroque Fountain of the Moor, in which she explored the choices made by Bernini to connect the fountain with aesthetic traditions and political histories of the city while establishing unity within the newly redeveloped public space of Piazza Navona.
Theresa at the Rome Center’s Thanksgiving dinner – she baked the pies!
When not engaged in academic work, Theresa was busy with a variety of duties at the Rome Center. The intern serves as the administrative point person for students and faculty at the Rome Center. “I didn’t realize that it took so much paperwork to get students to Rome!” she says. The intern position also “can be lonely”, Theresa explains, “because you’re in between – not a student and not a faculty member.” However, professors at the Rome Center made her feel right at home, supporting her research activities and including her in class excursions. She also worked to connect with the local community, taking yoga classes in Italian and joining a gym.
Now back in Seattle, Theresa plans to explore a career path in the field of international education. “Before my time as the Rome Center intern, I saw [study abroad] from the student side,” she says. “Now, I can also see things from the faculty and administrative perspective. I gained so much from the internship – independence, language skills… I approach things in a new way.”
When L’Oreal Kennedy came to UW, she did not imagine that study abroad would be a part of her education. Today, she is completing an accelerated second bachelor’s program in nursing at Johns Hopkins University, having engaged in clinical internships in St. Croix and the United Arab Emirates. This autumn, she will begin doctoral studies at UW School of Nursing.
Working with children in Namibia Photo: L'Oreal Kennedy
“I knew that [study abroad] was out there, but I didn’t know it was an option for me,” L’Oreal explains. However, with the help of supportive professors and advisers at the UW School of Social Work, she discovered an exciting study abroad program in Namibia.
While in Namibia, “we saw how social work works in a different environment,” L’Oreal says, “we rode our bikes to an after-school tutoring center in a small township every day and worked as teaching assistants. It was a chance for hands-on application of the skills she was learning in her social work major, and it also convinced L’Oreal that she wanted to study abroad during her graduate studies. “I saw how important it is to get out there while you’re in a learning environment, to meet and develop relationships with local people.”
Taking in the view Photo: L'Oreal Kennedy
During her nursing program at Johns Hopkins, she engaged in two international clinical rotations. Working directly with medical providers, women, and families in St. Croix and the United Arab Emirates, L’Oreal had the chance to see nursing practice at work in very different cultural contexts.
Now entering the Doctor of Nursing program at UW, L’Oreal sees clear connections between study abroad and her future career. “I’m interested in focusing on under-served populations. [Study abroad] has helped me understand that there’s always another view, something else that I need to consider. I can’t just look at it from my perspective.”
Biochemistry major and aspiring pediatrician Melissa Wong embarked on a unique, self-directed study abroad in 2012. Through an independent study course with the UW Asian Languages department, she earned academic credit for completing an ohenro, or pilgrimage, to 88 temples scattered across the Japanese island of Shikoku. The journey, which Melissa made by bike, bus, car, train, and foot, took her across 750 miles of countryside. A Husky Promise student, Melissa studied abroad with the support of a GO! Scholarship. Funded by the Washington State Legislature, GO! Scholarships support study abroad opportunities for students with significant financial need.
At a temple, on her last day of pilgrimage Photo: Melissa Wong
Melissa bloged about her journey to the temples of Shikoku. She sums up her experiences in the following blog entry, made after visiting the final temple:
One of the most important gifts I received was courage and bravery. I am willing to take more risks and not be afraid of the unknown. The old Melissa would never bike to 88 temples, take initiative to meet new people, and travel out of her boundaries. This is something you can never learn from textbooks.
Now back on the UW campus, Melissa is giving back by serving as a Study Abroad Peer Mentor. The peer mentorship program, facilitated by International Programs & Exchanges, connects undergraduates just back from studying abroad with students considering a similar experience. “When I saw the opportunity to become a Peer Mentor, I thought it would be a great opportunity to give back after receiving the GO! Scholarship,” she explains.
A pre-med biochemistry major, Melissa hopes that she can inspire fellow science majors to study abroad. She wants to show that it’s possible and very beneficial to work around sequential courses and busy schedules to study abroad. “I learned so much from the people I met in Japan,” Melissa explains, “…to go with the flow and do what I like, and see how it connects to my future goals later. Everything I’ve done since getting back has been influenced by my experiences in Japan.”
After returning from her study abroad, Melissa took Astronomy 101, just because the subject interests her. “Since then, I’ve been working with Professor Fraser on the Mobile Planetarium, where we teach 1st and 2nd graders about astronomy. I think volunteering as a teacher will help me become a better pediatrician.” Melissa’s journey with study abroad doesn’t stop with peer mentorship. She will travel to South Korea this fall with the Family & Child Nursing: Culture, Immigration & Health Exploration Seminar, and she hopes to engage in a direct exchange or internship abroad next year.
Dr. Anna Witte leads the dynamic Spanish Children’s Literature: Creative Reading, Writing and Storytelling study abroad program at the UW Leon Center in northwestern Spain. The Center is housed in the 16th century tower of El Palacio del Conde Luna, a gothic palace that was formerly the seat of the Kingdom of Leon and today hosts a museum and performance space. Its location in and strong connection to the Leon community makes the center an ideal place for Dr. Witte’s program, which engages UW undergraduates in local culture and life through homestays, school visits and teaching opportunities, as well as live performance. In the classroom, students explore the craft of storytelling through a survey of Spanish children’s literature course, pupeteering workshop, and several group projects.
Working with puppets Photo: Matthew London
“There’s nothing like learning about how children grow up, how they relate to adults and other kids, to learn about another culture,” says Dr. Witte. Her program provides many opportunities for cultural exploration through the lenses of child development, teaching, and storytelling. Much of her students’ time is spent engaging hands-on in local schools and in the Leon community. Students visit a local public and private school, first observing and then returning several weeks later to give lessons in English and Spanish. The lessons are great opportunities for the UW students to put their new teaching through storytelling skills in action. “Schools in Leon are basically bi-lingual,” explains Dr. Witte, and local educators are excited for American students to participate in their classrooms.
Performing for an audience – with wolf ears Photo: Matthew London
The program culminates with a public storytelling event at the Leon Center, organized and performed by the program students. The free event is publicized by the Leon Mayor’s office, and tickets sell out on the first day! This spring, UW students performed a “story salad”, mixing together several familiar stories, a song, and a puppet show for the audience of 30 youngsters. Because the event’s theme was “The Wolf”, one group even made wolf ears for every child in the audience!
Celebrating the performance Photo: Matthew London
“This was the best experience of my 30-year teaching career,” says Dr. Witte. “The program showed students that being in the classroom is a lot of work, but they ended up wanting more interaction with the children! I look forward to building even closer relationships with schools in Leon.” These partnerships will no doubt benefit children in Leon as well as UW study abroad students.
Dr. Witte watches the perfomance Photo: Matthew London
