international NEWSLETTER

Transcription

1 this issue International training and development programs highlight the Alamo Colleges commitment to excellence. Page 1 Faculty internationalization efforts bring Palo Alto College recognition. Page 4 Brazilian travel makes faculty international education experience taste so sweet. Page 5 Northeast Lakeview College president praises the advantages of international education. Page 7 ALAMO COLLEGES international NEWSLETTER SPRING 2013 Edition Brazilian and Korean Students Find Cultural Synergy at the Alamo Colleges by Steven Lewis Bridging the cultural gap between Brazilian and Koren students sharing a month-long language learning opportunity turned out to be an enriching experience for all involved at the Alamo Colleges. When groups of Brazilian and South Korean students arrived at San Antonio College, it first appeared that linguistic and cultural disparities amounted to an insurmountable barrier between the participants. The groups studied in classrooms located along the same hallway, and on the first day of class we could sense the cultural difference without even entering the rooms. In the room with 20 Korean students, the teacher could hear a pin drop. By constrast, spontaneous waves of laughter and singing emerged from the classroom full of Brazilians. The Korean students from Korea Polytechnics opted to stay at a hotel. The Brazilian students preferred the homestay option. In both cases, the groups were accompanied by faculty from their respective institutions, but the Korean leader was ever present with his group while the Brazilian leaders were on-call, but preferred to stay at the hotel. An Alamo Colleges representative visited the Brazilian leaders regularly for coffee. Cultural differences shaped those morning gatherings. A break room was set up for students to gather and chat with each other. At first, the Brazilian and Korean students didn t mix very much. Korean students had their break, spoke quietly, and were hardly noticed. By contrast, the Brazilian group almost immediately went into party mode. It didn t take long to realize that combining the two groups by synchronizing their breaks would create a more manageable mix and encourage them to practice their English. By the second week of class, the two groups were sharing information about their respective countries on break time, and we could see signs that friendships were emerging. Soon thereafter, we received a request to organize a soccer match between the Brazilian and Korean students in a nearby park. The event not only generated great enthusiasm among the students, but also among a good number of other students and staff at the college. When graduation time came, the tears, hugs, and laughter left no doubt that a lasting bond had emerged between the two groups. The lesson for those of us who hosted the two groups was that no cultural gaps are too wide to overcome when students come together in a stimulating and enriching learning setting. Northeast Lakeview College Northwest Vista College Palo Alto College St. Philip s College San Antonio College

2 from district support A Message From the District Director of International Programs... operations The Alamo Colleges are on the pathway to many exciting and innovative opportunties that promise to propel us toward our vision of being the best International Programs Staff Carol Fimmen Patricia Garza Maria Rivera Julia Jarrell Jennifer Sisane Margarita Esquivel Judith Silva Magdalena Salazar Arturo Martinez LaTanya Woods Margarita McAuliffe Roxanne Barrera in the nation in student success and performance excellence. Strategic partnerships are being developed and extremely talented, highly qualified staff and faculty are joining the Alamo Colleges. Each of these components work together to raise the standard of every area of each department so that we can reach more students, provide more services, and continue to lead the way in providing quality educational experiences for all Alamo Colleges students. In this issue, you will learn of the many ways the office of international programs provides various levels of support to faculty and students as we work toward Chancellor Leslie s call to internationalize the Alamo Colleges. We are truly excited about the many possibilities on the horizon. We are also grateful to and for the faculty and staff members across all the colleges who have partnered with us, developed and implemented new programs, and served as committee advisors as we all work to empower our diverse communities for success. With that in mind, I would like to thank the contributing writers and interviewees for their time and comments as we prepared the semester s newsletter. Thank you all for your insight and expertise. This newsletter is a reflection of the Alamo Colleges and the tremendous vision we have for continuing to excel and succeed in all areas of higher education. Once again, thank you! Carol Fimmen The Office of International Programs welcomes suggestions and submissions to the bi-annual newsletter. Please submit your articles, images, and ideas for stories to lwoods27@alamo.edu. Limit articles to 300 words. The Office of International Programs reserves the right to edit and alter information according to branding and formatting guidelines.

3 Northwest vista college All Northwest Vista College international activities focus on cultural understanding, raising social awareness, and promoting peace and diversity. Alamo Colleges Student Finds Joy in Studying in China Northwest Vista College graduate, Kristen Loar, studied abroad in China for five weeks in the 2012 program. After completing her experience abroad, Kristen volunteered to become an Alamo Colleges peer mentor and share the benefit of participating in international education opportunities. In a series of newsletters, Kristen shares not only her experiences in China, but also how receiving the maximum summer award of $3,500 from the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship helped her to accomplish her goals and gain a new perspective on studying abroad. The accounts below reflect her first three weeks in China and are shared courtesy of Kristen. Week 1: We stayed in Beijing for the first week of the program and experienced many great things. We visited the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Beijing National Library, and Beijing Olympic Park. We got to take very basic beginner Tai Chi classes with an instructor in Beijing and practiced Tai Chi in a Chinese park... Week 1 was truly amazing and we experienced more than I had imagined! Week 2: After Beijing, we traveled by train to Xi an City. The train ride to Xi an was 13 hours and we got to experience what is was like to travel throughout China for many Chinese citizens. In Xi an, our group visited the Xi an City Wall, the Shaanxi History Museum, and the Terracotta Army. Week 3: During the third week, we took a train to the city of Dunhuang located in the Gobi Desert. Dunhuang was one of my favorite cities and we experienced so much there. We did some great shopping in the city and visited the Dunhuang Grottoes and Museum. We got to see the beautiful Duhuang Oasis and got to ride camels in the desert! Kristen s journaling reflects the educational and cultural benefits of her trip abroad. She was also very open about how the Gilman scholarship helped make her trip possible. I would not have been able to go to China if it weren t for the Benjamin Gilman Scholarship... I fit the criteria and I knew that the thing I wanted most before transferring to [a] university was to study abroad. Kristen encourages students interested in traveling to China to consider the Gilman scholarship. Quick Facts What are the advatages of studying abroad? The March 2012 International Education of Students (IES) Abroad Recent Graduate Study results showed the following trends in career benefits for individuals who obtain an international education experience. While these results are specific to IES Abroad alumni, they also apply to study abraod graduates as a whole. Study abroad alumni earn, on average, $7,000 more than college graduates from the general population. 97% of study abroad alumni secured jobs within one year after graduation, compared to 49% of graudates from the general population. 90% of study abroad alumni get into their first or second choice graduate or professional school. 84% of study abroad alumni feel their experience helped them build valuable job skills including language proficiency, cultural training, tolerance for ambiguity, adaptability, and communication. Source: career-benefits

4 Palo alto COLLEGE Faculty member among only four selected for Berlin Residency Program National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) award-winning staff Exceptional students who participate in national competitions Launching site for new academic preparation program Internationalization at Home and in the Community In November, the Alamo Colleges celebrated the thirteenth annual International Education Week. A joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education, International Education Week promotes programs that prepare Americans for success in a global environment and attracts future international leaders to the United States to study, learn, and exchange experiences. During the 2012 celebration, the Office of International Programs recognized Dr. Alba De Leon for her extraordinary efforts as the international education liaison at Palo Alto College. As the international education liaison, Dr. De Leon has achieved a balance between service to the Office of International Programs and Palo Alto College. Beginning in 1998, under director Eduardo Conrado, Dr. De Leon represented the Office of International Programs at the International Seminar: History, Culture and Business in Mexico s Lower Region. In 1999, she was the lead faculty facilitator for a student exchange of Alamo Colleges students and the Universidad Tecnológica de Coahuila in Saltillo, Mexico. In 2002, she served as coordinator and escort for a group of Alamo Colleges faculty from all campuses on an educational and cultural trip to Zacatecas, Mexico. Under the leadership of the current District Director of International Programs, Carol Fimmen, Dr. De Leon works to assist with efforts of internationalization at St. Philip s College as well as to support the efforts of faculty throughout Alamo Colleges. Dr. De Leon s interest and commitment to the process of internationalization began in 1998 with the formation of the international education committee at PAC. After 15 years of regular academic committee meetings, this group is moving from committee work to forming a learning community that will include students and members of the local community. defining internationalization Internationalization is a major higher education initiative to provide all populations served within an academic community with intercultural knowledge and skills to compete in the modern world. Activities create awareness of the world, other countries, other people, and other cultures. Within the Alamo Colleges, the presence and perspective of international students enrich the life of each college and provides short and long term opportunties for global engagement. Definition provided by Dr. William Davey

5 st. philip s college St. Philip s College hosts a bi-annual international student social in the spring and fall each year. The social is designed to bring the international student community together in celebration of the culturals of their home countries. Work, Eat, Learn: Brazilian Faculty Exchange Makes Global Awareness Personal Nothing expresses the culture of a country like the cuisine. Chef Instructor Patrick Costello shares this insight after returning from an Alamo Colleges faculty exchange program in Brazil. Selected to participate in the Instituto Federal de Santa Catarina (IFSC) Faculty Development program, Chef Costello spent two weeks in Brazil helping train faculty at IFSC on advanced culinary skills. During the program, Chef Costello, a St. Philip s College faculty member, attended various lectures that highlighted the hospitality programs at St. Philip s College, as well as the growing culinary trends in the United States. Chef Costello described this exchange opportunity as an amazing experience in which he learned as much as he shared. In addition to introducing a variety of new culinary techniques to the Brazilian faculty at IFSC, he also participated in hands-on workshops that assisted the faculty with incorporating the new skill sets they learned into their current curriculum. St. Philip s College faculty member attended various lectures that highlighted the hospitality programs at St. Philip s College In addition to the tremendous academic experience, Chef Costello expressed his deep appreciation for the Brazilian culture and the wealth of ingredients to which he was introduced. According to the chef, this exchange has given him the opportunity to not only share the customs and foods of Brazil with his students at St. Philip s College, but to also expand the learning of the Alamo Colleges students he works with. This kind of reciprocation of ideas, cultures, and techniques is what the Alamo Colleges strives for in each of its internationalization efforts. When asked about the advantages of participating in the faculty exchange program, Chef Costello revealed the benefit of faculty development for Alamo Colleges students. According to the chef, this opportunity is an amazing way for students at both campuses to be able to extract as much knowledge from as many sources as possible because of the richness and variety of the total exchange experience. After traveling around the country, visiting a number of college campuses, and experiencing a variety of culinary programs, Chef Costello shares that programs like the IFSC exchange assist faculty in becoming more well-rounded in their indvidual course instruction. As the chef puts it, We as educators must continue to seek out the best ways to deliver the information to the student... whatever it takes to turn that light bulb on. For Chef Costello, faculty exchange is one of the best ways.

6 Workforce center of excellence The Alamo Colleges Workforce Center of Excellence (WCOE) is a small conferencing and training venue located at 203 Norton Street. The WCOE offers meeting rooms and computer labs which may be used for both public and private sector conferencing and seminars.the WCOE features a sevenscreen conference center, meeting room for participaticipants, computer labs with workstations, and much more. Training, Internships, Exchanges, and Scholarships Program Creates Ties between Texas and Northern Mexico The Alamo Colleges have a long history of developing the capacity of partners along the U.S.-Mexico border. In 2011, the Alamo Colleges were invited by Higher Education Development (HED) to scale-up and expand a previously successful partnership funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). This invitation started a three-year partnership program designed to train maquiladora workers with advanced manufacturing skills that are key to emerging technologies. To accomplish this task, the Alamo Colleges worked in collaboration with three Texas two-year colleges as well as six Mexican technological universities. According to Dr. Frederico Zaragoza, Vice-Chancellor for Economic and Workforce Development, A well trained maquiladora workfroce means the factory owners have the incentive to keep the factory in place rather than going overseas. Dr. Zaragoza went on to say, A well trained workforce brings stability to a troubled area that in turn enhances border secuity between Mexico and the United States. A Maquiladora is a foreign-owned assemblhy factory in Mexico Despite the early discontinuation of the TIES due to funding constraints, the partnership experienced great success. As Dr. Zaragoza noted, Without adequate training, many of the existing maquiladora workers will simply not have the higher skills and/or certifications to meet the elevated industry standars required to remain employed. This partnership expanded the Alamo Colleges reach into Mexico to provide technical training in high-growth, high-demand areas, offered faculty professional development opportunities in a global context and enriched the Alamo Colleges through exchange. The 2011 TIES partnership was funded through USAID and HED. In addition to the Alamo Colleges, program participants included El Paso Community College, Laredo Community College, and Texas State Technical College. Participating Mexican institutions included Universidad Tecnológica de Coahuila-Saltillo, Universidad Tecnológica de Juarez, Universidad Tecnológica de Matamoros, Universidad Tecnológica de Nuevo Laredo, Universidad Tecnológica de Tamaulipas Norte, and Universidad Tecnológica Norte de Coahuila.

7 Getting Involved... The Alamo Way Northeast Lakeview college Did you know.. International education experiences are not just for students and internationalization does not only mean cultural events. While events are important and should be included in the internationalization process, they are only a piece of the puzzle. Providing training and professional development opportuntiies for staff and faculty is the other piece. The College Consortium for International Studies (CCIS) offers these opportunities to the Alamo Colleges. The CCIS is a consortium of two and four-year public and private U.S. colleges and universities whose members offer study abroad opportunities to U.S. students in more than thirty countries around the world. Northeast Lakeview College president Dr. Eric Reno has been actively involved with CCIS for several years and knows the value of organizations like CCIS with regard to internationalization and institutions of higher education. According to Dr. Reno, Anyone who has been involved in an international education experience will tell you it is a life-changing experience. Those experiences are what contribute to the globalization of curriculum and activities as well as the implementation of new programs designed to reach a broader, more diverse audience - an internationalized audience. The Alamo Colleges have seen the benefit of participating in CCIS as approximately twenty NLC staff and faculty have attended annual meetings in Washington D.C. and New York. Additonally, one faculty member has participated in an orientation visit in Seville, Spain. As the global awareness of staff and faculty is increased, their experieces are taken not only to various areas of the Alamo Colleges, but also into the San Antonio community. As Dr. Reno states, Being an internationalized city is not a nice to have feature... it is an economic necessity. Being an internationalized higher education institution is a competitive necessity. Northeast Lakeview College has identified Ireland as a possible semester abroad destination for students? A faculty orientation visit to Limerick, Galway, and Maymooth has been scheduled for September in anticipation of a new program for FY QUICK FACTS International students and their dependents contributed approximately $21.81 billion to the U.S economy during the academic year Amount based on tuition figures from the Institute of International Education s Open Doors 2012 report