International Programs Office
Spring 2010
International Focus
http://international.tamu.edu/focus
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inside this edition 4
Dr. R. Bowen Loftin Confirmed as 24th President of Texas A&M University
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National Science Foundation Names Texas A&M Member of Top Research Performers
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Hispanic Business Names Cepeda-Benito One of “Top 100 Influentials”
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Mclean Awarded Honorary Doctorate in Thailand Urbina Honored With Don Quijote Award
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Middle East Scholar Fills Unique Role at A&M Engineering Faculty Part of $4 Million NSF Project
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Aggies Serving in China
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Spotlight on Katherine Prem
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Former Student Designs Some of World’s Tallest Buildings Texas A&M Students Nominated for Top Scholarships Bush Excellence Awards
Managing Editor: Linda Edwards Editor and Layout Design: Jen Massman Copy Editor: Renae Vargo
featuring
Brazos Valley Worldfest Page 12
Khalid A. Al-Falih Named as Outstanding International Alumnus Page 8
China-U.S. Conference Page 6
Castles, Crepes, and Co-ops Page 10
Dr. R. Bowen Loftin Confirmed as 24th President of Texas A&M University
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r. R. Bowen Loftin was formally named the 24th president of Texas A&M University on Friday, February 12, 2010. He was selected as the sole finalist for the position after an extensive nationwide search and had served as interim president of the flagship university for more than six months.
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to read more, click here
International Focus
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“Our students need to be prepared to lead the next generation into good international relations in both business and government and our faculty need the collaborations of international partners to conduct research that has global impact.”
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-Dr. R. Bowen Loftin
http://international.tamu.edu/focus
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Adapted from the George Bush Presidential Library Center Newsletter by Erin Pounders
China-U.S. Conference: Building a Relationship Based on Trust, Commitment, and Collaboration
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eld in Beijing on October 2123, 2009, more than 400 registered participants took part in the fourth biennial China-U.S. Conference, with discussions and presentations related to security, trade and economic recovery, technology and education, and issues related to energy and climate change. In describing the conference’s goals, Texas A&M University President Dr. Bowen Loftin noted that the conference affords participants with the opportunity to “dig below the surface to find areas in which our societies are already interdependent upon one another and to do the rewarding work of building relationships based on trust, commitment, and collaboration.”
to read more, click here
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A group of Mary Kay sponsored singers and dancers performed the night before the opening ceremony of the conference
International Focus
Student Spotlight
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arah Luna, an applied exercise physiology major, was one of 25 students from Texas A&M University that served as a student delegate to the ChinaU.S. Relations Conference in Beijing.
“The students are the ones who will be leading these countries in the next 20 to 30 years,” Sarah says. “I have a better understanding of the Chinese perspective, and my experiences in China gave me hope that we can find solutions that will work for both nations.”
for more on Sarah, click here http://international.tamu.edu/focus
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My years at Texas A&M not only provided me with a firm technical foundation for my professional career, but also reinforced many of the values which guide me in my life to this day. Integrity and hard work is core to being an Aggie and the value of self-development and lifelong learning are all integral to A&M.
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-Khalid A. Al-Falih
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Photos courtesy of Kelvin Morrison of Specialties Photography
International Focus
Khalid A. Al-Falih, ’82 Named 2010 Outstanding International Alumnus of Texas A&M University Written by Linda Edwards
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o Kahlid A. Al-Falih of the class of 1982, “once an Aggie, always an Aggie” is far more than a slogan. It is a way of life that develops students who come to know the strength of the Aggie bond. These are students who understand what it means to get a world-class education, get the ”other Aggie education” and become prepared to address the needs of an increasingly diverse population and global economy. Al-Falih received the 2010 Texas A&M University Outstanding International Alumnus Award presented on March 10 at the Clayton Williams, Jr. Alumni Center.
to read more, click here
Pictured left to right: Shariq Yosufzai, Chair of the Board, Association of Former Students, Porter Garner, President and CEO, Association of former students, Khalid A. Al-Falih, 2010 Outstanding International http://international.tamu.edu/focus Alumnus, R. Bowen Loftin, President, Texas A&M University
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Castles, Crepes and Co-ops College of Agriculture Study Abroad
rticle aroon A er M e u r from T h Poynt Adapted y Rebecca Noa b written
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he curriculum offers castles, crêpes, and cooperatives; not your typical Aggie fare. Each weekday, after a café latté and a croissant in the homes of their host families, Texas A&M students walk along 55 rue Rabelais to the Ecole Supérieure d’ Agriculture d’Angers, the equivalent to an American college of agriculture. Located in Angers, the Ecole Supérieure hosts Texas A&M University undergraduates and a visiting professor from the College of Agriculture, as well as groups from other American universities.
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to read more, click here International Focus
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I hope your visit will open your mind and your way of thinking, providing a bit of diversity, new ideas, new approaches.
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-Paludier (Salt Maker) Guerande, France
Photos co
urtesy of R
http://international.tamu.edu/focus
ebecca No
ah Poynte
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Brazos Valley Worldfest 2009
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International Focus
Investing in a Future of Cultural Understanding
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nder the golden rays of the November sunrise, volunteers and participants began the early morning set up for the third annual Brazos Valley Worldfest. “International awareness is at the heart of Brazos Valley Worldfest,” Fox said. “As students understand world cultures, they break down cultural assumptions and develop understanding. Teachers, parents and students are together investing in a future of cross-cultural acceptance.”
Adapted from article appearing in The Battalion November 16, 2009 written by Ann Littman
to read more about Brazos Valley Worldfest, click here
http://international.tamu.edu/focus
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National Science Foundation Names Texas A&M Member of Top 20 Research Performers Adapted from article appearing in The Battalion by Jeramie Heflin on November 4, 2009 The National Science Foundation Top 20 Research Performers 1. Johns Hopkins University 2. University of California, San Francisco 3. University of Wisconsin, Madison 4. University of Michigan 5. University of California, Los Angeles 6. University of California, San Diego 7. Duke University 8. University of Washington 9. University of Pennsylvania 10. Ohio State University 11. Pennsylvania State University 12. Stanford University 13. University of Minnesota 14. Massachusetts Institute of Technology 15. Cornell University 16. University of California, Davis 17. University of Pittsburgh 18. University of California, Berkeley 19. University of Florida 20. Texas A&M University
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exas A&M University excels in many areas, including outstanding student programs, national champion sports teams, and great engineering and business programs. The University also excels in academic research, as proven by the National Science Foundation’s ranking on the Top 20 Academic Research Performers in the U.S.
In addition, the University has opened the Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building, a $100 million facility that will enable researchers to make what could be world changing discoveries. With more than 30 lab facilities, the new building located next to Simpson Drill Field will be available to world-class scientists who are striving to make a difference through research.
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Written by Tura King
Hispanic Business Names Cepeda-Benito One Of “Top 100 Influentials”
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ispanic Business magazine has named Antonio Cepeda-Benito, dean of faculties and associate provost at Texas A&M University, to the publication’s 2009 list of the nation’s 100 “most influential” Hispanics. Among the ranked were U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonja Sotomayor, Senator Abel Maldonado, and Astronaut Joseph Acaba.
to read more on Cepeda-Benito, click here http://international.tamu.edu/focus
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Mclean Awarded Honorary Doctorate in Thailand Written by ??????????????
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ary McLean, senior professor in the Department of Educational Administration and Human Resource Development (EAHR), received an honorary doctorate in human resource development from the National Institute for Development Administration (NIDA) on January 6 in Bangkok, Thailand.
for more on Mclean, click here
Urbina Honored with Don Quijote Award Tiffany Neal
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n Nov. 18, 2009, Eduardo Urbina, Professor of the Department of Hispanic Studies at Texas A&M University, was inducted into Sigma Delta Pi’s Order of Don Quijote, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society’s highest award that is conferred annually upon only approximately five people worldwide.
to read more on Urbina, click here
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International Focus
Middle East Scholar Fills Unique Role at A&M Written by Andrea Roberts
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s the only Middle East scholar at Texas A&M University and one of only a handful of Middle East scholars in the United States studying the topic of Arab Shi'ism, Dr. el-Husseini provides exceptional learning opportunities for students interested in the Middle East.
to read more, click here
Engineering Faculty Part of $4 Million NSF Project Deana Totzke
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r. Prasad Enjeti, professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University, and two Texas A&M University at Qatar faculty members are part of a team leading a $4 million National Science Foundation project to design new materials with enhanced capabilities for efficient energy conversion.
for more on Enjeti, click here
http://international.tamu.edu/focus
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Written by Jon Anders
Aggies Serving in China Jon Anders Tells their Story
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ere we were, a dozen American college students dropped into one of the poorest regions of China, a place and people few “laowai� like us, had ever seen. Over the past few days we had visited with a local nonprofit group that was using funding from Merci-Corps and the Nike Foundation to combat the effects of drugs and poverty among the Yi people, particularly among children and women.
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to read more, click here International Focus
Spotlight on Katherine Prem
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f there’s one thing Katherine Prem ’10 is passionate about, it’s safety. As a matter of fact, the petite chemical engineering doctoral student from Bangalore, India spends a good deal of her time—academic, professional, and personal— keeping folks safe and well. Not that she started her college career with an eye on health and safety, or Texas A&M, for that matter.
for more on Katherine, click here Written by Kathy Disanto
http://international.tamu.edu/focus
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Former Texas A&M Architecture Student Designed Some Of World’s Tallest Buildings
Written by Kelli Levey
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hen the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, officially opened in Dubai amid a flurry of fanfare, former Texas A&M architecture student Adrian Smith was among the honored guests. It was he who designed the shimmering spire that soars more than a half mile above the desert in the United Arab Emirates, rising to an official height of 828 meters, or 2,716.5 feet.
to read more on Smith, click here
Texas A&M Students Nominated for Top Scholarships Written by Kyle Mox
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ive outstanding undergraduates at Texas A&M were nominated for this year’s Rhodes and Marshall Scholarships, the two most prestigious and highly-coveted academic scholarships available to United States students. Students include Anna Lee Allcorn, of Olton, Texas; Mark Deimund, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Ella Doerge, of Clive, Iowa; Paige Ibanez of the Woodlands, Texas; and Karthik Venkatraj, of College Station, Texas.
to read more about these top students, click here
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International Focus
Bush Excellence Awards 2010
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ll three of the recipients for 2010 Bush Excellence Awards for international teaching, international research and public service come from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences - a first in the history of the award. Clyde L. Munster, Glen C. Shinn and Peter Witt received the awards from Dr. Roman Popadiuk, Executive Director of the Bush Presidential Library Foundation, on March 4.
to read more, click here
Pictured here: Clyde Munster (top), Glen Shinn (middle), and Peter Witt (bottom).
http://international.tamu.edu/focus
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