In Memoriam

We are saddened to report that longtime supporter of International Programs, Dr. Anne Frances Baecker died July 30, 2011.  Dr. Baecker, Professor Emerita of German and Russian and former department head, came to North Carolina in 1960 and retired from UNCG in 1981. After her retirement, she continued to stay active on campus, and her resilience and scholarly work led to the establishment of the Anne Baecker Study Abroad Scholarship fund.  Over the years a number of UNCG study abroad students have benefited from the Scholarship.  Dr. Baecker will be greatly missed, and our more sincere condolences go out to her loved ones. 

Additional information is available at http://obituaries.news-record.com/obituaries/news-record/obituary.aspx?n=anne-frances-baecker&pid=152829142

Faculty Corner

Every other year, since 1995, Dr. Ann Somers has conducted her Sea Turtles: Biology 361 course abroad.  This summer was no exception as she and a number of students went to Costa Rica.  Students had opportunities to gain hands on experience by working with sea turtles in their natural habitat.  For more information on Dr. Somer’s program, please visit the UNCG Inspire Change homepage where Dr. Ann Somers is featured for her domestic and international research with sea turtles.

In the news: Dr. Omar H. Ali, Associate Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies, was interviewed this month on National Public Radio about the impact of September 11 on the Muslims in America.  For the full interview, please visit here.

Faculty funding for international activities

The International Travel Fund (ITF), created by the Provost’s Office, supports ca. 50 UNCG faculty members per year to present their work at international conferences outside North America.  Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and processed typically within two weeks of receipt.  Owing to the popularity of this fund, faculty are highly encouraged to apply as soon as they receive notification that their presentations have been accepted. Faculty may apply once per year every two out of three years.  To see who received funding for international conferences for the 2010-11 fiscal year, click here and for those who have been awarded this year to date, here. Details about applying can be found at the following website: http://www.uncg.edu/ipg/travelfunds.html.

A portion of the Kohler Fund, established in 1991 with a bequest from the estate of Phyllis Penn Kohler, class of 1930, is dedicated to supporting faculty internationalization efforts in six areas (research, teaching, internationalizing the curriculum, student programs, special projects and institutional linkages).  Faculty are encouraged to submit proposals by the deadline that falls ca. 6 weeks before the proposed event or travel. To encourage faculty submissions the Committee now has four deadlines per year for all six areas.

This year’s deadlines are September 23, October 28, January 20 and March 30). Details about the procedure for applying and the forms need can be found the IPC website at http://www.uncg.edu/ipg/fundingopportunities.html. Kohler recipient , Dr. Susanne Rinner attended a summer seminar in Berlin organized and sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG). The seminar introduced participants to current political and social developments in contemporary Germany with a particular focus on diversity and multiculturalism. Dr. Rinner said she obtained  valuable contacts and useful tools to further her research in cultural memory and information for future study abroad programs.

To see others who received a Kohler in the 2010-11 fiscal year, click here. We look forward to receiving and reviewing this year’s proposals.