The (Global) Wisconsin Idea [Madison Magazine]

The university may draw them here but Middle Eastern students are forging connections - and creating a special community - throughout Madison

By Jennifer Page, for Madison Magazine

The growing crowd gathers in the sparse room devoid of any decoration save for two plaques on the wall quoting the Koran. Mimicking the neat lines of shoes by the door, nearly 150 Muslims are drawn together for the Jumma, or Friday prayer. As the second of five daily prayers starts, Sarrah AbuLughod, head wrapped in a bright blue scarf to hide her hair, joins in the rising drone of the crowd giving thanks to Allah.

It’s a scene AbuLughod, a recent UW–Madison graduate and former vice president of the Muslim Student Association, has been a part of her entire life and as long as she’s lived in Madison. But the Islamic faith is but one component of Madison’s growing and active Middle Eastern community. Just like the geographical region of the Middle East, the community has distinct parts, coming from both Persian and Arab backgrounds with no one country overly represented in the city.

The progressive attitude of the city, along with the presence of the University of Wisconsin, may be one of the reasons people of Middle Eastern decent are choosing to settle in Madison. The region’s cultural landscape, originally known for its hardy German and Scandinavian pioneers, is evolving into a melting pot of Middle Eastern cultures and customs that can be seen through myriad restaurants and stores throughout the city.

Foreign students flock to the US [The Boston Globe]

By Peter Schworm, The Boston Globe

The faltering US dollar, which has steadily lost value against major currencies around the world, has produced a silver lining for foreign students, and the American universities that recruit them.

With every dip in the exchange rate, the cost of college for many foreign students has dropped in kind, a discount that has contributed to a surge in demand for Boston-area colleges and universities, college administrators, consultants, and higher education specialists say.

“Everyone wants an American education, but for many families the cost has been prohibitive,” said Marguerite Dennis, vice president for enrollment and international programs at Suffolk University, which attributes a sharp rise in international enrollment this fall to the exchange rate. “But now, the dollar has made coming here so much more attractive and realistic.”

Widely considered the worldwide gold standard for higher education, American universities have suddenly emerged as a bargain for a growing number of international students, whose yen, rupees, and pounds go much further than they used to. The influx is expected to reverse the declines in foreign student enrollment that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

“We know as a general proposition that worldwide economic trends impact student flows,” said Victor Johnson, senior adviser for public policy for NAFSA: Association of International Educators. “If people are coming here for a couple of days to do nothing but buy a new wardrobe, it would be strange if the exchange rate didn’t affect their educational decisions.”

Many colleges in Massachusetts and across the country report sharp increases in applications and acceptances from international students for the coming school year, especially from India, China, and European countries.

The University of Massachusetts at Amherst expects a roughly 20 percent increase in new international students this fall, while Northeastern University will enroll 17 percent more students than last year’s class. Foreign students will comprise nearly one-quarter of Babson College’s incoming class, after a 67 percent rise in their ranks.

“We’ve stepped up recruiting, and the dollar has certainly played a role,” said Grant Gosselin, Babson’s dean of undergraduate admission. “As the dollar decreases in value, American colleges become that much more attractive.” [Click here to read the full story]

New foreign student and export income geographies in the UK and Australia [Global Higher Ed]

By Kris Olds for GlobalHigherEd

I’ve been visiting the University of Warwick for the last two days and have noticed a serious level of international accent diversity at various campus sites, far more than was the case when I was a PhD student in Bristol in the mid-1990s. Not surprising, perhaps, given Warwick’s position as the third largest recipient of foreign students in the UK, as the Guardian coincidentally noted yesterday:

The universities with the largest numbers of international students.
2006-07 (latest figures)

1. Manchester University 8345
2. Nottingham University 7710
3. Warwick University 7435
4. Oxford University 6555
5. City University 6380
6. Cambridge University 6340
7. University College London 6135
8. London School of Economics 5980
9. Westminster University 5735
10. Birmingham University 5505

Grand total of international students in all years (ie not just in their first year) at all universities in the UK and including undergraduates and postgraduates was 351,470

A related graphic on the regional “hotspots” in the Guardian is here. Recall that the UK is the second largest recipient of foreign students in the world.

Meanwhile in Australia, the 5th largest recipient of foreign students in the world, Australian Education International just released an interesting Research Snapshot (May 2008) that captures some of the economic effects of receiving foreign students

Notable graduates: Ryosuke Shibuya — Breaking through language barriers

From UW-Madison Communications

When Ryosuke Shibuya came to Madison in 2002, he had more of an adjustment to make than the average freshmen. Arriving from his home country of Japan, Shibuya did not speak any English. Six years later, he’s graduating with a degree in history.

Shibuya says his first year was spent solely taking classes to learn English. In his second year, he took classes at Edgewood College, and then transferred to UW-Madison to study history.

He says that he looked at several universities in the United States — including the University of California-Los Angeles, New York University and the University of North Carolina — before settling on UW-Madison. He says he chose this school for its size, affordability and diverse international community. With more than 3,000 international students, UW-Madison is ranked in the top 20 U.S. universities for international students.

In the past 18 months, Shibuya has been involved in the Reach program, which places international students as speakers in Madison area schools, on campus and in community organizations to share information about their home countries and life experiences.

Shibuya has focused on contemporary and Middle Eastern history in his studies at UW-Madison, and says he hopes to work for the U.S. federal government some day.

Souvenirs: A Collection of International Experiences

Souvenirs: A Collection of International Experiences is a brand-new publication on UW campus this year, sponsored by the Wisconsin Union Directorate Global Connections and Publications Committees. Souvenirs features stories from students’ experiences studying, traveling and volunteering abroad, a message from U.S. Senator Russ Feingold, and travel tips and advice. Pick up a free copy around campus today. Locations include Memorial Union, Union South, Morgridge Center for Public Service, Study Abroad Office and more!

Students embrace Arabic in new International Learning Community

By Dana Bedessem, Division of International Studies

Arabic script runs along the dormitory hall of the third floor in Adams Hall. To an outsider it looks like an intricate design flowing among the plaster, but to the residents it provides direction and introductions to their fellow floormates.

This is Baytunaa, the Arabic floor in the International Learning Community (ILC). Baytunaa, meaning “our home,” houses five undergraduate students dedicated to speaking Arabic and learning about the different Arabic-speaking countries and cultures.

Baytunaa really does feel like a cozy little home. Students receive special Arabic instruction outside of their daily classes while sitting in overstuffed comfy chairs in front of the fireplace.

[Above: Cristina Treviño-Murphy reads from a selection of Arabic text during professor Dustin Cowell’s class session as part of the International Learning Community (ILC) Arabic floor study program in Adams Hall. Photo: Bryce Richter]

Sadam Issa, a Jordan native is the language floor coordinator.

“I have students of all levels learning and practicing standard Arabic, the Arabic used in modern journalism, legal systems and other formalities in Arabic-speaking countries,” says Issa. “It’s the language people use when speaking to someone of another Arabic dialect.”

Residents of Baytunaa meet with Issa three times a week to watch movies, play games and converse in Arabic. These meetings enhance speaking and writing skills while providing cultural knowledge of the Arabic world. This is all part of a one-credit Integrated Liberal Studies course all ILC students are required to take. It provides heightened cross-cultural understanding.

“ILC is one of the many ways in which UW–Madison prepares its students for an increasingly interdependent world,” says Gilles Bousquet, dean of the Division of International Studies. “It’s global competence training at its best.”

“I feel motivated to speak and learn more Arabic living here in Baytunaa,” says Cristina Treviño-Murphy, a freshman resident studying sociology. “It’s so much easier to find the resources to practice Spanish or French, but not Arabic. I have so many resources for practicing that are almost impossible for people to find. I can speak Arabic with people living on my floor and get help from a native speaker — Sadam.”

Baytunaa residents and all other ILC residents have the greatest resource of all — a fluent speaker in their language of study living on their floor.

“I have students in my room all the time asking questions about Jordan or wanting help with their homework,” says Issa. “They’re good students, they want to be here, and they want to learn.”

Baytunaa not only provides the necessary and hard-to-find resources for students, but it also prepares them for their futures.

“My experience here learning Arabic and living in Baytunaa has provided and continues to provide me with so many different perspectives,” says sophomore Michael Goldstein. “In order to learn and speak Arabic you have to apply a whole new way of thinking, it’s incredibly challenging, but very rewarding.”

[Above: Student Michael Goldstein studies in his residence hall room in Adams Hall. The Arabic floor program focuses on teaching students the Arabic language through an immersive learning environment that includes not only Arabic-based classes, but also a living environment designed to surround the students with Arabic in their everyday lives. Photo: Bryce Richter]

The residents of ILC have a unique opportunity to live in a cross-cultured environment. Every floor has its own language and identity specific to those countries where the language is spoken.

“The ILC is a place where people speak five to six different languages and have been to so many different places, all of these details and backgrounds create for an amazing environment that you can’t get anywhere else,” says Treviño-Murphy.

All ILC residents are encouraged to share their views and ideas with one another at bimonthly roundtable dinners, creating a little global community of knowledge and insight.

Growth in International Applicants Slows [Inside Higher Ed]

by Elizabeth Redden, Inside Higher Ed

The growth in international graduate student applications at American colleges and universities has slowed considerably, according to new survey results released today by the Council of Graduate Schools. The council found that the number of international applicants grew only 3 percent in 2008, after gains of 9 and 12 percent in the preceding two years.

Furthermore, 38 percent of institutions surveyed said they’d seen declines in international student applications from 2007 to 2008. And 65 percent of graduate schools that have consistently participated in the survey still have not recovered from sharp post-September 11 declines.

“With increases of 12 and 9 percent over a couple years it would be unreasonable to expect the pace of growth to remain so high. Just mathematically as you begin to increase your base it’s hard to maintain that pace. The slowdown was not the unexpected part. It’s really the pace at which the slowdown is occurring, is where our level of concern is,” said Kenneth Redd, the main author of the report and director of research and policy analysis at the council. “At roughly a third of institutions responding to our survey, applications fell and fell pretty sharply.”

University of Wisconsin Grads Getting Prominent in Korea [dongA.com]

From dongA.com, February 20, 2008

The nomination of Federation of Korean Industries Vice Chairman Lee Youn-ho as commerce, industry, and energy minister highlights the growing prominence of University of Wisconsin graduates in Korea.

The majority of the university’s graduates in Korea have made their mark in the presidential transition committee, politics, academia and economics. The school is especially known for producing excellent economics and chemical engineering majors.

According to the federation and the university’s economics alumni association, Lee received from the school his master’s in public administration in 1978 and a Ph.D. in economics in 1984.

Grand National Party lawmaker Choi Gyeong-hwan, the head of the second economics division of the transition committee, also received his doctorate from Wisconsin.

TUNE IN: UW International Students on WPR

Next week, four UW-Madison international students will appear on WPR’s “Here on Earth,” hosted by Jean Feraca. The students–from East Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia–are the winners of an essay contest that asked international students to describe their own and their country’s perception of the US, and how their personal perceptions have changed since moving to Madison.

The interviews will take place on Wednesday, December 12 from 3:00 to 4:00pm on WHA AM 970.

You are encouraged to call in to the program while it is on air. See the Web site for details:

www.wpr.org/hereonearth

International Students Share Experiences with Area Schools

by Ariane Strombom, UW-Madison Communications

Each year, more than 3,000 international students from more than 100 countries study on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. Sharing that worldly experience with the community is the inspiration behind the program International Reach…

http://www.news.wisc.edu/13146.html

Training Students for the Global Stage

by Sharyn Alden For the Wisconsin State Journal

Gilles Bousquet, dean of International Studies at UW-Madison, develops partnerships to help students become more competent in international business. . .

http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/business/index.php?ntid=106462#

Schooling Around the World

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

10/24/06

CONTACT: Amy Stambach, (608) 262-1760, aestambach@wisc.edu

PANEL TO HIGHLIGHT SCHOOLING AROUND THE WORLD

MADISON – A group of doctoral students in the UW-Madison Department of Educational Policy Studies (EPS) will offer global perspectives on education in “Schooling around the World: Sights, Sounds, Stories and Travels,” on Wednesday, November 15, in a special program to mark International Education Week.

Based on their research on and travel to Uganda, Tanzania, China, Belize, and Morocco, the five panelists will connect important global issues, such as modernization and migration, with everyday school life. They also will explore U.S. educational practices, such as culturally relevant pedagogy and child-centered learning, in international contexts.

The program, which is free and open to the public, will be held at 7 p.m. in Room 154 of the Education Building, 1000 Bascom Mall, on the UW-Madison campus. The event is sponsored by the Department of Educational Policy Studies (EPS) and the International and Comparative Education Research Group (ICERG).

The presenters are:

• Kristin Molyneaux, a recent U.S. Peace Corps volunteer, was encouraged to promote child-centered learning activities as a more effective approach to teaching in Ugandan schools; she will discuss the disconnect between the Peace Corps’ preferred techniques and education as experienced by Ugandan children.

• Ross Benbow, who recently returned from a study of higher education in Tanzania, will present contemporary snapshots of schooling and social life in Dar es Salaam and the northern regions.

• Jinting Wu uses schooling as a lens for examining what “becoming modern” entails for ethnic minority youth in China’s hinterlands. Chinese leaders view education as the magic formula to modernize the country.

• Ben Osborne discusses ways in which the Tumul K’in Centre of Learning – an alternative secondary school in Belize that provides a culturally relevant education – challenges the assimilationist practices and poor educational outcomes of Mayan students in traditional, colonial schools by offering an empowering view of Mayan culture.

• Jeremy Todd examines the influence of migration on educational policy in Morocco, where school language policies are shaped by former immigrants to the European Union who returned to their home country.

For more information, call (608) 262-1760.

Teacher, Student International Workshops

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: Wednesday, October 4, 2006

CONTACT: Ronnie Hess, Director of Communications, UW-Madison Division of International Studies, (608) 262-5590, rlhess@wisc.edu

UW-Madison To Sponsor Teacher, Student International Workshops

Madison, WI – University of Wisconsin-Madison area and international studies programs will sponsor several workshops for K-12 teachers and students this fall. The workshops, organized by the University’s eight, federally-funded national resource centers, offer resources and expertise in several world areas, including Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia. Many of these workshops are supported by funding from the U.S. Department of Education Title VI National Resource Center grants.

The centers are members of the Wisconsin International Outreach Consortium (WIOC) http://www.wioc.wisc.edu and The International Institute at UW- Madison, an initiative of the Division of International Studies and the College of Letters and Science. Throughout the year, the programs provide a range of outreach services, including talks, conferences, PK-12 workshops, teaching materials, audio-visual materials, and language institutes. UW-Madison’s national resource centers are recognized internationally for excellence and innovation in research, teaching and outreach. The fall workshops are:

• “Asia in Your Community: Cultural and Religious Practices”

Sunday, October 15, 2006

A unique full-day bus tour for K-12 teachers to explore resources available in their community for teaching about Asia. Visit community sites in and around Madison, with presentations by Asian studies faculty and community members on religious and cultural practices. Demonstrations will include a Thai Buddhist ceremony, Indian dance and storytelling, Chinese martial arts and T’ai Chi. Teachers will eat meals at Thai and Indian restaurants, visit a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery, and have a discussion with Hmong community members at a local community center. Participants can earn one graduate credit. Contact: Peggy Choy, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, (608) 263-1755, pachoy@wisc.edu http://www.seasia.wisc.edu/Outreach/ureach.htm

Sponsored by the Center for East Asian Studies, the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, and Center for South Asia at UW-Madison with support from the Midwest Council on Asian Affairs.

• “A World Cultures Day Middle School Extravaganza”

Wednesday, October 18, 2006, 9 am - 2 pm

Memorial Union, 800 Langdon St., Madison, Wisconsin

Bring your middle school students to the UW-Madison campus and discover the world through hands-on activities, games, lectures and music from cultures spanning the globe.

Contact: Lara Kain, (608) 265-6298 or kain@wisc.edu

Sponsored by the Wisconsin International Outreach Consortium (WIOC).

• 5th Annual International Children and Young Adult Literature Celebration

“Open a Door… Open a Book… Open your Mind… to the World”

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Memorial Union, 800 Langdon St., Madison, Wisconsin

A workshop for K-12 educators, librarians and children’s literature enthusiasts featuring authors Yangsook Choi, Cathryn Clinton, Yona Zeldis McDonough, and Suzanne Fisher Staples. See the Website for specific registration information at http://www.wioc.wisc.edu/childlit/index.htm or contact Rachel Weiss, Center for South Asia, (608) 262-9224, rweiss@wisc.edu Registration deadline, November 6, 2006.

Sponsored by Wisconsin International Outreach Consortium (WIOC).

• “Strategies for Teaching Chinese Grammar and Vocabulary with Authentic Texts”

Saturday, December 2, 2006

Grainger Hall, 975 University Avenue, Madison

A workshop for K-16 Chinese language teachers addressing three important pedagogical questions: how to teach Chinese grammar and vocabulary with authentic texts in both spoken and written language, how best to teach vocabulary, especially synonyms, in the classroom, and what pedagogical approaches to use in high school Chinese teaching.

The lead instructors will be Dr. Hongyin Tao, Associate Professor, Asian Languages & Cultures and Director, Chinese Language Program at the University of California Los Angeles, who is the project leader for the CALPER project on “Teaching Advanced Chinese with Authentic Materials,” and Ms. Margaret Wong, Director of International Education, Senior Chinese Language Instructor at Breck School, in Minnesota, who has taught Chinese language in high schools for 30 years. Registration deadline: October 23, 2006. For more information, see: www.eastasia.wisc.edu

Sponsored by the Center for East Asian Studies, and the Pennsylvania State Center for Advanced Language Proficiency Education and Research (CALPER)

• “From Ukiyoe to Anime: Using Art & Popular Culture in Your Classroom to Explore Mutual Cultural Influences Between Japan and the U.S.”

Saturday, December 9, 2006

Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Dr. and the Chazen Museum of Art, 800 University Ave., Madison

A workshop for K-12 teachers of art, social studies, history, and Japanese language in connection with the upcoming exhibition, “Color Woodcut International: Japan, America, and Britain in the early 20th Century,” December 9, 2006 - February. 25, 2007 at the Chazen Museum of Art in Madison. This workshop and special gallery tour will prepare teachers to use the exhibition, the K-12 curriculum guide accompanying the exhibition, and other local and online resources related to Japanese arts and popular culture as learning opportunities for their students. Registration deadline: November 20, 2006. For more information, see: www.eastasia.wisc.edu

Sponsored by the Center for East Asian Studies and the Chazen Museum of Art, with support from the Northeast Asia Council of the Association for Asian Studies

• “Using Anime & Manga in K-16 Japanese Language Classrooms”

Saturday, February 10, 2007

Van Hise Hall, 1220 Linden Drive, Madison

A workshop for K-16 Japanese language teachers. Registration deadline: January 26, 2007. For more information, see: www.eastasia.wisc.edu

Sponsored by the Center for East Asian Studies and the Wisconsin Association of Teachers of Japanese (WIATJ).

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NSF Gants Bolster Integrative Graduate Study

Twin grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF), coupled with matching institutional funds, will give a $6.8 million boost to innovative graduate study and research in global sustainability, development, and the environment at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

http://www.news.wisc.edu/12602.html

International Learning Community Connects Language Learning, Living

by Rachel Alkon, UW-Communications

It’s 6:30 p.m. on a Monday, and nine American students are learning how to prepare okonomi yaki, the Japanese version of a pancake.

The instructor, Nobuyoshi Asaoka, is the floor coordinator of the Nihongo Hausu, the newest addition to the International Learning Community (ILC), a foreign language immersion residence in Adams Hall.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison launched ILC in 2002-03 with a German language house, Stockwerk Deutsch. Since its inception, the program has quickly expanded from 66 to 131 residents…

http://www.news.wisc.edu/12521.html

UW-Madison Launches International Internship Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: Monday, March 20, 2006

CONTACT: Ronnie Hess, Director of Communications, Division of International Studies, UW-Madison, (608) 262-5590, rlhess@wisc.edu

UW-MADISON LAUNCHES INTERNATIONAL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Madison, WI – Thanks to a new, first-of-its-kind program at UW-Madison, a core group of undergraduates will soon be able to experience what it’s like to work for a major international company or a non-governmental organization (NGO) overseas.

Under the program, called the International Academic Internships Initiative (IAII), about ten students will be placed in positions in international companies in Europe, Asia, and Africa beginning this summer. Students will earn up to three academic credits for participating in the eight-week program, sponsored by the Division of International Studies, the School of Business, the College of Engineering, and the Institute for Cross-College Biology Education.

“A recent survey by the American Council on Education reported that an overwhelmingly majority of companies say they need managers and employees with great international knowledge,” says Gilles Bousquet, dean of International Studies. “We want to make sure that our graduates have that knowledge and training, including the opportunity for an international academic internship.”

Other UW partners share Bousquet’s enthusiasm. “This initiative is an exciting and viable model that will deliver value to our students and to participating companies,” says Michael Knetter, dean of the School of Business. “The internships will provide our students with invaluable opportunities to gain practical experience in international settings.”

“The Institute for Cross-College Biology Education is excited to be associated with the international internships program,” says its director, Thomas Sharkey. “We work to provide both internship and international experiences for our students to prepare them for the future. The range of our students is reflected in the types of internships being pursued through this initiative.”

The new director of the internships program is Loren Kuzuhara, a faculty member in the UW-Madison School of Business. “We live in a global world,” Kuzuhara says. “Whether you’re a business student or majoring in another discipline, the chances of you working in the future with people from other countries are very high, both at home and abroad.”

According to Kuzuhara, Wisconsin employers generally are impressed with UW-Madison students, what Kuzuhara calls their “intellectual horsepower,” their academic achievements and their work ethic, but the companies are frequently disappointed that students aren’t more cosmopolitan. “The students seem unaware of the world around them in many cases,” Kuzuhara says.

Several companies and NGOs are participating in the program, including SC Johnson, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of home cleaning, storage, air care, insect control and personal care products, based in Racine; Promega, a Madison-based advanced technologies firm with offices around the world; Plexus Corp., headquartered in Neenah, providing contract electronics product design and test as well as manufacturing and fulfillment services to a variety of industries; Inmarsat, a global mobile satellite communications company, based in London, England; Toshiba Corporation, a world leader in technology products; and Central Japan Railway Company, focused on intercity high-speed train service in Japan.

“Companies and universities are competing on an increasingly global stage,” says Dean Foate, President and CEO of Plexus. “The International Academic Internships program is a sound strategy to develop vitally important global leadership skills for students and (company) mentors, and we enthusiastically offer Plexus’ support.”

Kuzuhara believes that what makes the UW-Madison initiative special is not just the promise of a job but the program’s academic requirements. The program is designed to ensure that students reflect on their experience and that they connect and contextualize what they’ve experienced both in and outside of the classroom. The students will have an intensive orientation before beginning their assignments, and debriefings when they return. They will be assigned special readings, as well as an extensive research project while on the job. The students will also have weekly check-ins by phone with Kuzuhara and the program’s associate director, Mark Lilleleht. They will also be assigned a supervisor or mentor overseas to help them adjust to their new work and cultural environments.

According to Lilleleht, there has been strong student response to the new program. “I don’t think we have to demonstrate to our students that the internships are worthwhile,” Lilleleht says, adding that the internship experiences can help students become more marketable after graduation.

In 2003, a UW-Madison task force on international internships found that international internships were viewed as an increasingly important part of the academic experience. The task force report stated that nearly 200 UW-Madison students across 20 different academic disciplines undertook some kind of international internship in the 2002-2003 academic year, and that the students said they believed internship experiences made them more attractive to potential employers, helped them with professional contacts, fostered language skills, and gave them new perspectives about the world.

Lilleleht says that once applications have been reviewed and a pool of students selected for the program, prospective interns will be matched with a prospective employer to assure the best “fit.” The employer will then choose from among a list of candidates. Depending on their assignments, the interns may receive housing or financial assistance.

Although the UW-Madison offers a wealth of study-abroad programs, domestic internships, including the Washington, D.C. Semester in International Affairs in the nation’s capital, and sponsors initiatives to help students find jobs overseas, there has never been a formal international academic internship program. The internships, which will be competitive and require that students have at least a 3.0 overall GPA, are open to undergraduates from any discipline. Students participating in the IAII will register for independent study or directed study in their department or field of study.

For more information on the International Academic Internships Initiative, go to: http://intern.international.wisc.edu/

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WUN Grants for UW Scholars

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: Monday, February 19, 2007

CONTACT: Ronnie Hess, Director of Communications, Division of International Studies, UW-Madison, (608) 262-5590, rlhess@wisc.edu

Worldwide Universities grants announced for UW scholars

MADISON — Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) and the Division of International Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have awarded UW-Madison and other WUN participating scholars nearly $40,000 in grants for international graduate and research partnerships. A second call for proposals, for similar levels of support for WUN-related collaborations involving UW-Madison, will be issued later this year.

“WUN is an exciting international network of research universities that are tackling major research challenges and delivering instruction in areas that no one member could address alone,” says UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley. “WUN is helping to keep UW-Madison and Wisconsin at the leading edges of research and teaching.”

WUN is an international alliance of 17 leading higher-education institutions, including UW-Madison, that have come together to create a worldwide research and graduate education partnership. These new grants start or expand collaborative research between UW-Madison faculty and faculty at other WUN partner institutions.

“There are few universities that pay more than lip service to supporting faculty in developing innovative, international, interdisciplinary research programs,” says David Pilsbury, WUN’s Chief Executive. “UW-Madison is absolutely key in driving this research forward and I am delighted that together we are able to fund proposals that have attracted some of the best scholars on campus.”

Grants awarded are:

• Philip Farrell (School of Medicine and Public Health/Pediatrics, Population Health Sciences) – The Ancient Origin of Cystic Fibrosis project is an international, interdisciplinary paleoepidemiological investigation of Iron Age Celtic people of central and western Europe. The project will lead to the creation of an international research team and produce new information on ancient DNA and environmental factors of importance in health today, particularly regarding Cystic Fibrosis. Partnering university: York. ($6,000)
• Myra Marx Ferree (Sociology and Women’s Studies) – Promoting Social Scientific and Humanities Driven International Initiatives in Women’s Studies will build on existing contacts to establish a more institutional structure for transatlantic collaboration in women’s studies, including multi-site course offerings and faculty and graduate exchange. Partnering universities: Leeds; Manchester; Sheffield; York; Utrecht; Oslo. ($6,000).
• Heinz Klug (Law) – Planning Workshop for the Law and Society in Developing Countries Project will build on the interests of a wide group of scholars at UW-Madison and WUN partner institutions and bring the insights of the “law and society” tradition to the study of legal processes and institutions in developing countries and/or those in transition to a market economy. Partnering universities: Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Washington-Seattle; Bristol; Manchester. ($6,000)
• Alfred McCoy (History) - Transitions and Transformations in the U.S. Imperial State will bring together scholars from several WUN universities to engage in interdisciplinary research on global empires, the U.S. imperial state, and the comparative character of these imperial states. Conference papers will be included in a scholarly publication. Partnering universities: Sydney; Washington-Seattle. ($5,000).
• Tejumola Olaniyan (African Languages and Literature, English) – A conference on “Diaspora and Cosmopolitanism” will advance the establishment of a WUN International Network in Colonial and Postcolonial Studies. Papers from the conference will be included in a scholarly book about contemporary discourses and practices of diaspora and cosmopolitanism. Partnering universities: Illinois, Urbana Champaign; Bristol; Leeds; Manchester; Sheffield; Utrecht; Sydney. ($5,000)
• J.M. Pfotenhauer (Mechanical Engineering) – Zhejiang Faculty Visit to UW-Madison will bring Zhejiang faculty to campus, strengthening collaborative research in the field of cryogenics, exploring joint research opportunities in building energy management, and completing preparations for an undergraduate student exchange program between the two universities. Partnering university: Zhejiang. ($4,000)
• Randy Stoecker (Rural Sociology) – Outcomes of Participatory Action Research (PAR) will create a sustainable online database of practitioners and craft a cross-national comparative evaluation protocol that will inform PAR theory and practice. Partnering universities: Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Washington-Seattle; Leeds; Manchester; Utrecht. ($5,000)

For more information on WUN at UW-Madison, go to http://www.intlstudies.wisc.edu/wun/default.asp

For more information on WUN, go to www.wun.ac.uk/

WUN participating institutions include the University of Bergen (Norway), University of Bristol (UK), University of California-San Diego, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, University of Leeds (UK), University of Manchester (UK), University of Nanjing (China), University of Oslo (Norway), Pennsylvania State University, University of Sheffield (UK), University of Southampton (UK), University of Sydney (Australia) University of Utrecht (Netherlands), University of Washington-Seattle, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of York (England), University of Zhejiang (China).

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UW biz students travel to get world view

By Aaron Nathans The Capital Times

How do you stop a herd of rampaging elephants?

A group of University of Wisconsin-Madison business students recently learned that the answer lies in learning to think from a different point of view.

A group of 10 master’s of business administration students visited the impoverished African nation of Malawi in early January. The journey was one of several trips abroad the MBA program has been adding in an effort to give their students a more worldly outlook.

The delegation spoke to officials from a fishery, which had dug ponds and stocked them with fingerlings, or baby fish. But before the fish could grow, elephants stormed down from the mountains and rolled around in the ponds, killing the fish. Click here to read the full story>.

WUN: The Secret to Success? Get Yourself Plugged In

by Anthea Lipsett anthea.lipsett@thes.co.uk

Published: 19 January 2007 in the Times Higher Education Supplement

Networks are becoming even more vital to academic life as they exploit technology to help researchers find colleagues and sustain work in novel fields. Anthea Lipsett reports When Steve Banwart watched a videoconference seminar by a leading American climate scientist, he had no idea that it would lead to an entirely new multidisciplinary field of research in the UK and millions of pounds in grants.

The seminar, which was set up by the Worldwide Universities Network, inspired the professor of environmental engineering science at Sheffield University to find others in the UK who were interested in “weathering”,
which combines disciplines to examine the growing environmental problem of oil erosion and degradation.

With the help of the WUN - an international alliance of 16 research universities that is funded through subscriptions - he established a group of like-minded colleagues in different fields to collaborate with their American peers.

“I wasn’t aware that there was similar enthusiasm for this subject in the UK. I would have become aware eventually, but the (network) mechanism allowed me to hook up with really keen people more quickly,” he said.

Networking, both nationally and internationally, is becoming an ever-more prominent feature of academic life, particularly for researchers in fields where problems cannot be tackled by one institution or country alone.

In November, Newcastle University announced a new £6.7 million European “network of excellence” project on neuromuscular disease that involves 21 partners. In December, Nottingham University launched the UK-China Research Network on Geotechnical Engineering.

Senior academics are, of course, expected to forge international research links, but it can be a time-consuming task. Organisations such as the WUN can work as a catalyst. David Pilsbury, director of the WUN, said it could be hard for individuals to find research colleagues and collaborators and keep up the contacts.

“Not everybody in the UK knows everyone else it is relevant to know. There are not enough hours in the day to do cutting-edge research, teach, administrate and keep an eye on all the developments in the sector. People know those they bump into in the coffee queue and others they like. We’re like a dating agency that introduces people.

“Our research seminar series brings people together regularly, and we remind them to stay in touch with the people they meet at conferences,” he added.

The WUN’s focus is practical. The group relies on modern technology and making it work. Dr Pilsbury said people could cite a litany of networks that have failed. The reason they did not work, he said, was not because they were intrinsically difficult but because they had to be very simple.

“In academe, it’s all about the quality of your ideas, but that has to be combined with quality of execution. The idea is the starting point, not the end point.

“We provide pump-priming intellectual venture capital. We work with these people to generate those returns, but there’s no expectation of financial

return to WUN,” Dr Pilsbury explained.

According to Professor Banwart, the WUN helped him bypass university procedures. “It was very helpful to have access to a pot of money for travel to set things up initially,” he said. “Having to apply for it can delay things by months.”

The global connections also helped Professor Banwart’s group to prove to funding bodies that weathering was an internationally recognised problem with a pool of high-quality experts.

As such, they won funding from the National Science Foundation, research councils and the European Commission. “Being able to show that you have brought people together with that level of commitment convinces the people holding the purse strings,” Professor Banwart said.

The WUN worked with the researchers to put together proposals and approach research funders. The result was a recent E600,000 (£395,000) grant and the possibility of millions more from FP7 the European Commission’s seventh research framework programme.

For Professor Banwart, peer review is the main benefit of international networks, and he finds that thrashing out ideas with specialist experts from outside helps to raise everyone’s game. But he misses the eye-to-eye contact and being able to conceptualise ideas by scribbling on paper napkins. “But this type of electronic communication is coming in more and more, even for local and regional and national types of meetings,” he said.

In networking across the globe, one confronts different research cultures and institutions. A scholar funded by the Chinese National Academy of Sciences, say, will have different pressures in getting work funded or disseminated from someone in an Ivy League or European university.

Professor Banwart said: “It does give a few more bits of the equation that have to be juggled, but I’ve encountered nothing yet that the personal motivation and enthusiasm of individuals can’t overcome.”

EXPANDING NETWORKS

TREAT-NMD (Translational Research in Europe - Assessment and Treatment of

Neuromuscular Diseases) http://www.treat-nmd.eu/ UK-China GeoNet (research

network on Geotechnical Engineering) http://www.ukchinanetwork.org.uk

JANET (the UK’s education and research network) http://www.ukerna.ac.uk GEANT2 (the seventh generation of pan-European research and education

network) http://www.geant2.net National Cancer Research Network

www.ncrn.org.uk UK Clinical Research Network http://www.ukcrn.org.uk Digital

Music Research Network http://www.elec.qmul.ac.uk/dmrn EUCE (network of EU

Centers of Excellence) http://www.unc.edu/euce WUN STORY

Set up in 2000 after a conference on the globalisation of higher education Its members are the universities of Bergen; Bristol; California, San Diego; Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Leeds; Manchester; Nanjing; Oslo; Pennsylvania State; Sheffield; Southampton; Sydney; Washington; Wisconsin-Madison; Utrecht; York; Zhejiang To date, the network has won more than $30 million in funding.

New international courses attract new students

December 15, 2006

Contact: Ronnie Hess, Director of Communications, Division of International Studies,
UW-Madison, (608) 262-5590, rlhess@wisc.edu

NEW INTERNATIONAL COURSES ATTRACT
NEW STUDENTS

Madison, WI – Several new international studies courses will be offered at UW-Madison in spring 2006. The courses reflect new faculty scholarship and research at the University as well as increased student interest in a wide range of international studies courses, both on the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Among the new offerings are:

• Introduction to the Middle East (Language and Cultures of Asia
  300)
• Topics in Global Security: Introduction to Global Studies (International
  Studies 601)
• The Politics of Green Voters and Consumers (European Studies 804
  but cross listed in the departments of German, French, Sociology, History,
  and
  Political Science)
• Health, Illness and Healing in Contemporary Africa (Anthropology
  901)
• The Vampire in Literature and Film (Literature in Translation 248)
• Humanities
  Topics in East Asian Studies: “Korean Popular Culture” (East
  Asian Studies 300)
• Italian Feminism in European Context (Italian 540)
• Fabricating Europe and
  the Discourses of Research, Teaching and Teacher Education (Curriculum and
  Instruction 916)
• The German Language and Immigration in International Perspective
  (European Studies 804, cross-listed in the departments of German, French,
  Sociology,
  History, and Political Science)

“ The new courses reflect both the amazing breadth and depth of our international
studies course offerings,” says Aili Tripp, associate dean of International
Studies and a professor of political science and women’s studies. “They
are evidence of how hard our faculty work to develop new courses to ensure
that students are aware of emerging global trends. The courses are certain
to be enormously popular.”

Introduction to the Middle East, taught by Professor Uli Schamiloglu (Languages and Cultures of Asia), will be a required core course for the new certificate in Middle East Studies (approval anticipated in 2006). It is open to anyone interested in learning more about this fascinating and important region.

Topics in Global Security: Introduction to Global Studies, taught by Professor Michael
Curtin (Communication Arts) will examine globalization as a central phenomenon of the contemporary era.

The Politics of Green Voters and Consumers, a broadly interdisciplinary graduate seminar taught by Elizabeth Covington (European Studies), will focus on comparative transatlantic environmentalism and consumerism. The course is being planned in consultation with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Bavarian Ministry for the Environment and Consumer protection with a view to participation in a long term transatlantic working group on environmental regulatory reform.

Health, Illness and Healing, taught by Professor Claire Wendland, who is also an M.D., (Anthropology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical History and Bioethics) will examine current major health issues in Africa from an interdisciplinary perspective, focusing on contemporary Africa as well as issues in international politics.

The Vampire in Literature, taught by Professor Toma Longinovic (Slavic Languages), explores the figure of the vampire as an evolving cultural artifact, serving both as a means of self-identification by various Slavic and East European nations, as well as a lens for the rest of the world for viewing the region.

Humanities Topics in East Asian Studies: “Korean Popular Culture,” taught by Inkyu Kang (East Asian Studies) will use Korean popular culture as a window
into a deeper understanding of contemporary Korean culture and society, using
an interdisciplinary media and cultural studies approach. The “Korean
Wave” of Korean popular media culture has become a phenomenon in neighboring
countries including Japan and China, where Korean films, TV shows, anime, pop
music, have found a devoted following.

Italian Feminism in European Context,
taught by Professor Grazia Menechella (French and Italian) focuses on the history
and development of Italian feminism
from the end of the 19th century to the present. Students will investigate
the history, theory and practice of Italian feminism within the cultural and
political context of modern Europe. The course is in English.

Fabricating Europe and the Discourses of Research, teaching and Teacher Education, taught by Professor Thomas Popkewitz (Curriculum and Instruction) focuses on
reforms of curriculum, teacher education and school research in the European Union, Turkey, and Russia.

The German Language and Immigration in International
Perspective, taught by Professors Rob Howell (German), Joe Salmons (German),
Paul Roberge (University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill) and Mark Louden (German and co-director of the Max Kade Institute) will examine the linguistic consequences of immigration in German-speaking immigration to Wisconsin, contemporary immigration to Germany, and German Sprachinseln in Eastern Europe/Central Asia. The goal is to integrate and synthesize various disciplinary approaches to the problem, and bring German-American Studies and contemporary German/European problems together in a novel and constructive way.

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