UD faculty support for study abroad programs wins national recognition

“New Year's Eve in Shanghai” by Greg Darone, AS ‘03, Winter Session 2003

4 p.m., Jan. 23, 2004--UD is one of nine American institutions of higher learning nominated for recognition by the Association of International Educators (NAFSA) in the category of “Faculty Support for International Activities.”

The nomination, according to Lesa Griffiths, director of UD’s Center for International Studies (CIS), gives well-deserved recognition to enthusiastic support staff as well as to innovative faculty members—the key players in the study abroad program.

“The University’s study-abroad program has become part of the campus culture,” Griffiths explained. “Many students choose to attend the University specifically because of the study-abroad opportunities. The way a campus becomes internationalized is through faculty, however, and the way a college can encourage those internationalizing efforts is through support of that faculty.

See related story:

CIS boasts record number of students studying abroad

“Being nominated by NAFSA in the category of faculty support is an honor because it recognizes that there’s a specific effort on campus to internationalize, and that it’s an important effort.”

To qualify for the nomination, Griffiths submitted an essay to NAFSA outlining the chief facets of CIS support for faculty involvement in international studies. Some major support services include dedicated CIS staff time, extensive online resources, international research awards and faculty development workshops and support while abroad.

“It’s a big commitment to go abroad and live and teach for a semester,” Griffiths said. “The diversity and success of the study-abroad program owe a tremendous amount to the participating faculty. Their involvement is key to the whole thing, so we work hard to have a good support structure in place for them.”

The innovative strategies used by CIS to support faculty will be highlighted in NAFSA’s pending publication, “Internationalizing the Campus Report 2004,” a periodical that will be distributed to universities across the nation this fall.

CIS and UD’s study abroad program grew from an experimental overseas study group that sailed from New York to Paris in 1923 and included eight UD juniors. Now boasting more than 70 programs in more than 35 countries worldwide, UD’s study abroad programs currently attract approximately 1,000 interested students each year. The center’s mission is to facilitate cross-cultural exchange across the University curriculum.

NAFSA was founded in 1948 as the National Association of Foreign Student Advisers. It was formed to promote the professional development of American college and university officials involved in advising foreign students who came to study in the United States after World War II. Now an association of individuals from around the world involved in advancing international education, NAFSA is the leading association in the field of cross-cultural education and exchange.

Article by Becca Hutchinson
Photo by Greg Darone, AS ‘03

E-mail this article

To learn how to subscribe to UDaily, click here.