2014 marks the 15 th anniversary of International Education Week (IEW), organized by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education with the goal of demonstrating how international education helps provide and sustain a more democratic, secure, and prosperous world. Campuses across the nation and beyond are celebrating their global accomplishments. What better kick-off to this week, then, to tout our own international successes. First of all, kudos to UNCW. To each and every one of you. The 2014 Open Doors report was just released and, for the second year in a row, UNCW is ranked 9 th in the nation for master s-granting universities sending students abroad! This report is based on academic year 2012-13 when we sent 762 Seahawks abroad. That ranking should slide up a few notches for next year s report which will contain the data for 2013-14, when we sent 842. Equally impressive is the fact that, in a recent report compiled by UNC s General Administration on global engagement, UNCW ranked 2 nd in terms of the percentage of students sent abroad for that same time period. Only Chapel Hill sends a higher percentage of the student body on credit-bearing study abroad programs. All of these successes happen with dedicated faculty and staff in OIP, University College, Admissions, the Travel Office, Purchasing, and every academic unit on campus. And I personally want to extent my thanks to all those who make these joyous occasions possible. It is now tradition that the Opening Reception for International Education Week serve as the venue for recognizing extraordinary accomplishments by members of the UNCW community. Without further ado, then, let s get on with the show! Student Award Each year, we invite students to submit a product (essay, youtube video, poem, photo gallery, etc.) that demonstrates how UNCW has prepared them to become a Global Citizen. A committee chooses the entry that best reflects the work of a Global Seahawk. The recipient of this year s Global Citizenship Award is Brian Gottwalt, a junior majoring in Biology and minoring in Psychology. In his letter of support for Brian s application for this award, Dr. David Weber, wrote, I have rarely seen anyone, especially a contemporary U.S. American undergraduate, more measurably embody what it means to be a global citizen. The selection committee obviously agreed with Weber s assessment. I invite you all to read Brian s submission for this award, a letter to UNCW in which he describes the way classes such as HON 110, PAR 232, and SPN 201, served as a call to global action. Brian explains I received your call and I responded in the only manner I could conceivably deem appropriate. I left. At Swansea University in Wales, Brian studied culture, history, and philosophy in the traditional classroom setting. Nevertheless, he also signed up for a credit-bearing applied learning experience with Physiotherapy Wales, an organization with clinics that provide state-of-the art treatment, therapy, and advice for patients ranging from professional athletes to housebound patients. Expecting to play the passive role of observer, Brian was delighted to be given the opportunity to participate in the healing
processes of the clients. This cross-cultural health care experience will no doubt play a key role when Dr. Gottwalt treats his own patients. In the meantime, though, Brian will continue to spread his enthusiasm for all things global through such outlets as the Study Abroad Ambassador and Student Mentor Programs. Congratulations, Brian. Brian s student account will be credited for $500. Perhaps he ll use it for another immersion experience? Staff awards Brian Gottwalt, recipient of the 2014 Student Global Citizenship Award. UNCW developed the Staff Global travel Award with the aim of providing non-teaching staff an opportunity to participate globally in their field. Staff from physical plant, grants office, admissions, ITS, and numerous other units on campus have benefitted from this unique opportunity. Barbara Snyder, Simulation Library Assistant in the School of Nursing, will participate in Jane Fox s study abroad program in Belize where she will gain 1 st -hand insight on health issues in Belize and assist with data collection for faculty research activities. Upon returning, she will incorporate this information into simulation activities for UNCW students in order to prepare them for situations in dealing with diverse patient populations. She will also present on this experience to a wide range of individuals, including faculty and staff in the College of Health & Human Services, donors, and prospective students.
Elisabeth Garner, new to her position as a Specialist in Government Documents & Information in Randall Library, will travel to the Bodleian Law Library in Oxford, England, to study government resource collections. She will gain a perspective on how to manage government documents from one of the world s leading academic libraries, where she will examine the organization, cataloguing, work flow, and processing of documents. This experience will help UNCW students, faculty, and staff, as well as the general public find and use Randall s government services and information in a simpler, clearer, and faster format. Both Barbara and Elisabeth will receive travel awards of $2500 for these travels. Faculty Award Guests of Honor at this year s reception. From left to right, Brian Gottwalt, Barbara Snyder, Elisabeth Garner, & Lisa Scribner Our final recognition of the day goes to Dr. Lisa Scribner, Associate Professor of Marketing in Cameron School of Business, and the recipient of UNCW 2014 Global Citizenship Award for Faculty. As stated by Lisa s colleague, Tracey Mayer, in her nomination, According to www.opendemocracy.net, a global citizen is someone who identifies with being part of an emerging world community and whose actions contribute to building this community s values and practices. Tracey then outlines numerous ways in which Lisa s teaching, research, and service, contribute to building UNCW global values and
practices. These accomplishments are too numerous to address here and, therefore, I ll limit one activity in each area. As the recipient of the Global Citizenship Curriculum Grant, Lisa created a section of the class Principles in Marketing in Spanish and incorporated a trip to Costa Rica to visit marketing related companies. She also developed two classes, International Marketing and Global Marketing Strategies, at the undergraduate and graduate levels, respectively in order to imbue the marketing curriculum with content beyond our borders. Lisa s cross-cultural research, conducted with faculty from all over the world in the last four years, has culminated in four conference presentations, two journal articles, and one book chapter. The research focuses primarily on cultural perspectives in the entertainment industry. Finally, Lisa s professional and personal service in this area is equally notable. Deserving special mention, however, is her role as Cameron s country liaison for partner institution, University of Valencia, with whom we have an agreement for a dual degree in business administration. The job description for a liaison entails all of the expected duties, such as serving as the primary program leader for countless summer study abroad programs to Valencia as well as advising sessions, application review, orientation, and reworking equivalencies for both outgoing and incoming TABSA students. Lisa, however, does not limit her performance to what s expected. She goes above and beyond. In any given semester, she picks up incoming students at the airport, makes trips to the hospital with injured students, and invites students to home for meals. Lisa, on behalf of all of us here today, please accept our gratitude and congratulations. Gratitude for your sustained commitment to internationalize our community and congratulations on receiving this award. Lisa will receive $500 to spend on the global initiative of her choosing.
Lisa Scribner receiving her award.