A P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E R E V E S C E N T E R F O R I N T E R N AT I O N A L S T U D I E S AT W I L L I A M & M A R Y
VOL. 9, NO. 1, FALL 2016
Excellence in Internationalization WILLIAM & MARY HAS RECEIVED A 2016 NAFSA SENATOR PAUL SIMON AWARD FOR COMPREHENSIVE INTERNATIONALIZATION
ALSO: A NEW CURRICULUM TRANSFORMS A FAMILIAR PATH INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: IN THEORY, PRACTICE AND THE GAPS IN BETWEEN
A PUBLICATION OF THE REVES CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDIES AT WILLIAM & MARY VOL. 9, NO. 1, FALL 2016
3 AROUND the WORLD
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Alumnus Profile: A Q&A with Shao Li Robert Liu ’82
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From Solar Lights to Soccer: One Alum’s Path to Creating Change on a Monrovian Pitch
FEATURES
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William & Mary Receives Paul Simon Award for Excellence in Internationalization
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In First Person: A Q&A with Keabra OpongBrown ’16
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A New Curriculum Transforms a Familiar Path
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Amanda Barth: The Mason School’s Global Catalyst
STUDENT & FACULTY RESEARCH
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International Relations: In Theory, in Practice and in the Gaps In Between
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Matt Ribar: International Relations Scholar
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Nathalie Moore wins $50,000 GRO Fellowship from US EPA
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NEW in PRINT MILESTONES
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Established in 1989, the Reves Center for International Studies is today one of the premier centers for globalization in U.S. higher education. Its mission is to support and promote the internationalization of learning, teaching, research and community involvement at William & Mary through programs for education abroad, international students and scholars, and global engagement across the university. William & Mary is the number one public university for undergraduate study abroad participation, with over 50 percent of the university’s undergraduates studying outside the U.S. before graduation. This year, more than 1,000 international students and scholars from nearly 70 countries have come to William & Mary. And the Reves Center encourages and assists numerous international strategic initiatives across the university, including the William & Mary Confucius Institute, which offers Chinese language and cultural activities to the campus and community, and the Institute for the Theory & Practice of International Relations, co-sponsored by the Faculty of Arts & Sciences, which supports faculty and student collaborations to find solutions to pressing global problems.
Reves Center Advisory Board - Fall 2016 Kira C. Allmann ’10
Michael S. Holtzman ’92
Luis H. Navas ’82
Michael R. Blakey ’98
James D. Hunter ’85
John E. Osborn ’79
Lee Welton Croll, Ph.D. ’95
G. Hartwell Hylton ’72
Sharon K. Philpott ’85
Timothy P. Dunn ’83, Chair
R. Marc Johnson ’04
Thomas Reiser ’73
Scott R. Ebner ’96
Mohammad Koochekzadeh
Janet A. Sanderson ’77
Harriet M. Fulbright, DPS ’08
Richard C. Kraemer, Jr. ’94
Frank Shatz HON ’15
Richard W. Gates ’94
David C. Larson ’75
Corey D. Shull ’06
Barbara Glacel ’70, Vice Chair
Leslie McCormack Gathy ’88
Gregory J. Golden
Katherine W. Meighan ’92
Elizabeth M. Weithman, Ph.D. ’87
John F. Greenwood ’98
Judy P. Nance ’69
United Kingdom Singapore
United Kingdom The Plains, VA Boston, MA
Washington, DC Richmond, VA Oak Hill, VA
Falls Church, VA New York, NY
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Williamsburg, VA Hong Kong Darien, CT
Charlottesville, VA Chesapeake, VA
Washington, DC Fort Myers, FL
United Kingdom Arlington, VA Jupiter, FL
Miami, FL
Seattle, WA
White Salmon, WA Houston, TX
Arlington, VA
Williamsburg, VA Baltimore, MD
Vienna, VA
Maria Zammit
Virginia Beach, VA
FROM THE DIRECTOR
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his issue of World Minded and students who participate in marks a major milestone them. W&M’s international students for William & Mary: our and alumni on every continent are attainment of the 2016 making unique contributions to the Senator Paul Simon Award for campus and to the world, giving us all Comprehensive Internationalization a renewed sense of why Tribe Pride from NAFSA: Assocation of is indeed global. The remarkable International Educators. This dedication of everyone involved in prestigious award is given annually William & Mary’s interdisciplinary to a small number of U.S. institutions programs focused on international — typically including only one major affairs, such as our highly-ranked research university — that are seen as International Relations major, has having truly integrated international made us the envy of our colleagues Stephen E. Hanson perspectives and connections into at other research universities. Our every aspect of campus life. Given faculty and students—including Vice Provost for International Affairs the amazing and innovative work in W&M undergraduates—are Director, Reves Center for International Studies global education and administration publishing a steady stream of being done at our peer institutions outstanding new books, edited across the nation, to receive the 2016 Simon Award volumes, and articles on critical international issues; is both humbling and inspiring. And for those of us many of our professors continue to be recognized by at the Reves Center, whose mission is to promote the their peers around the world as leaders in their fields. internationalization of teaching, learning, research and In short: something very special is happening with community involvement across the university, the award global engagement here in Williamsburg — and people is especially meaningful. have begun to take notice. The NAFSA Simon Award Our commitment to internationalization in all its is certainly a significant achievement for all of us to multiple facets is, I think, clear from the selection of celebrate. But W&M’s excellence in internationalization stories and profiles you will find in these pages. W&M will surely inspire new pedagogical insights, research signature study abroad programs such as those at breakthroughs, and path-breaking contributions to the Santiago de Compostela, Spain and La Plata, Argentina global good for many decades to come. continue to have a life-changing impact on the faculty
World Minded Staff
On the Cover
Editor: Kate Hoving, Public Relations Manager, Reves Center for International Studies
“You Can Stand Under My Umbrella” by Jonathan Merlino ’18
Contributing Writers: Rachel Sims, Reves Center for International Studies; Joseph McClain, University News & Media; Marisa Spyker, University News & Media; Christopher Katella, VIMS; David F. Morrill, W&M Law School
Taken in Bath, England. Jonathan participated in the 2016 W&M Summer Program in Cambridge, England.
Graphic Designer: Rachel Follis, University Web & Design
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AROUND THE WORLD
Alumnus Abroad A Q&A WITH SHAO LI ROBERT LIU ‘82 Where were you born? What do you consider home? Taipei, Taiwan. I grew up in Tokyo and the US. Home is Hong Kong. Why did you choose to attend William & Mary? I fell in love with the campus. What was your major? Chemistry with a minor in Mathematics. Did you have a favorite course and/or professor while you were at W&M? Chemistry Professors Trevor Hill and Melvyn D. Schiavelli. Organic chemistry is so cool. Do you have a favorite memory of your time at W&M? I spent the whole summer synthesizing an organic compound, and found the compound synthesized was not what we had planned. The expected nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) peaks were not there. At least we found out “what did not work.” The methyl group near the double bond was too large for the back-sided attack on the –Cl. When were you last on campus? The summer of 2006. What career path(s) have you pursued? Chemist (W&M BS). Engineer (Stanford MS, Silicon Valley).
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Investment banker (UCLA MBA, NYC, Los Angeles, Hong Kong). Entrepreneur (merchant bank, property investment, bakery, and financial technology, all in Hong Kong). Do you have any current projects/ passions you’d like to share? I co-founded Yintran (which means silver transfer in Chinese) to allow anyone or any business in Hong Kong to money transfer HKD (Hong Kong Dollars) via mobile phone safely with privacy and bank-grade security (like Venmo in USA). I hate writing checks, and in Hong Kong there is no mobile money transfer like Venmo. So I decided to do it myself three years ago. We just finished testing the iOS and Android apps. Good times. Each check costs Hong Kong banking system US $2, and there are 150 million checks written a year in Hong Kong. We aim to eliminate the checks in 5 years and inject US $300 million efficiencies into Hong Kong banking system. In a period of 10 years thereafter, we may save the banking system in Hong Kong US $3 billion. It’s a win-win-win for the community. No need to write a check, to administer the checks, nor to process the checks.
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How do you think your experience at W&M has affected your life and decisions you’ve made? No adversity or challenge is too great. Do you have any advice for current students?
1. Stay physically healthy and mentally alert. Find your passion in what you excel at or what you aspire. Set a high, achievable and exciting goal, and start every day with this goal in mind. 2. Always “ask for” it, and if it is a “no” then ask again in a different way. 3. Push the limit.
Is there any advice you wish you’d received?
If the CEO of a billion-dollar company asks you to be his or her assistant, take it. Stay loyal, and chances are you will have his or her job one day.
Do you think international experience as a student is helpful in future life and career?
Yes.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Stay humble, inquisitive and aggressive.
Practice at Monrovia Football Academy. Photo by Jim Tuttle Monrovia, Liberia
From Solar Lights to Soccer:
One Alum’s Path to Creating Change on a Monrovian Pitch by Rachel Sims
hen Will Smith ’14 first took his seat in Professor Roessler’s Politics in Africa class, he couldn’t have told you it was about to change the trajectory of his life. It was the fall semester of the soccer captain’s junior year at William & Mary, and the class spent a week looking at the small African nation of Liberia.
his current position as President and Director of the Monrovia Football Academy (MFA). SOCCER ROOTS
For Smith, the youngest of four boys, soccer had always been a favorite activity. He began to seriously focus on the sport in high school, and went on to play at W&M all four years. The team won a CAA championship his freshman year, and reached the NCAA tournament his freshman and senior years. The two-year captain was named Scholar All-American and CAA Defensive Player of the Year his final year at W&M.
“I was moved by the fact that I knew so little about this country whose history is so complexly intertwined with our own,” says Smith. “So, I approached [Professor Roessler] and expressed my interest in Liberia.” Roessler suggested that his student map all the foreign investment projects in the country. This initial research led Smith to an interest in Liberia’s energy sector. He contacted a local NGO — the Liberia Energy Network (LEN) — and worked with Professor Roessler to develop a research project that would examine the impact of LEN’s solar lights on Liberian fishermen. Through an
Will Smith. Photo courtesy Tribe Athletics
application for an Honors Fellowship from the Charles Center, the Government major found himself preparing for a trip to Liberia just a few months later. This initial step would trigger more opportunities for Smith — from W&M to Liberia to Oxford — and into to
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One of Smith’s mentors and former head coach, Al Albert, suggested Smith and several other Tribe athletes begin coaching youth with the Virginia Legacy Soccer Club during his freshman year. It was a welcome break from his own intense training schedule, and the experience gave him a new perspective on the impact of the sport.
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AROUND THE WORLD “The core values of the sport — teamwork, respect, discipline, freedom of expression, and unity — were drilled into my conscience without me really noticing it. That’s powerful. It instilled in me a belief that (much like the arts) sport can speak to us in a way that our teachers and parents cannot.” LIBERIA AND BEYOND
During the summer of 2013, Smith traveled to Liberia to conduct his honors thesis research, alongside an internship with the State Department. As part of his research, he and a LEN colleague traveled to various fishing communities to examine the impact of the Liberia Energy Network’s solar lights on local fishermen. As it happens, Smith’s colleague was also a semi-professional Liberian soccer player, and their combined interest for the sport quickly helped Smith connect with other players through pickup games in Monrovia. Former national team player Sekou “Georgie” Manubah invited Smith to play with their team alongside George Weah, the only African ever named the FIFA World Player of the Year. Smith, a fan of Weah since childhood, was ecstatic. Smith continued training with the former national team, and later that summer, Weah, in his role as Liberia’s Peace Ambassador, organized an “all-stars” Liberian Peace and Reconciliation Match with some of Africa’s legendary players. Smith was invited to play in the match. He reflects on that incredible experience as one that gave him a glimpse into the transformative potential of soccer in Liberia. “I saw how people from a variety of backgrounds, political affiliations, and demographics came together to celebrate 10 years of peace in the country, united by their love for football. At the same time, I recognized that [it] was not going to produce the lasting change Liberia needs as it continues to recover and progress. So my mind started churning.” 4
He returned to W&M for his senior year, carrying with him three themes from his time abroad: the power of soccer; the knowledge that the Liberian education system was failing; and the observation that he never saw Liberian girls playing soccer. Curious to learn more, Smith read Jonny Steinberg’s Little Liberia that fall, and decided to continue his studies. In October 2014, Smith arrived in Oxford to study under Steinberg, just as the Ebola crisis rippled across world news. In conversation with friends in Liberia, Smith and Manubah began to brainstorm ideas that would aid in rebuilding Liberia after the crisis. The idea for the first soccer academy in Liberia’s history was born. “It would address three of the country’s most pressing issues — a failing education system, gender inequality, and a lack of opportunities for young footballers. Most importantly, it would use football as a positive-incentive mechanism to break down gender barriers and improve academic performance.” MONROVIA FOOTBALL ACADEMY
Monrovia Football Academy opened its doors in October 2015, providing “quality education, professional football coaching, good nutrition, and life skills” to 27 students, ages 9-11. In 2016, the Academy has expanded to 51 students and three academic grades (3rd, 4th, and 5th). Students spend the morning learning soccer concepts and the second half of the day in the Academy school. The goal? “An Academy whose graduates produce transformational change in Liberia,” Smith hopes. Outside of Smith, everyone on staff is Liberian. “Many [young organizations] have overlooked the complexity of the context in which they’re operating, especially given the history between the United States and Liberia. We believe it is imperative that Monrovia Football Academy is viewed as a Liberian organization, one of which Liberians can be proud. A major part of that is ensuring that the people delivering the programs are Liberian.” WORLD MINDED
From top: Smith conducting his 2013 honors thesis research in Monrovia; L to R: Musa Sheriff, Head of Academic Operations at MFA, Will Smith, and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Photos courtesy Will Smith
From top: Classroom at MFA; Football practice at MFA. Photos by Jim Tuttle
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AROUND THE WORLD It hasn’t always been easy. MFA encountered skepticism during its first year, as this was the first venture of its kind in the country. But the program’s reputation is building due to its effectiveness, as evidenced by a visit from President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf near the end of the school year in June. “I think we all felt a sense of pride that day. It also served as a reminder that we are moving in the right direction, but we must keep doing our best to make this fully sustainable.” Smith hopes MFA will eventually be able to build its own facilities, with the goal to expand to 300 students with a 50:50 gender equity ratio. He has also been working on partnerships with schools and soccer clubs around the world to create new opportunities for the students in the future. “Who knows, you might see an MFA graduate at William & Mary in a few years!” Smith credits the success of the program to the family, friends, advisors, and wider international community that has rallied around the idea. “In 16 months we have built a donor base of nearly 300 people, and it continues to grow at a steady rate. That is a testament to the philanthropic spirit of our communities, and also to the power of the MFA concept.” International non-profit leadership has allowed Smith to see the world from different perspectives, he explains. “It has also given me a greater appreciation for cultural differences and the way our traditions and beliefs impact our ways of life. Around the world, we are bound by a common humanity.” And for a growing group of students in Monrovia, soccer is strengthening that bond. For more information on MFA, visit www.monroviafa.com.
Zeta Kromah:
A STUDENT AT MONROVIA FOOTBALL ACADEMY
“Zeta Kromah is an 11-year-old girl from the Bye Pass Community in Monrovia. Her dream is to become a professional football player, but that does not distract her from her studies; she sits atop the 5th-grade class with a 95% average. While Zeta has excelled on tests and quizzes, we’re most excited about her leadership. She is vocal both on the pitch and in the classroom, always encouraging her friends to do their best. That positive attitude has played a central role in her early success, and it has contributed to the creation of a dynamic environment in the classroom. Zeta provides a great example of the impact MFA can have on Liberia’s youth. Before joining MFA, she attended a school with large class sizes, unqualified teachers, and ill-equipped classrooms. She says that most of her learning occurred after school, when her older brother would take her through her lessons. Now, she is receiving a quality education that encourages her to explore new ideas and challenge herself.” - Will Smith Above: Student Zeta Kromah holds her first period test after she scored highest in the class. Photo courtesy Will Smith
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William & Mary Receives Paul Simon Award for Excellence in Internationalization THIS PAST SPRING, THE REVES CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDIES WAS PROUD TO
ANNOUNCE THAT W&M RECEIVED A 2016 SENATOR PAUL SIMON AWARD FOR COMPREHENSIVE INTERNATIONALIZATION FROM NAFSA: ASSOCIATION OF INTERNATIONAL EDUCATORS.
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amed for the late Senator Paul Simon of Illinois, NAFSA’s Simon Award recognizes colleges and universities that are making significant, well-planned, well-executed, and well-documented progress toward comprehensive internationalization — especially those using innovative and creative approaches across several areas, such as student and faculty access to a global education experience. The award is granted to a limited number of institutions each year — usually no more than five. W&M is one of only four in 2016. “William & Mary is building on a global tradition of more than three centuries, beginning with our founding in 1693 as an American overseas campus representing the British Crown,” said President Taylor Reveley. “Few universities combine centuries of commitment to excellence in teaching international subjects, extensive study abroad programs, opportunities for hands-on student research on crucial global problems, close ties to policymakers and a strong base of local, national and international alumni.” The award comes in a year of multiple milestones in global education for the university. For the third year in a row, W&M is the number one public university for undergraduate study abroad participation in the U.S. Approximately 50 percent of undergraduates now experience overseas study before graduation. More than 750 undergraduate students study abroad each year in
over 60 countries, participating in one of the 45 programs W&M sponsors as well as a wide range of programs by other providers. W&M has also tripled the number of its international students and scholars in the past 10 years, and increased the diversity of countries from which they come. This year, more than 1,000 international students and scholars from over 65 countries have come to the university. In addition, W&M just launched a new undergraduate curriculum in which all undergraduates must take COLL 300 coursework that engage with global/cross-cultural perspectives. “At William & Mary, internationalization is a priority, highlighted in our strategic plan,” said Provost Michael Halleran, who noted that the Reves Center’s director, Stephen E. Hanson, also serves as vice provost for international affairs. “We benefit from an efficient institutional set-up that ensures that international initiatives underway at any of William & Mary’s five academic schools — the Faculty of Arts & Sciences, the Raymond A. Mason School of Business, the School of Education, the School of Law and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) — can be coordinated and supported at the highest levels of the university administration.” Hanson added, “Receiving the Simon Award this year is a testament to the hard work and commitment to internationalization of so many faculty, students, and staff across
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William & Mary. All of us at Reves are truly humbled, and deeply honored, by this recognition from our peers in the international education community.” Institutions selected for the Simon Awards will be featured in NAFSA’s report, Internationalizing the Campus: Profiles of Success at Colleges and Universities, to be published in the fall, and honored at an event in Washington, D.C. during International Education Week in November. NAFSA Executive Director and CEO Marlene M. Johnson said, “The 2016 Simon Award institutions prepare our students for success in the thoroughly interconnected environment in which global learning is becoming a prerequisite to success, both in the classroom and beyond.” The other three institutions receiving the 2016 Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization are: New York Institute of Technology, New York, N.Y.; University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Mass.; and University of Tampa, Tampa, Fla. NAFSA: Association of International Educators is the world’s largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education and exchange. NAFSA’s 10,000 members from more than 3,500 institutions, in over 150 countries are administrators, advisors, instructors, students, advocates, volunteers, and all those committed to the growth of international education.
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zu Falls) Cataratas del Iguazu (Igua ers of - one of the 7 natural wond l border the world - forms a natura l. between Argentina and Brazi
In First Person:
A Q&A with Keabra OpongBrown ’16
La Plata, Argentina
KEABRA OPONGBROWN WAS A STUDENT IN WILLIAM & MARY’S SEMESTER PROGRAM IN L A
PL ATA, ARGENTINA IN 2015. OPONGBROWN AGREED TO SHARE SOME OF WHAT SHE OBSERVED
AND EXPERIENCED DURING HER STUDY ABROAD, AS WELL AS HER ADVICE TO OTHER STUDENTS.
Me eat i pastry) ng pastel (a fr in a st reet fa ied savory ir in S ão Pau lo. 8
Where were you born? What do you consider your home town? I was born in Spokane, WA, but I would consider Woodbridge, VA (NoVA) and Seattle, WA, to be my home town. Both places because as a military child, your concept of home is heavily impacted not only by the duration of a place you were in, but also by the people there. My mother’s side of the family has been in the Seattle area since I was born, and it really feels like home to me, but Northern Virginia is where I went to school and where I have most of my friends from high school and college. What was your major at W&M? Government and Hispanic Studies. WORLD MINDED
Did you have a favorite course or professor while you were at W&M? Anything with Professor Kathleen Boyle. 2015-16 was her last year at the College but she is an amazing scholar, a skilled professor, and just a great person in general. Andrea Castellucio taught Argentine Cinema during spring 2014, and that was the first time I really understood how films allow us to better understand various perspectives of the time period in which a particular film was made. Lastly, Culture and Cuisine with Brad Weiss in the Anthropology Department really allowed me to question food: how we make it, with whom, when, and how we consume it,
La Feria de San Telm o Buenos Aires, a stree in t fair
what we consume, what is considered edible vs. food, and food justice and the environment. It really challenged how I think of food. Why did you want to study abroad? Being a military child, I was used to living in very different areas, and my father made it clear that we are all enriched by becoming aware of other people’s experiences; a 10-day vacation only shows a microcosm of life in a place you visit, but living there allows you to truly understand what that life and culture is about. Did you have a location or program in mind when you began investigating study abroad? I knew I wanted to be in a Spanish or Portuguese speaking country to see how well my language skills worked. What appealed to you about the program in La Plata? After living in the Spanish House for a year, with a woman from the La Plata program, it only made sense for me to go there. The big deciding factor, however, was the fact that I was able to use my William & Mary Scholars Award to pay for the tuition. Also, Staircase) in Escadaria Selaron (Selaron there was much less paperwork s built by wa s Thi Lapa, Rio de Janeiro. than a third party program. orn Brazilian
Jorge Selarón, a Chilean-b decorated the painter and ceramist who from aro und s Tile , staircase tile by tile . him to t the world were sen
Do you have any favorite memories of La Plata? I had the opportunity to work as an English teacher at Instituto Anglo-Frances in La Plata, and it all happened very unexpectedly. It was two blocks from my house, and while getting to know the area, I walked past the school with my roommate Savannah Stevens ’17, rang the doorbell, asked to volunteer, and we got a placement. Being able to help 100+ students work on their English — such an important skill for them — made me feel my impact would extend well after I left. The students and staff welcomed Savannah and me with open arms. My boss and her mother have come to visit the States twice during 2016! Were there any surprises? I was shocked to see for the first time the middle ground between a developed and a developing country.
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There were days where we did not have hot water or wifi (which meant we could not talk to our families). The poor infrastructure and political corruption leave Argentina in a difficult situation to improve. I was also surprised to see that so many Argentines do not identify with being “Latin American,” claiming that their (predominantly) Italian heritage and fair skin made them different from the rest of Central and South America. Did you have any concerns about the program or about study abroad? How did you cope? As a result of the media, and preferences, when most people around the world think of a young American girl studying abroad, they picture a white, average height, cute, and most likely blonde girl. I am short and African-American, and in a country as homogenous as Argentina, I knew I would stand out, and this was a large concern of mine prior to leaving. Most study-abroad related difficulties stem from lack of familiarity with culture, or with the language, but that usually subsides significantly after a few months in the country. For me, however, I would never not be black, and my identity was constantly put into question. On my way to class, in the train station, people would take pictures of me without my permission, and would point and laugh and stare; it was brutal. You can never really cope with something like that, but I cried quite a bit, and talked with people close to me who would care. Race is a sensitive subject, and a lot of people do not care to talk about it because it makes them uncomfortable, they think you’re complaining, or they do not believe that physical characteristics can really change your experiences, so I unfortunately was not able to talk about it with many people. I tried to realize that since Argentina is so homogenous, my being an anomaly simply sparked curiosity, but that is hard when you identify so strongly as an American, and your appearance seems to contradict that identity.
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How do you think your study abroad experience has affected your life and future plans? Well first off, it really allowed me to appreciate the diversity of the Northern Virginia area, and how I know in the future, I need to be in an area where my leaving the house does not make me fearful of how people react to the color of my skin. I also have reaffirmed my desire to spend at least one more year abroad while working to experience another country as an adult, instead of a student, and I really hope to work for the Foreign Service. Do you have any advice for current students? START EARLY. If you even think you want to study abroad as a freshman, look into it. See what time of year you want to go, which usually impacts those in the Science, Math and B-School because your classes are only offered at certain times of the year. Read blogs, talk to your peers who have studied abroad, do research, and ask your parents. Also, understand the country you are going to: How are women treated? Is there verbal street harassment? Will my faith/race be accepted? Is my diet feasible in this area? Those are the questions that usually get addressed once in country, and it’s much better to know prior. Do you think international experience as a student is helpful in future life and career? YES. In an increasingly globalized world, it is important to understand how different cultures work so that we as a nation are not offended by differences. Also, being in Argentina, and in Brazil (where I spent a week) really allowed me to see that not everyone looks up to the US that way we make think they do; people in Latin American still feel the wounds of neocolonialism, and really question our assumed hegemony and importance in the global world. It is important to recognize these scars, and let countries be sovereign states without intervening at a moment’s notice.
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Anything else you’d like to add? STUDY ABROAD. Especially for those who feel that they are not independent, are home-bodies, or have never really left their comfort zones; studying abroad is a wonderful, challenging, mindblowing, one of a kind experience that leaves you so enriched and shows you your strengths. I wish it were an experience everyone could enjoy, and for that reason, to those reading this article, if you have extra finances to help a student make this a reality, please consider donating to the Reves or Charles Centers to help students experience this wonderful opportunity. If you were designing a study abroad program, what elements would you make sure to include? I would make sure to include a trip/ excursion in country that was far away from the main tourist hub that most study abroad programs are in. I would make sure that students are immersed in the culture, instead of staying with the American students in their program. Finally, I would allow for some flexibility in programming. My being able to decide to volunteer at a language institute, something I am very passionate about, was such an important experience to me that I think about almost every day. It is imperative that students are able to find their passions that they have at home, while abroad. The growth and learning from that is unparalleled.
After graduation, OpongBrown continues to pursue her passions. She had an internship at the Spanish Embassy in Washington, D.C. Currently, she’s teaching violin lessons and playing for weddings and other events in the Washington area while waiting to hear back from job applications.
A New Curriculum Transforms a Familiar 14
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SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
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SPAIN SINCE THE 9TH CENTURY
A.D., COUNTLESS PILGRIMS FROM ALL OVER THE
WORLD HAVE TRAVELED
THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO, A NET WORK OF ROUTES
THAT TERMINATE AT THE
CATHEDRAL OF SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTEL A IN
GALICIA IN NORTHWESTERN SPAIN. THEY ARE MEN AND WOMEN, CHILDREN AND
THE ELDERLY. THEY TRAVEL
ON FOOT, ON HORSEBACK, ON BICYCLE OR EVEN
Path
group of William & Mary students and faculty traveled the Camino this past summer. It isn’t the first time W&M has sponsored a pilgrimage. But this 2016 journey was different. Theirs is a tale of how the power of an idea, a bold new approach to education, becomes manifest. And so this is a tale worth telling. THE BEGINNING OF A PLAN
Our tale begins not in Spain, but in Williamsburg, in December 2013, when the Faculty of Arts & Sciences voted to approve new general education requirements for the undergraduate program.
MEMORABLE.
At the time, Dean Kate Conley described the new College Curriculum (COLL) as the way to provide W&M students a common experience and a more integrated introduction to the liberal arts, to ensure “that each student leaves William & Mary able to think deeply and critically and to make new connections between various kinds of knowledge — the best kind of preparation for their future success.”
by Kate Hoving
To understand fully why this
WHEELCHAIR. THEY COME FOR AS MANY DIFFERENT REASONS AS THERE ARE
PILGRIMS, AND EVERY ONE
OF THOSE UNIQUE REASONS RESULTS IN AN EXPERIENCE THAT IS SIGNIFICANT AND
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Cam ino
LEÓN
de Santiago, Spa
in
new COLL was the spark for the pilgrimage, it’s helpful to learn a bit about it. The COLL experience includes: COLL 100 & COLL 150: A firstyear experience is offered in every academic discipline, laying the groundwork for a coherent liberal arts education through deep readings and group discussions of texts, data, or methods of inquiry; and exploring the concepts, beliefs and creative visions, theories, and discoveries that have shaped our understanding of the world. COLL 200: Courses are about the academic disciplines — about where their practices intersect and diverge, the various ways they approach questions of evidence and conclusions, and how, together, they comprise the broader framework of the liberal arts. In most cases a COLL 200 course belongs to or is “anchored in” one of three knowledge domains (Arts, Letters, and Values (ALV), Cultures, Societies, and the Individual (CSI) and The Natural World and Quantitative Reasoning (NQR). Students are 11
encouraged to make coherent and meaningful interconnections across the academic disciplines. COLL 300: It connects students with people, places, and ideas that lift them out of familiar surroundings and deepen the way they see themselves in the world. Students are asked to use their knowledge, emerging expertise in framing questions, and communication skills to engage the world in a self-reflective, crosscultural way. COLL 400: The capstone experience takes place in the major, typically in senior year. Students will draw on the knowledge gained from their studies to take their own scholarly initiative. They’ll be expected to synthesize and apply critical analysis, solve problems in an applied and/or academic setting, create original material or original scholarship, and communicate effectively with audiences.
John Riofrio, who goes by “Rio,” received his PhD in English and is Assistant Professor of Latin Studies in the Hispanic Studies Program in the Department of Modern Languages and Literature. Professor Matthew Allar, Class of 1955 Associate Professor of Theatre. Allar is resident Scenic Designer for W&M and specializes in scenic design, lighting design, costume design, scenic painting, stage properties, creative problem solving, storytelling. He is also an advisory member of the Institute for Pilgrimage Studies at W&M. Allar and Riofrio were interested in creating a program that that would fulfill the requirements of both new COLL 200 and COLL 300 as well as the current General Education credits for creative expression. Riofrio was ending his term as a CLA Fellow and Allar had just begun his, and working together “was a golden opportunity —
participate in international initiatives. This enables faculty and students both to bring their training and outlooks to bear on different fields of inquiry. What Allar and Riofrio came up with was something entirely new — both academically and as a way to experience the Camino. They created two courses: Theatre 460: Right Here/Right Now and HISP 389: Hike & Seek: Pilgrimage and the Global Search for Joy. Theatre 460: Right Here/Right Now (Allar). Allar’s course approached the experience from visual observations and perspectives, through visual cues and site specific art. Allar sees his role as theater designer as that of storyteller, relating a story through the visual components of theater. “The Camino is inextricably intertwined with historic storytelling, and part of what makes it interesting is what compels men and women to
“What compels men and women to make the journeys? What is that primal compulsion to experience new things?” Supporting this new framework, developing new curricula and working with faculty to develop new courses, is the Center for the Liberal Arts (CLA). Appointed from the faculty for two-year terms, CLA Fellows provide intellectual leadership and representation from the arts and humanities, social sciences, and natural and computational sciences, along with interdisciplinary programs. The first cohort of five Faculty Fellows began work in January 2014. And it is within the CLA that our journey begins, as two CLA Fellows — in the true spirit of interdisciplinary collaboration — joined forces to craft a new experience. TWO FELLOWS: ONE PATH
They are two distinguished academic professionals from two different disciplines: Professor John “Rio” Riofrio and Professor Matthew Allar.
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on a global, radical interdisciplinary level,” Allar realized.
make the journeys. What is that primal compulsion to experience new things?”
Riofrio also understood that they would need to craft the program carefully. “The challenge of the program was to create two full courses and make them both worthwhile. We designed the courses independently then met up to see where they might overlap,”
Allar instructed the students to look for site specific art such as handmade and planned monuments, perspective and scale drawings, architecture, and graffiti. He also told them to strike up impromptu conversations with travelers to ultimately create character sketches from imagined backstories.
As Allar recalls, they hoped to create “an experience that any student would find accessible in the classroom and physically out in the world.” In addition, they wanted an experience “that had a beginning, middle and end that could be completed in the given time period, even if it was maybe only putting a toe in the water with these subjects.”
Graffiti revealed fascinating and varied characteristics of the Camino — telling stories and providing histories of their authors, reflecting and changing with the eras of the travelers who have walked the path. Contemporary graffiti that can be seen now include things like gang tags and scans for directional apps. But the W&M group also saw at the Cathedral of Santiago etchings and cryptic symbols that were graffiti at the time they were made by the masons who built it. Their marks have endured until today.
The appeal of the new curriculum for Allar was to find a way to broaden its reach to allow a “wider swath of faculty” of different disciplines to
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HISP 389: Hike & Seek: Pilgrimage and the Global Search for Joy (Riofrio). Riofrio’s approach to the opportunities afforded by the Camino was to take a subject of importance to his students and then use the journey to explore possible answers. He has watched the effect of worry and stress in the lives of his students, and it led him to ask, “What are the ways people experience joy?” Riofrio wanted it to be a serious exploration and to give the students the leeway to find their own questions and answers. “I originally thought I’d have the students journal,” Riofrio recalls, “But I didn’t want to have to read them because it would be intrusive.” And Riofrio had his own questions to consider: “I asked, ‘Is this relevant to students? 20-year-olds? Is this meaningful?’ They would all be going on this journey. I was there for the students, but I was also there for me.” THE ROLE OF THE CAMINO AS TEACHING ELEMENT
Nine students and our two professors embarked on their 4-week program, May 21-June 18, 2016, organized through and supported by the Reves Center Global Education Office. Weeks 1 and 4 were in Santiago, and the two in the middle spent hiking. Each would teach his class separately for 2 weeks in Santiago, and then they would experience the walk together for 2 weeks, finishing up with a week back in Santiago. All nine students took both classes. They came from a variety of disciplines, from global performing arts and design to English and business.
From top: On the Camino de Santiago at the point of entry into the Province of Galicia. L to R: Professor Matthew Allar, Brooks Henne In front of the Cruce de Ferro with the W&M banner hand carried over 200 miles. Top row: Quinn Reiley. Standing L to R: Maria Miao, Brooks Henne, Alex Wingate, Martha Rose Oordt, Malone Inzunza, Professor John RioFrio, Adryan Flores, James Sylvester, Emma Munis. Kneeling: Professor Matthew Allar Adryan Flores sketches a landscape in O’Cebreiro, a pre-Roman village between the O Courel and Os Ancares mountain ranges.
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JOURNEY ON THE CAMINO Date
Location
Distance Walked
5/28
1 León
--
5/29
2 Mazarife
22.2km / 13.79mi
5/30
3 Astorga
31.2km / 19.39mi
5/31
4 Rabanal
21.4km / 13.30mi
6/1
5 Molinaseca
26.5km / 16.45mi
6/2
6 Villafranca
30.9km / 19.20mi
6/3
7 O’cebreiro
6/4
Rest Day
6/5
8 Triacastela
21.3km / 13.24mi
6/6
9 Sarria
18.7km / 11.62mi
6/7
10 Portomarin
22.4km / 13.92mi
6/8
11 Palas De Rei
24.8km / 15.41mi
30.1km / 18.70mi --
6/9
12 Rebadiso / Aruza
25.8km / 16.03mi
6/10
13 Pedrouzo
22.1km / 13.72mi
6/11
14 Santiago De
20.1km / 12.49mi
Compostela
TOTAL DISTANCE: 311 km (197 miles) TIME: 13 days of walking ALBERGUES: 13 nights COLLECTIVE BLISTERS: 26 CUBIC INCHES OF BREAD CONSUMED: Uncountable
The journey on the Camino provided an opportunity to explore their own ideas and also to meet a variety of individuals and engage them in their intellectual and spiritual inquiries. “On the Camino, the pilgrims are often intellectually curious by nature, as shown by the fact that they’re doing it,” Allar understood. “Most are looking for something and therefore open to discussion.” This would not be Allar’s first pilgrimage on the Camino. His first time, he was alone, and it was a chance to decompress. He found he created some wonderful friendships. This time as Program Director, it was going to have to be a more academic approach, so Allar found himself in work mode, calling out meaningful features to the students, trying to set 14
an example. And in doing so, he had a different experience of the journey; he learned what’s possible to experience when actively engaged, and noticed visual elements and stimuli that he either hadn’t seen on his previous visit, or perhaps had too quickly looked past, not appreciating the full joy in simplicity. Although his father had walked the Camino four years earlier, Riofrio had never thought about walking it himself, so this was going to be a new experience for him, as it was for the students. THE LESSONS OF THE JOURNEY: CHALLENGES AND INSIGHTS
The first week they stuck together each day from 7am to 3:30pm. Riofrio found an unexpected challenge, which was personality: “The majority of the students saw themselves as introverts, but an integral part of the experience would be talking with people.” It would be a challenge pedagogically as a group. The nine students looked out for one another after the first week, but then they needed to head out of the city. However, the advantage of the Camino experience that Allar understood — which is what appealed to them in their planning for the experience — is that introvert or not, English-speaking or not, pretty quickly you realize, “The principal goal for everyone is simply to walk to the next place, and that leads to an equal playing field, whether you’re 70 years old and from Ecuador or a 20-year old college student from Florence.” Within a few days of walking, travelers start to see the same people, so a certain ease and camaraderie among different groups and individuals will develop. Also, as Riofrio learned, news travels quickly. On the third day of the walk, he was doing laundry at an albergue and was stopped: “Are you the happiness professor?”
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Riofrio recounts another story with a more mundane outcome, though, where he noticed that for the first four or five days, like a magical “gift” of the Camino, at every stop there was always hand soap. It turns out it was actually that Matt Allar, as Rio recalls — “the perfect program director” — had thought ahead and had brought with him a supply of soap slivers to make sure there would be soap on the trip, even if the students hadn’t brought enough. OUTCOMES
A pilgrim who has walked the Camino can get a “Compostela” or certificate as tangible proof. Since 2014 pilgrims have been able to certify the actual distance traveled. As is often the case with intellectual inquiry, the end of the journey did not produce simple solutions or one right answer. However the outcomes are no less real. The students shared their stories on Google Maps that mark their individual journey with images and reflections. We have posted some at bit.ly/wmcamino2016 for those who would like to see the Camino through their eyes and ears. And because it, too, was a goal of the journey, they all earned their 6 academic credits. As for Riofrio and Allar, their accomplishment is perhaps less tangible, yet just as long lasting. Their collaboration and willingness to devote themselves intellectually, pedagogically and physically to the new College Curriculum sets an example of the potential of creativity and boldness in a liberal arts education. An example, but not a rigid template — because, as Riofrio says: “Everyone walks their own Camino…there’s no right way or wrong way… no hierarchies… just walking.”
t the risk of generalizing, it’s not unreasonable to assume that for a lot of potential applicants to an MBA program, the first stop on the admissions website is the list of rankings and job placements. And if that’s where a potential applicant to William & Mary’s Raymond A. Mason School of Business starts, it won’t disappoint. The W&M business faculty is consistently ranked among the top 10 in the nation by The Princeton Review and gets an A+ from Businessweek, and there’s a long list of rankings and stats attesting to the high quality of the program. But if you want to get a feeling for the zeitgeist of the school — what sets it apart from other programs — your next page view should be the Values Statement: As a global citizen and member of the Mason community, I embrace the following values: * Respect and responsibility for self and others * A spirit of generosity * A life dedicated to inquisitive learning and development My words, actions, and relationships will demonstrate my commitment to these values within the program and throughout my life.
Amanda Barth: The Mason School’s Global Catalyst THE DIRECTOR OF MBA ADMISSIONS AT THE RAYMOND A. MASON SCHOOL OF BUSINESS SEEKS TO WIN OVER INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS. by Kate Hoving
FALL 2016
And nobody knows better than Amanda Barth, Director of MBA Admissions at the Mason School of Business, that it’s the combination of these assets that attracts and could ultimately win over an international student. Barth has focused on increasing international student diversity, and she’s overseen a significant increase in the number of countries represented. She credits the support of the Dean and the entire W&M community for the commitment to internationalizing the school. It’s a smart business model in an increasingly global economy, but it’s also good practice because, as she says simply: “Diversity makes for an interesting learning experience.” 15
THE RIGHT COMBINATION OF TALENT, EXPERIENCE AND OUTLOOK
Barth first came to W&M to pursue her Master of Education degree in the Educational Policy, Planning and Leadership Program from 20042006. After completing her Master’s she worked as a development officer at the Arizona State University Foundation in Tempe, Arizona. Barth returned in 2009 as Associate to the Director of Admissions at the Mason School and has been Director of Admissions since 2010. Barth attributes her ease with traveling internationally and embracing different cultures to being adaptable and open-minded. She also prepares herself extremely well. “You should take the time to conduct research about a region,” Barth recommends. “You will be received well, if you know how to present yourself.” Her openness comes in handy not only with international recruitment, but in all her outreach, including with private corporations, government, the military, NGOs, alumni and even the occasional student needing a hand on move-in day.
Clockwise, from top left: Celebrating Mason’s Japanese Culture Night with MBA students; Attending The MBA Tour fair event in Mumbai with W&M MBA alumni ambassadors Anuj Shah and Kuntal Bheda; Corporate visit to the factory floor of Aluminium Bahrain (Alba). Photos courtesy Amanda Barth
Barth is optimistic but savvy about both the opportunities and the challenges for W&M in the international market. She acknowledges that for international students, the schools in Europe are well respected and have the advantage of an excellent price point. But Barth has helped Mason create a unique W&M niche. Barth understands her constituency and W&M’s strong points: (1) the
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prestige and quality of W&M; (2) a diverse, international population — 40% of full-time MBA students at W&M are international; and (3) the safe and supportive environment of Williamsburg, which is a particular plus for women and students with families. The challenge is demonstrating to the world these qualities that make W&M special, and that’s where Barth shines.
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Her involvement with the students doesn’t end with their acceptance into the program. Her philosophy is that she and the entire admissions, programs, and career management teams must work together to stay actively engaged in each student’s time at W&M. “We want to create a true learning community where everyone participates,” Barth states. “This is such an exciting place to be, and I look for people on my team who truly care about students.” A STRATEGY FOR OUTREACH AND ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT
The personal touch is indispensable, but the growth in international students is also the result of a wellreasoned strategy of identifying the key markets where W&M does well and building on those existing core relationships while looking for areas to expand.
Currently 40% of full-time MBA students — representing more than 20 countries — are international. W&M’s current key markets are: Southeast Asia, India, parts of Latin America, the Middle East and Arabian Gulf, Japan and Korea.
global deployments, which helps them connect well to international students, who have also had to learn to adjust to different cultures,” Barth notes. “They also enrich the learning teams or study groups by sharing their experiences and leadership ability.”
Where are potential new opportunities? Barth is looking at expanding into Latin America and Africa, in addition to continuing efforts in the Arabian Peninsula and Gulf States.
It’s also interesting to note that 40% of the international MBA students are employer- or government-sponsored, a testament to the commitment and partnerships that have been established.
It’s Barth’s outreach and enthusiasm that have been primarily responsible for the development of Middle East and Arabian Gulf partnerships. She travels a good part of the year, participating in the MBA and QS World MBA marketing tours, which are held in countries around the world to bring together top ranked business schools with potential applicants, alumni and employers. One of Barth’s examples of what can happen at these kinds of events was in 2013 with Alba (Aluminum Bahrain), one of the largest aluminum smelters in the world. As a result of the connection Barth made, Alba’s CEO Tim Murray has sent nine students to study at Mason. Murray then served as an Executive in Residence at W&M in 2014. The overall number of international students from the region in the MBA program jumped from two to twelve that year, with students coming from Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The Executive Partners Program is a big draw for global candidates, because getting coaching from an American senior business executive is a unique and effective career boost. In addition to corporate connections, Barth works with AMIDEAST and the State Department to recruit Fulbright Scholars. In fall 2016, Mason boasts two scholars from Egypt, one from Iraq and one from Tunisia. Barth also recruits from all branches of the U.S. military. Approximately 20% of the current full-time MBA program are military. “Most military are senior in rank and have had
“W&M alumni also stand out compared to even the big name business schools, because of how engaged and enthusiastic they are.” BUILDING AN ALUMNI NETWORK
“Alumni connections are a huge help,” Barth adds. “We make the most of global candidate alumni representation in almost every global city we visit, and all our alumni are helpful in making connections for corporate sponsorships.” W&M alumni also stand out compared to even the big name business schools, because of how engaged and enthusiastic they are. Barth refers to them as “Admissions Ambassadors” who may be international students returning to work in their home countries or U.S. citizens working abroad. There are almost always more W&M alumni that come to MBA events. Dean Larry Pulley visited Japan last fall and met with 60 alumni. As Barth says, “We’re a touch point back for the alumni to the university.” And a brief sample list of corporations with W&M MBA alumni is as impressive as it is varied: 3M, Deloitte,
FALL 2016
Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, Disney, Samsung and Toshiba. SUPPORT AND ENGAGEMENT ON CAMPUS
Barth also understands how vital the connections and support with the international community are here in Williamsburg. Barth’s collaborative relationships are local as well as global, and she and her staff work closely with the Office of International Students, Scholars and Programs (ISSP) at the Reves Center. The “safe environment” here is not only the advantage of a small city, but also a vibrant international community, with ISSP’s International Family Network (IFN), Conversation Partners, and now with the English Language Program (ELP). “ELP is going to be a tremendous asset,” Barth declares. Barth is well aware of the challenges for international students, ranging from communications issues to adjusting to the American style of education, where teachers encourage problem solving and independent thinking over rote learning. That’s another advantage of the W&M teamwork, though, because the same campus supports that make for a happy and fulfilling experience will also help with job search and training. A PERSONAL MISSION
In addition to helping her students find employment through some of the interactions and connections she has helped set in motion by diversifying the W&M Mason experience, Barth hopes that, “Somebody’s eyes will be opened by getting to know a new region, or a person from a different country, and that will make a difference in the life of somebody else.” Which brings us back to Barth’s original assessment of why international students choose W&M. There actually is another aspect of the W&M ‘supportive community,’ someone who lives the Values Statement in every facet of her job — the Mason School’s not-so-secret, but definitely indomitable resource — Amanda Barth herself.
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FACULTY & STUDENT RESEARCH
International Relations: In Theory, in Practice and in the Gaps In Between by Kate Hoving
ne of the challenges with long-term research projects is that it may be quite a while before you gain affirmation of success or even that you’re on the right track. In the case of the work of TRIP (Teaching, Research & International Policy), however, being awarded more than $1.3 million in support from the Carnegie Corporation and the MacArthur Foundation is some pretty positive feedback. The cornerstone of TRIP is its Strengthening the Links project, which focuses on three main goals: 1. to be the largest repository of data on international relations research; 2. to mentor undergraduates through research; and 3. to produce scholarship on the discipline. IT STARTED WITH A SIMPLE QUESTION
TRIP, a project of the Institute for the Theory and Practice of International Relations (ITPIR), started in 2004 as an effort to explore and analyze the connections between teaching, research, and policy in international relations by creating new datasets and analyzing these relationships. The TRIP project team consists of Principal Investigators Daniel Maliniak ’06,
TRIP principal investigators, project managers and research assistants.
Assistant Professor of Government & Public Policy; Sue Peterson, Wendy & Emery Reves Professor of Government & International Relations and Director, International Relations Program; Ryan Powers ’08 (now a PhD candidate at the University of Madison, Wisconsin); and Mike Tierney, MA ’88, BA ’87, George C. and Mary C. Hylton Professor of International Relations and Director of the Institute for the Theory and Practice of International Relations (ITPIR). They are supported by three project managers, and
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AT W&M PROMOTES THE SYSTEMATIC STUDY OF POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, AND HISTORIC RELATIONS AMONG STATES AND OTHER ACTORS IN THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM. STUDENTS AND FACULTY EXPLORE INTERACTIONS AMONG STATES, MARKETS, AND NONSTATE ACTORS (INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS, MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS, AND TERRORIST NETWORKS).
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10-20 research assistants any given semester or summer. The involvement of undergrads and the fact that so many alumni continue as Principal Investigators and pursue advanced IR degrees are proof of TRIP’s impact. It was, after all, James Long ’03, an international relations major and student of Mike Tierney, who started it all. “I had Long in my Introduction to International Politics course in 2000. I also taught him in Research Methods and a Freshman Seminar on Democracy and War in the fall of 1999,” Tierney recalls. “In my introductory course I teach students about international relations theory — the different “isms” (Realism, Liberalism, Constructivism, etc.). My course is built around the question: Why does war recur in international politics?” Tierney hired Long as a research assistant the summer after his graduation, and it was at the Green Leafe that Long asked the kind of question that comes more easily after
graduation and a couple of beers: “Mike, why do you teach Intro IR with such a focus on war and realism? You don’t study war in your own research and you are certainly not a realist. In fact, you think realism is unrealistic.”
and political science journals from 1980 to 2015. They’re also looking at how approaches may change in different historical periods, in reacting to different issues, and in addressing different audiences.
Mike answered, “I teach the Intro course that way because it works well and that is the way my professors taught me.”
The TRIP team applies best social science standards, which means two student research assistants do a double blind coding of the articles. Then the PI or senior academic reviews the results to see if and where the two might disagree, and arbitrates. This scrupulous attention to methodology leads to very high data quality.
That got Tierney thinking about whether other educators do the same thing. “Is there really such a divide between what we research and what we teach?” Peterson was thinking along the same lines: “I wanted to make sure what I was teaching was reflective of the discipline and useful to students.” So Tierney and Peterson launched TRIP to find out how to go about crossing that divide — as the Carnegie Corporation puts it, “Bridging the Gap.” “There were a couple of ways one could try to answer that question,” Tierney remembers, “and they involved surveying IR scholars and analyzing what they actually published in journals.” JUST THE FACTS
The first survey conducted in 2004 by Tierney and Peterson went to colleagues in the U.S. to learn how they were teaching International Relations. In 2006 they started including Canada, and then kept expanding. The survey today goes to more than 12,000 academics spanning 32 countries and 8 languages. TRIP plans to expand its survey scope even further by launching a new, multipart survey of policy practitioners at numerous administrative levels (including junior security and defense practitioners) and across several policy areas and fields, such as human rights, finance, foreign aid and development. TRIP researchers are exploring which regions, issues, paradigms, methods, and epistemologies have been featured over time in international relations research by coding more than 6,000 articles published in the top 12 international relations
“W&M now has the largest repository of data in description of International Relations,” Peterson notes proudly. “It’s a gold mine of data — of teaching and opinions — covering 12 leading international journals from 1980 to the present, coded across 20 variables.” A VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS?
As the TRIP team began surveying professors, one of the strongest trends they found is that most want policymakers to pay more attention to them, but they don’t know how to make that happen. Peterson gives voice to the frustration of many IR scholars: “In talking about tax policy, policy makers listen to economists; but in foreign policy, politicians and the press aren’t as inclined to turn to scholarly opinion.” So the TRIP research is beginning to focus on all the ways policymakers and academics may be connected. How are policymakers getting their information? Are they reading the scholarly journals or only more general publications? By the same token, how is IR scholarship disseminated to policymakers, or more importantly, is it disseminated at all? Scholars think in terms of publication in journals, but perhaps policymakers are getting most of their information from personal contacts and conversations rather than articles and white papers. Policymakers are also influenced by and responsive to the general public as well as legislators and politicians.
FALL 2016
People get information from multiple sources — friends, celebrities, social media. TRIP is broadening its research to include general public opinion polling. A better understanding of how public opinion is formed will help direct policy relevant research and findings. BETTER COMMUNICATION IN A CHANGING WORLD
A persistent criticism of scholars has been that their works are not accessible to the general public — not just because of where they appear, but in the way they’re presented. TRIP is examining how accurate that assumption is, while also trying out new methods of information gathering and sharing itself. One unique and effective method launched in 2014 has been the TRIP “Snap Polls,” which solicit opinions quickly and then release the results to policy makers and public in easy-tounderstand formats while the subject is still in the news. Snap Polls are short surveys (generally 5-10 questions) of international relations scholars conducted in the wake of important international events or crises and during important international policy debates. Subjects include policy preferences, anticipated policy effectiveness, and expected international outcomes, as well as questions that illustrate the similarities and differences between scholarly and public opinion. Poll results are published on ForeignPolicy.com and are shared via Twitter and Facebook. TRIP has conducted nine polls to date, the most recent addressing which U.S. presidential candidate would be best for foreign policy. TRIP plans to further improve the accessibility and utility of the Snap Poll data to bloggers, journalists, and policy practitioners, as well as to scholars. The best way to keep up with TRIP’s work is through its new website: trip. wm.edu. The site incorporates an easy-to-use searchable data interface with sharable graphics.
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FACULTY & STUDENT RESEARCH
Matt Ribar: International Relations Scholar by Kate Hoving
Matthew Riber ’17
T
he threat of “publish or perish” is usually the bane of graduate students and tenure-seeking scholars. You can argue its merit for producing the best faculty, but there’s not much argument over its value when an undergraduate gets an article published. The word remarkable comes to mind. Matthew Ribar ’17 is the author of “Keeping Up with the Times: How the Discipline of International Relations Responds to Benchmark Events,” which appears in International Studies Perspectives, published online in August 2016. In the article, Ribar analyzes journal articles from 1980 to 2012 (from the Teaching, Research and International Policy or TRIP project at William & Mary) and interviews to try to demonstrate if four major world events influenced the discipline of international relations. The benchmarks he selected are: the collapse of the U.S.S.R. in 1989; the proliferation of regional integration in 1992; the September 11, 2001 attacks; and the global financial crisis in 2008. The question Ribar poses at the outset is: “If scholars do not respond to benchmark events, then one can say the discipline is not policy relevant: How can the discipline claim to be policy relevant if it does not respond to the events that spur the creation of
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policy? As such, answering whether scholars respond to benchmark events is a small component of answering whether scholarship is policy relevant, but it is a crucial one nonetheless.” Ribar is thorough, confident, and non-judgmental as he examines and explains his findings. He considers the impact of the benchmark events on graduate students, as well as on scholars, at different points in their careers. Ribar concludes that his analysis of the data and interviews indicates that the discipline of international affairs is responsive to world events and therefore is policy relevant. Ribar invites further research into the question of whether or not the academic discipline is actually engaged in the policy process. THE JOURNEY TOWARDS PUBLICATION
For an undergrad to publish itself is noteworthy, but it is also a testament to Ribar’s commitment to his research and willingness to work until it became of publishable quality. A first version of the paper was originally presented in 2014 at the International Studies AssociationSouth Conference in Richmond, Virginia, in collaboration with W&M Professors Sue Peterson, Mike Tierney, and Dan Maliniak. Rather than considering the project finished after the successful presentation, WORLD MINDED
however, Ribar invited comments and opinions and continued to improve and revise his work, ultimately culminating in a well-conceived, well-written scholarly article, solopublished in a highly esteemed peerreviewed journal. Ribar is a student of the Joint Degree Programme between William & Mary and the University of St Andrews. The Joint Degree Programme is one of only a few international undergraduate joint degrees offered at a U.S. university. Students complete two years at each institution but earn a single diploma — Bachelor of Arts (International Honours) — bearing the insignias of both institutions. Applicants to the Joint Degree Programme must commit to one academic content area: Economics, English, History, or International Relations (the class entering Fall 2017 will also have the option to select Classical Studies and Film Studies). As one can imagine, the Programme is very competitive, and students must be accepted at both institutions. Also, the minimum number of credits required for the major in the Joint Programme is greater than the maximum number of credits allowed in the standard W&M degree. Ribar is an International Relations major and the son of W&M alumni. It was his mother, in
fact, who learned about the St Andrews program when Ribar was thinking about colleges and suggested it to him. Both parents also “raved about St Andrews” and encouraged him to apply. Ribar began his research with Tierney and Peterson as a freshman, and then spent his sophomore and junior years at St Andrews. He returned to William & Mary this fall to complete his senior year.
Nathalie Moore wins $50,000 GRO Fellowship from US EPA MOORE WAS PART OF A PROGRAM CONDUCTED BY WILLIAM
& MARY PROFESSOR OF BIOLOGY JOHN SWADDLE AS PART OF
Ribar found the experience in Scotland challenging but rewarding and offered him two different perspectives on the study of International Relations. “In the U.S. the focus is qualitative. For example, does poverty cause war? In the U.K. the emphasis is more on critical theory and philosophy.”
THE REVES CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDIES’ FACULT Y
Another difference with W&M is that, “At St Andrews, the first two years are of college are general and then the second two are specialized, so I had a mix of both by spending the second and third years there.”
“I was very, very fortunate. I came in during freshman orientation and told my pre-major advisor that I wanted to do research. That was Jon Allen, who is wonderful,” Moore said. “He encouraged me to find something at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.”
Although Ribar found that to him St Andrews doesn’t have as much of a culture of independent undergraduate research as at W&M, it didn’t interfere with his finishing up his article nor did it dampen his enthusiasm for research now that he has returned to Williamsburg. He’s already back working at TRIP, coding a database of journal articles. He’s also working on his senior thesis with W&M Assistant Professor Jeff Kaplow, investigating if the method by which an insurgent group acquires small arms can point to the likelihood of the group’s future fragmentation. It’s a topic he became interested in working at an NGO in Australia over the summer. Clearly we can look forward to more articles by Ribar in the future.
FELLOWS PROGRAM. by Joseph McClain
N
athalie Moore ’17 made an early jump into the opportunities for research at William & Mary.
An award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognizes Moore’s research accomplishments as well as provides opportunities for additional environmental research. The award is a Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) Fellowship. The GRO Fellowship provides the awardee with funding for two years of college, plus a paid summer internship. Moore, a member of W&M’s class of 2017, will receive up to $20,700 in support for each of her two final undergrad years, plus a stipend of $8,600 for the threemonth internship. “The idea is that you wouldn’t have to work during the summer to pay for school,” Moore said. Moore was selected for her firstchoice summer internship. She will work at the EPA’s Atlantic Ecology Division lab at Narragansett, Rhode Island, near Cape Cod. The lab studies the role that coastal wetlands play in mitigating climate changes.
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Marsh plants have the ability to trap atmospheric CO2, storing the carbon below ground. There is evidence that excess nitrogen, from human sources such as wastewater discharge and agricultural runoff, has an adverse impact on the beneficial carbon-storage property of wetland plants. Moore says she expects her work to help fill gaps in the understanding of how coastal wetlands react to environmental changes. “What I believe I will be doing is looking at the effects of anthropogenic pollutants and climate-change stressors on marsh ecosystem dynamics,” Moore said. The lab’s hypothesis indicates that the excess nitrogen stimulates the activity of the marsh plants’ roots, prompting in turn the cycling of carbon back into the environment. A description of the project from the Atlantic Ecology Division lab suggests Moore might be doing field studies. (“Hip boots, chest waders, and other relevant field gear will be provided,” the synopsis notes.) There also will be opportunities for lab and greenhouse work. “The intern will learn to use cuttingedge analytical equipment including a Picarro greenhouse gas analyzer and an Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer used to measure carbon and nitrogen concentrations,” the description reads. “They will be trained in wetland plant identification, become an expert in 21
FACULTY & STUDENT RESEARCH Biology John Swaddle as part of the Reves Center for International Studies’ Faculty Fellows program. “I went to Australia for a summer of field work,” she said. “There, I was looking at the effects of an invasive grass on changing fire regimes.” Moore explained that Australians imported a species known as gamba grass in the 1930s. She explained that the grass is native to Africa and was brought to Australia as forage for livestock. It got out of hand pretty quickly.
Nathalie Moore ’17. Photo by Joseph McClain
root sorting, and learn to apply a broad range of field sampling methods.” Moore is the first W&M student to be awarded a GRO Fellowship. She will go to Narragansett well prepared, as she has developed lab and field skills several previous research experiences. Encouraged by Allen, she worked six months as a lab technician at VIMS. Moore credits that freshman-year introduction to the research world with giving her the confidence to take the next step. She applied, and was accepted, into a Research Experience for Undergraduates. REUs are programs supported by the National Science Foundation.
“It produces three times the biomass of a native grass and it can grow up to four meters taller than native grass,” she said. “I’ve seen it get up to five, five and a half meters.” Moore said that gamba grass was kept under control in its native habitat by robust foraging and even trampling by large animals. In Australia, stretches of gamba grass, reaching 16 feet and more, brought a couple of problems. Her group investigated the effects of gamba grass on Australian wildfires and especially on small birds known as fairy wrens. She said the group is writing a paper on their findings and hopes to submit it in the next two weeks.
“That was my big research experience at W&M,” she said. “After that I applied to another REU because I wanted to diversify my experience.” That second REU experience was an internship at the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, where she studied the effects of nitrogen loading on small fish at Plum Island estuary in Massachusetts. Moore is a double major in biology and environmental science. She says she is still considering her postgraduation options. “I plan to be in grad school,” she said. “But hopefully not too long. I’m not quite sure yet if I want to pursue academia or be a pure research scientist, but I know I’ll need a Ph.D. for whatever I’ll be doing.” She credits a list of advisers at W&M — Keck Lab Director Randy Chambers and Assistant Professor of Biology Matthias Leu, in addition to Allen and Swaddle — for encouraging her. “I’ve been incredibly lucky to have the advisors that I’ve had. If they hadn’t taken a chance on me, I might not have been lucky enough to receive this honor,” she said. “And I intend to take full advantage of it.”
The idea behind an REU is to give college students summer opportunities to conduct scientific study under the guidance of a faculty researcher. REU programs are hosted at U.S. universities and all U.S. college students. Moore joined a REU group conducted by W&M Professor of
Above: Gamba grass in Northern Australia. Left: A male Red-backed Fairy-wren. Photo by Greg B. Miles
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WORLD MINDED
NEW IN PRINT
Recently Published by W&M Faculty LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN:
A SYSTEMATIC AND REGIONAL SURVEY, 7TH EDITION
By Brian Blouet, Huby Professor of Geography and International Education; and his wife, Dr. Olwyn Blouet (editors and major contributors)
The book covers major Latin American themes, including historical geography, the physical environment, the region in world affairs, population, urbanization, and transportation. In addition, the geography of each country in the region is given coverage. Published by John Wiley and Sons, New York, 2015
w York University School of Law
inted an impressive picture. ues of the current gh international law offers a
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C RIDDL E F OX-DE C E N T
ISBN 978-0-19-939792-1
FIDUCIARIES OF HUMANITY:
Public international law has embarked on a new chapter. Over the past century, the classical model of international law, w hi c h e mp ha s ize d s t a t e autonomy and interstate relations, has gradually ceded ground to a new model. Under the new model, a state’s sovereign authority arises from the state’s responsibility to respect, protect, and fulfill human rights for its people.
HOW INTERNATIONAL LAW CONSTITUTES AUTHORITY
FIDUCIARIE S OF HUMANIT Y
sophically sophisticated nterpretation of international enges dominant at ultimately helps mative underpinnings and in. An excellent illustration of a good theory.”
By Evan J. Criddle, Professor of Law at William & Mary, with with Evan Fox-Decent, Associate Professor of Law at McGill University
FIDUCIARIE S OF HUMANIT Y How International Law Constitutes Authority E VA N J. C RIDDL E
•
E VA N F OX-DE C E N T
4
2
In Fiduciaries of Humanity: How International Law Constitutes Authority, Evan J. Criddle and Evan Fox-Decent argue that these developments mark a turning point in the international community’s conception of public authority. Under international law today, states serve as fiduciaries of humanity, and their authority to govern and represent their people is dependent on their satisfaction of numerous duties, the most general of which is to establish a regime of secure and equal freedom on behalf of the people subject to their power. International institutions also serve as fiduciaries of humanity and are subject to similar fiduciary obligations. In contrast to the receding classical model of public international law, which assumes an abiding tension between a state’s sovereignty and principles of state responsibility, the fiduciary theory reconciles state sovereignty and responsibility by explaining how a state’s obligations to its people are constitutive of its legal authority under international law. The authors elaborate and defend the fiduciary model while exploring its application to a variety of current topics and controversies, including human rights, emergencies, the treatment of detainees in counterterrorism operations, humanitarian intervention, and the protection of refugees fleeing persecution.
This book argues that under international law today, states serve as fiduciaries of humanity, and their authority to govern and represent their people is dependent on their satisfaction of numerous duties, the most general of which is to establish a regime of secure and equal freedom on behalf of the people subject to their power. International institutions also serve as fiduciaries of humanity and are subject to similar fiduciary obligations. In contrast to the receding classical model of public international law, which assumes an abiding tension between a state’s sovereignty and principles of state responsibility, the fiduciary theory reconciles state sovereignty and responsibility by explaining how a state’s obligations to its people are constitutive of its legal authority under international law. To be published by Oxford University Press, August 2016
asters, and economic crises test the the-
nal human rights law. During national
nd many human rights protections in
ently overstep the limits of this authori-
as the prohibitions against torture and
eading scholars from law, philosophy,
stions concerning the character, scope,
hey explain how the law seeks to protect
rs also evaluate the law’s successes and
g respect for human rights.
Mary Law School, where he specializes
eory, human rights, fiduciary law, and
Human Rights in Emergencies
Mark David Agrast
HUMAN RIGHTS IN EMERGENCIES
Criddle
ONAL LEGAL THEORY
Edited by Evan J. Criddle, Professor of Law
Human Rights in Emergencies Edited by Evan J. Criddle
Public emergencies such as civil wars, natural disasters, and economic crises test the theoretical and practical commitments of international human rights law. During national crises, international law permits states to suspend many human rights protections in order to safeguard national security. States frequently overstep the limits of this authority, violating even peremptory human rights such as the prohibitions against torture and prolonged arbitrary detention. In this volume, leading scholars from law, philosophy, and political science grapple with challenging questions concerning the character, scope and salience of international human rights, and they explain how the law seeks to protect human rights during emergencies. The contributors also evaluate the law’s successes and failures and offer new proposals for strengthening respect for human rights. To be published by Cambridge University Press, July 2016
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MILESTONES
William & Mary visited by 27 UN peacekeepers from Africa THE WREN BUILDING GETS ITS SHARE OF DIVERSE VISITORS ON A DAILY BASIS, BUT OVER THE SUMMER, ONE TOUR INCLUDED A UNIQUE GROUP OF GUESTS: 27 SENIOR OFFICERS FROM 10 AFRICAN NATIONS, INCLUDING CAMEROON, CHAD AND THE IVORY COAST, WHO SERVE AS POLICE ON UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS. by Marisa Spyker
T
he men and women, mostly uniformed, stopped by William & Mary during a two-week tour of the U.S., primarily in Washington, D.C., and New York, to visit with Harvey Langholtz, professor of psychology. Langholtz, an expert on the psychology of peacekeeping, editor of The Journal of International
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Peacekeeping, founder of the Peace Operations Training Institute, and author of The Psychology of Peacekeeping, met with the group to discuss training strategies for U.N. peacekeepers, which include military personnel and police forces. “The 27 men and women who serve as police in their own nations and on
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U.N. peacekeeping missions are on the front line of bringing stability and security to what can sometimes be a dangerous and chaotic environment,” he said. “They face the same petty and not-so-petty crimes that will exist in any society, and they confront terrorism in a chaotic region where predators will prey on civilians.”
MILESTONES Left: Professor Harvey Langholtz, the Director General of Cameroon’s International School for Security Forces Oyono Cécile Thom, and Williamsburg Chief of Police Dave Sloggie pose in front of the Wren Building. Photo by Stephen Salpukas
Langholtz, who’s been visited by international peacekeepers from Russia to the Netherlands in the past, said this is the largest group of peacekeepers that has visited him thus far. During their meeting, Langholtz discussed with the officers the process of transitioning a region from the chaos and anarchy of war to peace, stability, and self-sufficiency, and the essential role police play in facilitating that. He also discussed ways African nations can use e-learning to train military personnel and police to deal with these issues. “There are currently several regions in Africa where there is unrest and conflict,” he said. “The nature of these conflicts will vary, but they often take place in fragile states where the central government is not able to maintain control or security and warring factions and spoilers will seek power through the use of force.” After the meeting, the officers — some toting cameras, iPads, even a selfie stick — were treated to a tour of the Wren Building, followed by a visit from Williamsburg Chief of Police Dave Sloggie and a guided walk through Colonial Williamsburg. In addition to meeting with international peacekeepers on W&M turf, Langholtz frequently travels around the world to give presentations on peacekeeper training. At the end of June, he will visit the U.N. headquarters in New York, and will speak at an international meeting in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in September. “I have every respect for all police — Williamsburg, New York, Orlando, Paris, Yaoundé, Kinshasa, and others worldwide,” said Langholtz. “These are the true peacekeepers who protect and serve us all in our home nations.”
From top: Williamsburg Chief of Police Sloggie addresses the 27 police men and women in the Wren Chapel as an officer captures video on his iPhone; Psychology professor Harvey Langholtz, an expert in the psychology of peacekeeping, with uniformed police officers and United Nations peacekeepers from 10 African nations. Photos by Stephen Salpukas
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MILESTONES
VIMS Professor Wins International Recognition PROFESSOR ELIZABETH CANUEL OF WILLIAM & MARY’S VIRGINIA INSTITUTE OF MARINE
SCIENCE WAS AWARDED THE HONORARY TITLE OF GEOCHEMICAL FELLOW AT THE ANNUAL GOLDSCHMIDT CONFERENCE RECENTLY
HELD IN YOKOHAMA, JAPAN. CANUEL IS
THE FIRST VIMS SCIENTIST TO RECEIVE THIS INTERNATIONAL DISTINCTION.
T
he honor, bestowed annually by the Geochemical Society and the European Association of Geochemistry, this year recognized 11 scientists for their major contributions to the understanding of the chemistry of Earth’s land, ocean and atmosphere. “It means a lot to me that my colleagues recognized my work in organic geochemistry in this way,” says Canuel. In addition to five other Americans, this year’s recipients hail from China, France, Germany and Taiwan. Previous honorees include Harold Urey, famous for his experiments showing how the precursors of life could emerge from non-living compounds, and Wally Broecker, who developed the idea of the global conveyor belt, a network of ocean currents that play an outsized role in Earth’s climate. “Liz has been a leader in the field of aquatic geochemistry for many
by Christopher Katella, VIMS
years,” says Deborah Bronk, chair of the physical sciences department at VIMS. “It’s wonderful to see her many contributions recognized with this prestigious award.” Adina Paytan, research professor at the University of California Santa Cruz, nominated Canuel for the award. In her nomination letter, Paytan describes Canuel as an “internationally recognized expert in the field of marine organic geochemistry” whose “research is strongly interdisciplinary,” crossing boundaries between chemical oceanography, landscape ecology, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, marine ecology, and marine pollution. Paytan adds that Canuel is a “model citizen-scientist” as she is “committed to the scientific enterprise and motivated to represent her peers and their accomplishments” while giving back to her community, her institution and scientific societies. The goal of Canuel’s research is to
Above: In addition to her accomplishments in research and graduate mentoring, Canuel was instrumental in establishing the marine science minor at W&M. Photo by Elizabeth Waterson
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better understand the processes by which carbon moves between land and water, with a focus on its passage through floodplains, wet meadows and coastal ecosystems such as salt marshes. These ecosystems occur worldwide and are very sensitive to the effects of climate change — including rising sea levels — but have to date been poorly studied. In addition to receiving her award at the Goldschmidt Conference, Canuel presented the early results of a twoyear research study undertaken with Amanda Knobloch, a Ph.D. student at W&M’s School of Marine Science at VIMS. Supported by NASA’s Carbon Cycle Program, the study focused on measuring the amount of organic carbon that moves between wetlands and estuaries at Taskinas Creek, a tributary of the York River in Virginia. Canuel and Knobloch say their findings — part of a larger collaborative project including the City University of New York, the University of Maryland, and the Smithsonian Environmental
Research Center — will help inform global carbon budgets and computer models, and help reduce uncertainties in the ability to predict the role of estuaries as a “source or sink” for atmospheric carbon dioxide. The study also has served as Knobloch’s primary source of information in her Ph.D. studies. “I have been very fortunate to work with Dr. Canuel on my dissertation research,” says Knobloch. “She is an excellent researcher, and she pushes those in her lab to be their best, and to do quality research. Liz is the reason I came to VIMS, because I wanted an advisor who cared about their students and was working on innovative and exciting chemistry and who was willing to take the time to teach me new and different lab practices.” In addition to her mentoring of graduate students, Canuel was instrumental in the creation of a marine science minor for W&M undergraduates in 2010. Canuel has been a member of the Geochemical Society since 2008 and previously served on its board of directors, as well as the chair of its organic chemistry division. In addition to this year’s honor, the society invited Canuel to serve as chair of the 2016 Alfred Treibs Award Committee. The Treibs Award is the pre-eminent honor for lifetime achievement in the field of organic chemistry. Canuel was previously recognized with W&M’s Thomas Ashley Graves, Jr. Award for Sustained Excellence in Teaching in 2014, W&M’s Thomas Jefferson Teaching Award (2006), and a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation (1995). She received an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellowship in 2011.
MILESTONES
Warren heads to Europe with Fulbright Fellowship to create tools for peace CHRISTIE WARREN’S EXPERTISE IN COMPARATIVE AND
INTERNATIONAL LAW HAS TAKEN HER TO MORE THAN 50
DEVELOPING AND POST-CONFLICT COUNTRIES OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES. BEGINNING IN SEPTEMBER, IT TOOK HER TO
FLORENCE, ITALY, WHERE SHE SERVES AS THE 2016-17 FULBRIGHTSCHUMAN CHAIR AT THE EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE. by David F. Morrill, W&M Law School
world, and the expertise she will bring back to the classroom will be of great benefit to our students.”
As 2016-17 Fulbright-Schuman Chair at the European University Institute, Professor Christie Warren will conduct research that helps peacebuilding efforts around the world. Courtesy Photo
arren is Professor of the Practice of International and Comparative Law and Founding Director of the Center for Comparative Legal Studies and Post-Conflict Peacebuilding at William & Mary Law School. “We’re delighted that Professor Warren has been honored with this Fulbright Fellowship,” said Davison M. Douglas, dean and Arthur B. Hanson Professor of Law at William & Mary Law School. “Her work in the field of post-conflict reconstruction has contributed greatly to peacebuilding efforts around the
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The Fulbright-Schuman program, jointly sponsored by the U.S. State Department and the DirectorateGeneral for Education and Culture of the European Commission, supports research and teaching in the fields of European Union policy and US-EU relations. Over the course of the next year, Warren will research improved US-EU collaborations during postconflict constitutional processes, advocating a problem-solving approach to constitution building that transcends limitations in specific legal systems and better addresses root causes of conflict. “Constitutional advisors’ lack of familiarity with other legal systems, coupled with turf battles, too often get in the way of providing sound legal advice that would more successfully benefit the countries in which we work,” Warren stated. “Rigorous comparative strategies during postconflict constitutional processes are much more successful in addressing root causes of conflict than advice based on parochial preferences for one legal system over another. There is a great need for concrete, practical information that is useable in countries recovering from conflict, 27
MILESTONES and I am interested in conducting research that results in ideas that can be applied in the field and do not solely exist in articles and books.” The European University Institute, housed in 14 historic buildings spread over the Tuscan hillside overlooking Florence, was established 40 years ago by the six founding members of the then European Communities. Since then, it has earned a reputation as a leading international academic research institution. The Institute’s Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, where the Fulbright-Schuman Fellowship is located, focuses on interdisciplinary, comparative and policy research. EUI’s interdisciplinary comparative approach is a natural fit for Warren. Among her areas of expertise are comparative law, comparative constitutional systems, public international law, post-conflict justice, international human rights law, civil code systems and Islamic law. She is also a graduate of the Harvard Mediation Program. Warren has designed, implemented, and evaluated constitutional, judicial, legal, and academic programs throughout Africa, Central and East Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Russia and the Newly Independent States, the Balkans and East Timor. She was named a 199899 Supreme Court fellow at the Supreme Court of the United States and served as the 2010-11 senior expert in constitutional issues on the United Nations Department of Political Affairs Mediation Support Unit Standby Team. She has also served as senior technical advisor to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance’s Constitution Building Processes Program at the Hague and has advised on constitutional issues and processes in Haiti, Iraq, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Somalia, Sudan and Ukraine and served as a legal advisor to the Darfur Peace Talks. Last spring, she chaired the academic accreditation committee assessing the first law school in Saudi Arabia considered for full accreditation. Over the course of her fellowship, Warren plans to engage with the Venice Commission, the European Court of Justice, the University of Helsinki Conflict Management Institute and the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University. She expects that these relationships will benefit her students in the classroom and strengthen collaborative relationships between the Center for Comparative Legal Studies and PostConflict Peacebuilding and European institutions. “This fellowship is a tremendous honor,” Warren said. “Unfortunately, there is no shortage of conflict in our world, and I am grateful to have the opportunity to delve deeply into studying root causes of conflict and ways that constitutional and legal frameworks can help solve them.”
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Students at Jamestown with Instructors Kay Gude, Susannah Livingston, and ISSP Director, Steve Sechrist.
English Language Program Begins The new Intensive English Language Program (IEP) started this summer. Managed by the International Students, Scholars & Programs (ISSP) Office, the program’s first class was made up of 7 students from 7 countries: Brazil, China, Cyprus, Iran, Japan, South Korea and Thailand.
Visitors to Campus The Reves Center, under the auspices of the Presidential Precinct and the Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program, hosted 17 young leaders from Latin and Central America for a program on Grassroots Democracy and Civil Society, September 30, 2016. The participants represented NGOs, academic institutions, government and the media from Boliva, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela. Their program at Reves included a discussion of the 2016 U.S. presidential election with Government Professors John McGlennon and Jaime Settle. In the afternoon they talked about youth engagement in politics and community service with Melody Porter, Director of the Office of Community Engagement, and W&M students Jacqueline Espinoza ’18, Karina LizanoBlanco ’19, Katie Freund ’17 and Kara Newman ’17. The afternoon discussion was conducted entirely in Spanish.
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The world awaits.. STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS offered by the GLOBAL EDUCATION OFFICE (GEO) Summer Faculty-Led Programs:
W&M-Sponsored Semester Programs:
Australia: Adelaide Antigua
Argentina: La Plata
Czech Republic: Prague (Area Studies & Performing Arts)
France: Montpellier
China: Beijing
England: Cambridge France: Montpellier Germany: Potsdam
England: Oxford Spain: Seville
Undergraduate Exchange Programs:
Greece: Athens/Nafplio India: Bengaluru/Goa
Singapore & Hong Kong* Scotland: Glasgow & Edinburgh** Ireland: Dublin* Ireland: Galway Italy: Florence Italy: Rome/Pompeii Russia: St. Petersburg South Africa: Cape Town Spain: Cádiz Spain: Santiago de Compostela * Program in collaboration with the Raymond A. Mason School of Business ** Program in collaboration with the School of Education
Australia: University of Adelaide
Austria: Vienna University of Economics & Business Canada: McGill University
China: Tsinghua University
England: University of Exeter
England: Manchester Business School England: University of Nottingham
France: L’institut d’Études Politiques de Lille
France: Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier III Japan: Akita International University Japan: Kanazawa University Japan: Keio University
Netherlands: Leiden University
Scotland: University of St Andrews
Singapore: National University of Singapore South Korea: Yonsei University Wales: Cardiff University
WWW.WM.EDU/STUDYABROAD
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FACEBOOK.COM/INTERNATIONALWM @INTERNATIONALWM
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REVES CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDIES @INTERNATIONALWM
English Language Program
Study English at William & Mary
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PP Sessions throughout the year
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The William & Mary English Language Program prepares students, scholars, and professionals from around the world to succeed academically, advance professionally, and grow personally. We offer an Intensive English Program (IEP), summer preparatory programs, and customized programs. The Intensive English Program (IEP) is an academically rigorous program that combines high-quality English language instruction with the skills needed to succeed in U.S. universities and professional environments through a focus on: •
Core language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing
•
Cross-cultural communication skills
•
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•
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Cultural studies
Our experienced faculty and staff can also meet the needs of special groups through customized English language programs on topics such as business, law, and leadership.
Please contact us or see our website for program applications, fees, and dates. www.wm.edu/reves/elp
intensive.english@wm.edu
01-757-221-1279
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