Five Worcester State University faculty have been selected to participate in international professional development programs through the International Faculty Development Seminars (IFDS) of CIEE. Each of the following will receive up to $5,500 from President Barry M. Maloney’s office for the costs associated with the program:
- Dr. Julie Frechette (Communication), who will travel to Northern Ireland and explore Cultural Identity and Conflict: A Study of Music, Sound and Space
- Dr. Shiko Gathuo (Urban Studies), who will travel to Ghana and explore Development & Entrepreneurship in Ghana’s Informal Sector
- Dr. Madeline Otis-Campbell (Urban Studies), who will travel to Jordan and Turkey to explore Borders, Identity and Displacement: The Evolving Syrian Crisis
- Dr. Sebastion Vélez (Biology) who will travel to Australia to explore Environmental Impacts on Native Wildlife in a Biodiversity Hotspot
- Dr. Shelley White (Public Health), who will travel to Costa Rica to exlplore Lessons in Sustainability: Environmental Conservation and Controversy.
The faculty were selected through a competitive application process at the end of the fall semester. The applications were reviewed by a faculty screening committee organized through the International Programs Office, and the ranked applications were reviewed by Provost Charles Cullum. President Maloney confirmed the final selections.
Each selected faculty member has been asked to provide feedback on the IFDS program and their take-aways from participation.
The funds for this initiative are made possible through the Worcester State Foundation and was established in order to:
- Encourage WSU faculty members to pursue international opportunities to further their academic interests
- Highlight the University’s commitment to internationalization through faculty professional development
- Facilitate direct and personal exposure to both topics and locales that can inform future teaching and research for WSU faculty, and, through personal experience, aid faculty members’ ability to encourage and counsel WSU students on overseas study