LAS International Programs
Newsletters
LAS
International On-line
Vol. 4, No. 7
December 1, 2005
Affirming a Commitment to Global Learning
www.las.iastate.edu/students/international/
LAS International On-Line is the bi-monthly on-line publication
of the International Programs of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. LAS
International is part of LAS' on-going efforts to coordinate all aspects of
international activities within the College including international studies,
study abroad, exchange agreements, research and outreach.
From the Director
STUDY ABROAD YEAR - Our colleague Warren Dolphin (University Professor
of genetics, development and cell biology) recently called our attention to
the following U.S. Senate Resolution, which declares the year 2006 as The Year
of Study Abroad. I believe that nothing is more important than to have as many
of our LAS students study outside the United States. I hope that you will encourage
every student you advise or teach to go outside the US and grow!
Below is the resolution. It is actually quite informative. Please read it, post
it, pass it around, forward this to colleagues and students, announce it in
class, and help us make 2006 the biggest year for international experiences
in our college!
Steffen Schmidt
Senate Resolution 308
Designating 2006 as the `Year of Study Abroad'.
Whereas ensuring that the citizens of the United States are globally literate
is the responsibility of the educational system of the United States;
Whereas educating students internationally is an important way to share the
values of the United States, to create goodwill for the United States around
the world, to work toward a peaceful global society, and to increase international
trade;
Whereas, according to a 2002 American Council on Education poll, 79 percent
of people in the United States agree that students should have a study abroad
experience sometime during college, but only 1 percent of students from the
United States currently study abroad each year;
Whereas study abroad programs help people from the United States to be more
informed about the world and to develop the cultural awareness necessary to
avoid offending individuals from other countries;
Whereas a National Geographic global literacy survey found that 87 percent of
students in the United States between the ages of 18 and 24 cannot locate Iraq
on a world map, 83 percent cannot find Afghanistan, 58 percent cannot find Japan
, and 11 percent cannot even find the United States;
Whereas studying abroad exposes students from the United States to valuable
global knowledge and cultural understanding and forms an integral part of their
education;
Whereas Congress recognized through the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1001 et seq.) that the security, stability, and economic vitality of the United
States in an increasingly complex global age depend largely upon having a globally
competent citizenry and the availability of experts specializing in world regions,
foreign languages, and international affairs;
Whereas the Coalition for International Education, an ad hoc group of higher
education organizations with interests in the international education programs
of the Department of Education, and Government Accountability Office reports
have found that Federal agencies, educational institutions, and corporations
in the United States are suffering from a shortage of professionals with international
knowledge and foreign language skills;
Whereas, according to the Coalition for International Education, institutions
of higher education in the United States are struggling to graduate enough students
with the language skills and cultural competence necessary to meet the current
demands of business, government, and educational institutions;
Whereas a survey done by the Institute for the International Education of Students
shows that studying abroad influences subsequent educational experiences, decisions
to expand or change academic majors, and decisions to attend graduate school;
Whereas substantive research literature demonstrates that some of the core values
and skills of higher education are enhanced by participation in study abroad
programs;
Whereas study abroad programs not only open doors to foreign language learning,
but also empower students to better understand themselves and others through
a comparison of cultural values and ways of life;
Whereas study abroad programs for students from the United States can provide
specialized training and practical experiences not available at institutions
in the United States;
Whereas a blue ribbon task force of NAFSA: Association of International Educators,
a global association of individuals dedicated to advancing international education
and exchange, found that a national effort to promote study abroad programs
is needed to address a serious deficit in global competence in the United States;
Whereas the bipartisan, federally-appointed Commission on the Abraham Lincoln
Study Abroad Fellowship Program, established pursuant to section 104 of the
Miscellaneous Appropriations and Offsets Act, 2004 (division H of the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2004 (Public Law 108-199; 118 Stat. 435)), is scheduled
to make recommendations by December 1, 2005, for a national study abroad program
to meet this need: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) designates 2006 as the 'Year of Study Abroad';
(2) encourages secondary schools, institutions of higher learning, businesses,
and government programs to promote and expand study abroad opportunities; and
(3) encourages the people of the United States to--
(A) support initiatives to promote and expand study abroad opportunities; and
(B) observe the `Year of Study Abroad' with appropriate ceremonies, programs,
and other activities.
www.worldlearning.org/news/2005/senate_2006_studyabroad_resolution.html
Events
FILM FESTIVAL – The final presentation of the Post-Communist
Reels: Festival of Slavic Cinema will be held Wednesday, Dec. 7.
"Crows," a 1994 film by Polish director Dorota Kedzierzawska, will
be screened that evening beginning at 6 p.m. in 303 Pearson Hall. The film series
is sponsored by the Russian, East European and Eurasian area studies program.
Features
CHANGING APPROACHES - John Monroe, assistant professor
of history, has started work on a new research project - a history of changing
French approaches to African art. The new project will be based on research
in dealer archives, auction catalogues and exhibition reviews.
"In about 1905, a major transformation of Western taste began in Paris,"
he says. "Gradually, particular types of African sculpture stopped being
'anthropological specimens' and became works of what used to be called 'primitive
art.' My new project is about how this transformation took place, what its consequences
were."
Monroe is pursuing the project as a Curatorial Fellow at the University of Iowa
Museum of Art where he will be in residence until August 2006.
More information on Monroe and his latest project is available at www.las.iastate.edu/West_Euro/facspotlight-monroe.shtml.
News
ELEMENTARY ARABIC - Through a cooperative agreement between Iowa State
and DMACC, Elementary Arabic I will be offered during the 2006 spring semester.
Elementary Arabic II will be offered during Summer 2006 so students may get
the first-full year by the beginning of the fall term 2006.
Please have interested students contact Jeff Schroeder at jeffs@iastate.edu
as soon as possible to reserve a seat in this course.
FULBRIGHT FLTA PROGRAM - The Institute of International
Education (IIE) is accepting applications for the Foreign Language Teaching
Assistant (FLTA) Program for the 2006-07 academic year. There is no limit to
the number of assistants an institution can apply to host.
FLTAs often teach beginning and intermediate classes or offer tutorial sessions
to improve U.S. students' language acquisition.
Additional information is available at www.las.iastate.edu/faculty_and_staff/international/FLTA.pdf.
LAS International On-line
Michael Whiteford, LAS dean
Steffen Schmidt, LAS director of international programs
Dave Gieseke, LAS public relations manager
Send submissions to dgieseke@iastate.edu
