Top Story!
Join the campus community and Greensboro
for UNCG's30th Annual International Festival: April 14, 2012
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Scenes from last year’s International Festival
On Saturday, April 14, 2012, The International Programs Center and the International Students Association will host the 30th annual UNCG International Festival (I-Fest). I-Fest is an annual celebration of global diversity and all the wonder of human cultures. The event aims to promote cultural awareness, appreciation, and understanding through music, food, crafts, demonstrations, and performance.
Students from some of the 90+ countries represented at UNCG will gather at a global village of nearly 40 booths where visitors can see, hear, smell, and taste cultures from all over the world. A center stage will feature live entertainment throughout the event.
I-Fest is FREE and open to the public. It will be held along College Avenue on Saturday, April 14, from 12:00 – 5:00 pm. For more information or if you would like to volunteer or if you would like to host a "country" booth, please contact: Mike Elliott, mjellio2@uncg.edu.
Click here if you would like to reproduce our I-Fest Flyer for promotional purposes.
Faculty & Staff!
Student exchange interviews
During the week of February 20 – 27, 2012, interviews took place for students applying to study abroad this summer, fall, and full year of 2012-13. The interviews are an important part of the study abroad application process as they allow UNCG faculty and staff to meet with each student individually to discuss their study abroad plans and to gauge the students' preparedness for studying abroad. Each student is interviewed by a three-person team comprised of IPC staff and faculty from across campus.
Prior to the interviews, students receive information about what to expect from the process and topics that may be discussed. In general, students are encouraged to be prepared to address the academic fit of the proposed host schools, convey an understanding of financial management skills while abroad, and highlight country specific cultural considerations. Students also share their insight on what they feel it means to be an exchange student in a new culture and to explore the emotional and social challenges associated with being abroad for an extended period of time. Finally, students are asked to share personal goals and expectations for their study abroad experience and how they align with their overall professional outlook.
Faculty and staff who participated in this year's interview process were:
| Jeanne Aaroe Susan Andreatta Darlene Broadhurst Rob Cannon Joe Erba David Fein Tuisha Fernandes Lori George Lillie Granger Robin Cunningham Eloise Hassell Angie Kapely Tom Keller Estuko Kinefuchi Christopher Kirkman |
Tommy Lambeth Seung-Hyun Lee Patrick Lucas Bill Markham Tom Matyock Sam Miller Keith Mobley Elizabeth Natelle Rosemery Nelson Gray Gail Pack Amanda Pelon Linda Pollock Jerry Pubantz Ellen Redmond Jack Register |
Michael Reiker Susanne Rinner Cathryne Schmitz Mark Schumacher Heather Schwartz Paul Silvia Chiaki Takagi Brad Teague Richard Titus Jonathan Tudge Mark Villacorta Nancy Walker Amy Williamsen Jonathan Zarecki |
Join Penelope Pynes, Denise Bellamy and Tom Martinek in thanking the faculty and staff who conduct this crucial aspect of our exchange program, and we wish our study abroad candidates the best of luck! The nomination list will be posted in 207 Foust on March 16.
Staff Updates
Good luck, Heidi Fischer! It is with mixed emotions that we bid a fond farewell to our colleague Heidi Fischer, who served as the Assistant Director of Academic Advising and Coordinator for International Student Services with the Office of Undergraduate Student Services in the Bryan School of Business & Economics. She has recently accepted the position of Director of Study Abroad at High Point University!
Heidi has worked closely with the International Programs Center over the past six and half years to provide unparalleled support for business students preparing to study abroad, as well as for international exchange students joining the UNCG campus community.
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Emily Holmes and her baby girl, Ezra Elizabeth |
Farewell, Emily Holmes! IPC must also say farewell to eNewsworthy Editor Emily Holmes. A graduate student with the Counseling Program at UNCG, Emily earned a degree from Western Carolina University and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Chad before joining IPC in September 2011. It is our great joy to congratulate Emily and her husband on their adopted daughter, Ezra Elizabeth, who was born on December 31, 2011. It has been a great pleasure to have Emily on our staff, and we wish her family the very best!
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New eNewsworthy Editor, Zach Dayhuff |
Welcome, Zach Dayhuff! Zach joined IPC on February 16, 2012, as the new Editor of eNewsworthy. Zach studied English at the University of Colorado and has previous experience as an editor and production manager at IHRA, a historical publisher in Boulder, Colorado. He is currently a Master of Fine Arts candidate in the Creative Writing Program at UNCG.
International Students!
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Several international students pose after being recognized at the Student Academic Achievement Awards. Left to right: Yasuhiro Nakajima, Gherdai Hassell, Mohammed Berray, Naporn Wattanakasaem, Sasikarn Chatvijit |
On February 9, 2012, UNCG honored its international degree-seeking students with a reception and awards ceremony that recognized outstanding academic achievement. The reception, organized by Michael Elliott, Director of International Students and Scholars Services, was attended by approximately 40 graduate and undergraduate students. Dr. Laura Chesak, Associate Dean of the Graduate School, and Dr. Brad Teague of INTERLINK were among those present to celebrate the students. In addition to recognizing the contribution of international students to UNCG academics, the awards highlight the students’ roles as international leaders, as they apply their UNCG experience to work they do in the U.S., their home communities, and elsewhere abroad.
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Left to right: Drs. Laura Chesak, Associate Dean of the Graduate School, Penelope Pynes, Associate Provost, International Programs & Brad Teague, Director, INTERLINK Language Center |
Special Programs!
UNCG Faculty, Staff, and Students Present at Wake Forest University's WISE Conference
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Left to right: Heidi Fischer, Logan Stanfield, Dr. Sarah Krive, Tom Martinek, Jr., Dr. Catherine Holderness, Dr. Lawrence Jenkens, Dr. Seung-Hyun Lee, Dr. Joseph Frey, and Dr. Penelope Pynes |
On February 10-11, 2012, International Programs invited fourteen staff and faculty members from across UNCG's campus to participate in the Workshop on Intercultural Skills Enhancement (WISE) in Winston-Salem. These faculty, staff, and students joined Dr. Penelope Pynes at Wake Forest University’s Graylyn Conference Center for an exploration of methods to prepare students for meaningful cross-cultural engagement in study abroad. UNCG faculty members Dr. Keith Mobley and Dr. Ana Hontanilla, along with Counseling and Educational Development doctoral student Laura Shannonhouse, presented the benefits they have discovered by incorporating additional intercultural preparation into the design of their respective programs.
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Left to right: Laura Shannonhouse, Dr. Keith Mobley, and Dr. Ana Hontanilla |
Jack Register, Social Work, faculty
Amy Williamsen, Languages, Literatures and Cultures, faculty
Heidi Fischer, Bryan School, staff
Joseph Frey, Office of Leadership and Service Learning, staff
Seung-Hyun Lee, Media Studies, faculty
Sarah Krive, Lloyd International Honors College, staff
Keith Mobley, Counseling and Educational Development, faculty (presenter)
Laura Shannonhouse, Counseling and Educational Development, doctoral student (presenter)
Ana Hontanilla, Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, faculty (presenter)
Corbin Jackson, student panelist
Penelope Pynes, IPC, staff (presenter)
Tom Martinek, Jr., IPC, staff
Catherine Holderness, IPC, staff
Logan Stanfield, IPC, staff
If you are interested in participating in a future WISE Conference please contact: Penelope Pynes, pjpynes@uncg.edu. For more information about the WISE conference, visit the website at http://www.wfu.edu/wise/
Student Highlights!
What Studying Abroad Has Meant to Me by Emma H. Thomas
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Emma Thomas in Peru |
Emma is an undergraduate senior at UNCG majoring in Anthropology, Human Development & Family Studies, and Women's and Gender Studies. This 2011 field season at Cerro Mejía, Emma participated in her first archaeological field school and was funded by the Archaeological Institute of America's Jane C. Waldbaum Archaeological Field School Scholarship for first-time field students and the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship for study abroad students. In addition to her work in the field, Emma conducted research with Dr. Nash for her Senior Honors Project on the taphonomy of animal bone at Cerro Mejía. Her research was largely experimental and she is currently conducting the preliminary analysis of the collected data. This undergraduate research was funded by UNCG's Office of Undergraduate Research for the Summer and Fall 2011 semesters. Emma's interests include ethnozooarchaeology and modern Peruvian gender roles. To learn more about Emma's research, check out her Senior Honors Project. Information about how Emma navigated the study abroad experience in Peru is available at Studying Abroad: A Peruvian Experience!
Visitors and Scholars!
UNCG welcomed several international visitors this month. Special thanks to everyone who contributed to the success of these visits!
Deakin University, Australia
On February 6, 2012, IPC was pleased to host Dr. Mardie Townsend, Associate Professor of Health and Social Development at Deakin University in Burwood, Victoria, Australia. After meeting with Dr. Penelope Pynes, Associate Provost for International Programs, Dr. Townsend met with Dr. Sharon Morrison and Dr. David Wyrick, Associate Professors in the Department of Public Health, and Tricia Kauffman, Ph.D. candidate in Public Health.
After lunch, Justin T. Streuli, MBA, Coordinator for Sustainable Entrepreneurship LLC at the Office of Learning Communities, hosted Dr. Townsend at the UNCG Spartan Trader retail store, and Kaitlin Ritchie, IPC Incoming Exchange Coordinator, led Dr. Townsend on a tour of campus.
Dr. Townsend concluded her tour with meetings with Drs. Joy Bhadury, and William Brown, Jr., Associate Deans of the Bryan School of Business and Economics, and Dinner with Dr. Catherine Holderness, IPC Special Projects.
University of Salzburg, Austria
In February 15, 2012, IPC was happy to welcome and host Dr. Ralph Poole and Dr. Joshua Parker (UNCG Alum '93) from Paris Lodron University of Salzburg in Austria, one of our International Student Exchange Program (ISEP) partner universities. Both Dr. Poole and Dr. Parker are professors of English and American Studies and assist with the development of global initiatives. The purpose of the visit was to explore opportunities to increase our student exchange numbers by reviewing curriculum offerings.
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Left to right: Dr. Penelope Pynes, Dr. Joshua Parker, Dr. Ralph Poole, and Denise Bellamy |
The visit included meetings with several international programs staff, including Denise Bellamy, Director of Study Abroad and Exchanges; Dr. Penelope Pynes, Associate Provost for International Programs; Dr. C.K. Kwai, Director of UNC Exchange Program; Tom Martinek, Jr., Assistant Director of Study Abroad and Exchanges; and Kaitlin Ritchie, Incoming Exchange Coordinator.
The group also met with Dr. Susanne Rinner, Director of German Undergraduate Studies at UNCG, and Dr. David Fein, Director of French Undergraduate Studies. This was followed by discussion with Dr. Alexandra Schultheis Moore, Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies, Department of English, and lunch with Dr. Christian Moraru, Professor of American Literature and Critical Theory.
To learn more about residential college initiatives at UNCG, Dr. Poole and Dr. Parker spent part of the afternoon with Dr. Micheline Chalhoub-Deville, Director of Ashby Residential College and Department of Educational Research Methodology, and Jeanne Aaroe, Assistant Director of Ashby Residential College.
, Chair of University Council for the University of Wales - Trinity St. David, visited UNCG on February 20. This visit was a chance for Mr. Thomas to become familiar with UNCG and learn more about our exchange relationship with Trinity St. David. Mr. Thomas was President of Kellogg College at Oxford University and Director of Oxford University Department for Continuing Education until 2008. He has also been a visiting scholar at the Smithsonian Institution, Harvard University, University of Washington, University of California, Berkeley, and Northern Illinois University.
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Left to right: Denise Bellamy, Heather Goldsmith, Geoffrey Thomas, Heledd Williams, and Dr. Sam Miller |
While at UNCG Mr. Thomas was able to meet with faculty in the School of Education and tour the new School of Education. He also had a chance to meet Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor David Perrin, as well as IPC staff.
University of Talinn, Estonia
On February 27, UNCG hosted Professor Ivar Raig of the University of Tallinn School of Law in Estonia. Mr. Raig, an expert on Eurozone economics, gave a talk to Dr. Jeffrey Sarbaum’s European Union course in the Bryan Business School’s Department of Economics.
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Left to right: Ivar Raig, Dr. Don McCrickard, Dr. Bill Crowther, and Dr. Penelope Pynes |
UNCG and INTERLINK welcome Saudi visitors
On February 28-29, UNCG and INTERLINK welcomed Dr. Hammad Al Oqla and Mr. Ziyad Alsaigh of the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) of Saudi Arabia to familiarize them with international programs at UNCG. Dr. Al Oqla, Vice Governor for Training, and Mr. Alsaigh, Director General of Trainees Services, were joined by Marshall Brewer, Director of Training and Development, INTERLINK, for the visit.TVTC, which oversees Colleges of Technology in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, partners with INTERLINK to provide English language instruction for its students across the Kingdom. The purpose of the visit was to give TVTC officials the opportunity to learn more about INTERLINK and UNCG as they explore ways to strengthen the relationship between the three.
Dr. Brad Teague, Director, INTERLINK, Dr. Penelope Pynes, Associate Provost for International Programs, and Lynn Bergschneider, Academic Coordinator, INTERLINK, joined the delegation for dinner on the evening of February 28, followed by a tour of UNCG the next day. During the visit, Dr. Al Oqla and Mr. Alsaigh met with Pamela Harrod, Director, International Admissions, IPC, and Michael Elliott, Director, International Student and Scholar Services, before a discussion with Dr. William Wiener, Dean of the Graduate School, UNCG.
The delegation enjoyed lunch with Dr. Terri Shelton, Vice Chancellor of Research and Economic Development, Jerry McGuire, Associate Chancellor for Economic Development, and Dr. Reyad Sawafta, President and CEO of QuarTek Corporation, a nanotechnology company based in High Point, NC.
Following an afternoon meeting with Dr. David Perrin, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor, Dr. Al Oqla and Mr. Alsaigh met with Dr. Daniel Herr, Nanoscience Department Chair, and Dr. James Ryan, Dean of the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering (JSNN), and toured the JSNN with Elie Azzi, Research Associate, Academic Outreach, JSNN.
Special thanks to all participants who made this a fruitful visit!
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Left to right: Penelope Pynes, Brad Teague, Marshall Brewer, Terri Shelton, Ziyad Alsaigh, Jerry McGuire, Hammad Al Oqla, and Reyad Sawafta. |
Faculty Corner UNCG Faculty Teaches in China
Billy Lee, Professor of Art and Sculpture at UNCG, had the opportunity to spend more than two months in China in the summer of 2011 to teach the first postgraduate master class on abstract sculpture. Lee was the lead international professor and was invited to teach the course by China’s National Sculpture Magazine and the China Sculpture Professional Committee, who sponsored this program. Lee says that he believes this course to be “the first of its kind.”
Students had to be selected for the course and were hand-picked by the committee from all over China. Most of the students were faculty members from art academies and universities around the country. “All the students were post graduates who are already teaching at art academies and universities,” says Lee. “Four had Ph.D.’s and one was an assistant dean.”
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Billy Lee (front center) with students holding their certificates of completion |
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Sculpture by Billy Lee, “Kiss,” located in Goodwood Sculpture Park, UK |
While in Beijing, Lee was also invited to participate in an international sculpture exhibition called “Blue Symphony.” The exhibition took place in the coastal city of Nandaihe, which is the summer residence of the Chinese government. Lee has since written articles for publication in Sculpture magazine and has been invited to lecture at a number of academies.
Lee has been invited to China to exhibit and lecture for the past eleven years. In 2010, he was invited to participate in the International Beijing Art Biennale and to deliver a paper on technological influences on sculptural forms at a forum in Beijing. Due to his considerable and growing international reputation, Lee has consistently been invited to exhibit and place works in many different countries, including Japan, Italy, Hungary, Chile, and the UK.
Lee has also received numerous awards and honors worldwide.
Lee was born of Chinese and Dutch parentage in Uitenhage, South Africa. As a child, his parents immigrated to England, where he later received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with 1st class honors from Birmingham College of Art and Design and his Master of Fine Arts at the Royal College of Art (RCA) in London. Upon graduation from the RCA, Lee received the prestigious Kennedy Scholar award to attend the Centre for Advanced Visual Studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he was later named a Fellow. He remains the only artist ever to receive the award of Kennedy Scholar. To learn more about Billy Lee’s works, visit http://www.billyleesculptor.com
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Pages from China’s Sulpture magazine documenting Billy Lee’s visit |
INTERLINK!
End-of-Term Ceremony
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INTERLINK students celebrate completion of the Spring I term at the March 2012 End-of-Term Ceremony |
INTERLINK’s Spring I, 2012 End-of-Term Ceremony took place on March 1 at the College Park Baptist Church. The ceremony was held to celebrate the accomplishments of INTERLINK students during the most recent nine-week term. INTERLINK students kicked off the ceremony with a musical performance of John Lennon’s “Imagine.” During the performance, they displayed a slide show of photographs taken throughout the term.
The formal portion of the ceremony included various awards and recognitions for notable achievement. The highest honor, the Outstanding Student Award, was presented to Mokhaled Abd-Allah, from Iraq, who was chosen from among the graduating students to give a speech. Students also received awards for perfect attendance and a number of peer recognitions, such as those voted “hardest-working” by their fellow students in each class. Special recognition was then given to 25 departing students, including 17 who graduated from the program. The formal part of the ceremony was followed by a potluck luncheon and music.
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INTERLINK and UNCG students discuss different romantic traditions as part of Love Talk International |
Love Talk International
On February 9, INTERLINK hosted Love Talk International, a discussion on love, romance, and partnership traditions around the world. Participants included INTERLINK students, IPC staff members, and UNCG students, who worked in diverse groups to answer questions such as, “How do people meet each other for partnership where you are from?” and, “What different types of partnerships are there where you are from?”Questions were met with a fascinating variety of responses. Some participants explained how in their cultures people have individual liberty to select partners, whereas in others the family plays a major role in selecting them. Though many sensitive topics were discussed, participants engaged each other with respect and open minds. As Nader Abutalib, an INTERLINK student from Saudi Arabia, put it, “Just because something is different, some people want to think that it is bad. It may not be bad just because it is different. You need to keep an open mind.”
For information on the February 28-29 Saudi TVTC visit see Visitors and Scholars.
Upcoming Events!
March 2012
Mar. 16 Study Abroad Nominations announced (Foust 207)
Mar. 24 UNCG Study Abroad Pre-Departure Orientation
Mar. 30 Kohler application deadline
Mar. 31 UNCEP Pre-Departure Orientation
April 2012
Apr. 5 CPT Workshop (Foust 206, 3:30-5:00 pm)
Apr. 11 Travel Overseas Workshop – 3 sessions (Foust 101, 3:30-5:00 pm)
Apr. 12 Travel Overseas Workshop – 3 sessions (Foust 101, 3:30-5:00 pm)
Apr. 12 ISSS Committee Meeting (Edwards Lounge, 2:00-3:30 pm)
Apr. 12 SAE Committee Meeting (Edwards Lounge, 3:30-5:00 pm)
Apr. 14 UNCG International Festival (I-Fest) (College Ave. & West Lawn, 12:00-5:00 pm)
Apr. 18 Chancellor’s International Farewell Reception 2011-2012 Alumni House,
VA Dare Room, 4:30-5:30 pm)
Apr. 21 Study Abroad Olympics / International Stateside Farewell Picnic Lunch
(Lake Daniel Park)
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