Center for International Education - Annual Report 2019

2018-19 ANNUAL REPORT

The Center for International Education

Letter from the Director

2018-19 was another exciting year at the Center for International Education. Working with our faculty, staff and students, we assisted in channeling their energy into a year of programming and activity that was truly impressive.

• The Center hosted numerous visiting speakers and scholars and supported a full calendar of events that enriched the campus. Our numbers of students going abroad throughout the academic year continued to increase at such a pace that we set a record for the total number abroad in any one term and for any academic year!

• Our work under grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Endeavor Foundation came to an end. Thanks to the support of these foundations, we have greatly expanded the number and diversity of international opportunities for our students and established new relationships with partner institutions overseas.

• We celebrated another seven Fulbright scholars in the class of 2019.

• We expanded our relationship with Oxford. We now offer students the opportunity to spend a year at Blackfriar’s College as well as Mansfield.

• We laid the groundwork for a new residential program abroad at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana.

As we begin 2019-20, we look forward to working with our faculty to support nineteen Spring Term Abroad courses. Working with the Global Learning Advisory Committee, we will develop new programming under the auspices of the new Harry Pemberton endowment. Finally, we say “godspeed” to our Spring Term Abroad Adviser, Latha Dawson who retired at the end of May. Latha touched the lives of countless students and faculty and shepherded the growth of international education at W&L from the original Global Stewardship program to the expansive operation we now celebrate.

Remember to keep abreast of our activities at go.wlu.edu/global. We look forward to seeing you when you visit campus. Our doors are always open! Best wishes from W&L!

Credits:

Writers: Lindsey Nair, Drewry Sackett, Laure Stevens-Lubin

Layout: Billy Chase

Photos: Kevin Remington and Patrick Hinely ’73

Front Cover: Julia Batavick ’22

Other photos are courtesy of the students.

Back cover: clockwise from top left: courtesy of Soon Ho Kwon, Hunter Swanson, Rebecca Bakare, Evan Alexander Kramer

Xinxian Wang, ’21 Wins Davis Projects for Peace Grant

Once again, W&L students submitted several outstanding proposals for the United World College/Davis Projects for Peace Grant. Among these excellent proposals, Xinxian Wang’s rose to the top.

Xinxian conducted a two-phase project implementing efforts known as Shanshi Jihua (“Eat with A Plan”) at an elementary school in Fengcheng City, Liaoning, China. Wang worked with Simenzi County Elementary School, which is the first elementary school in Feng City to bring the program to its rural campus. In the first phase of her project, Wang worked with the school to better implement the program, and during the second half of the project, she helped recruit volunteers for the future fulfillment of Shanshi Jihua in other elementary schools in Simenzi County. To provide nutrition knowledge, Xinxian organized summer camp training, where she trained volunteers from local organizations.

As a partner school of the Davis United World College Scholars Program, Washington and Lee University is eligible to receive Davis Projects for Peace grants. The program is funded by the late Kathryn Wasserman Davis, who established it on her 100th birthday in 2007 as a way to challenge

young people to plant seeds of peace throughout the world with innovative projects. At least one Washington and Lee student has won a Davis grant each year since the award’s inception.

We look forward to hearing Xinxian’s report on the project. But, we will have to wait a year because, after finishing her summer work in China, Xinxian will head to Oxford to spend 2019-20 at Mansfield College. A double-major in Mathematics and Economics, Xinxian will pursue additional study in both fields while taking tutorials in the Philosophy of Science and the Sociology of PostIndustrial Societies.

Xinxian maintains an impressive scholarly calendar and agenda. Before starting her Davis work, Xinxian stopped to join professors from the University of Tokyo to study the aging society issue in Japan. After finishing the Davis project, she joined Amelia Lancaster ’21 to work with faculty at Sichuan University on the social problems of “left-over men” (men who cannot marry due to the gender imbalance in China’s population) and gender economics in China. The latter project was funded under the auspices of an Endeavor Foundation grant.

We salute our Davis scholar and Oxford student!

2019 Summer Grant Recipients from the Center of International Education

STUDENTS

PROJECT, COUNTRY FUNDING

Billings, Virginia Medical internship, Peru Goldman Sachs

Brewster, Jack D.

Brockman, Danika T.

Buckman, Vincent

Bull, Rosalie

Carpenter, Ryann

Collins, Hull S.

Crew, Bryce

Day, Jacob

Delos Reyes, Angela V.

Dorsey, Amanda N.

Durmaz, Yavuz T.

Fredericks, Lauren D.

Hall, Tanner

Hassan, Syed Rafay

Hein, Rose

Hernandez, Julia V.

Herrera, Eric

Hewitt, Lindsey G.

Kim, Jiwon

Koleva, Irina

Kreynin, Anna N.

Lam, Chi Shing A. (Adrian)

Lancaster, Amelia

Chinese Language Study CET Donghua Miller/ Evans

ODA Foundation Internship, Nepal Mellon

Collaborative Grant: Health Care in Ghana Evans /CAJEF

Botanical Indexing in the Ecuadorian Amazon Goldman Sachs

DAAD RISE Research Internship – Germany Evans

Chinese Language Study CET Shanghai Miller/ Evans

United Planet Internship Ecuador Evans

Connect 123 internship Buenos Aires, Argentina Evans

Hello Lipa internship. Philippines Goldman Sachs / Evans

Internship at Latika Roy Foundation – India Goldman Sachs

Friends for Asia Internship and Medical Research – Thailand Evans

Arabic Language Study, American University in Beirut RRJ/ Evans

Arabic Language Study, American University in Beirut RRJ/ Evans

Arabic Language Study, American University in Beirut RRJ/ Evans

Collaborative Grant: Architecture in China Evans /CAJEF

Internship Ghana Make a Difference Woolley

Collaborative Grant: Health Care in Ghana Evans /CAJEF

Cultural Heritage in N. Europe w. Prof. Bent, Uffelman Mellon / Evans

Peace project--music at DMZ, South Korea Evans

Collaborative Grant--Art Scene in Brazil CAJEF/ Evans

Internship--Top Israel Interns Woolley

YETI project--Toronto Woolley

Collaborative Grant--Leftover Men in China Evans

LeCompte, Donald Internship AIP, Business Development – Singapore Woolley

Lorson, Anthony P.

Research--Te Pnaha Matatini institute, NZ Mellon

STUDENTS

PROJECT, COUNTRY FUNDING

Lucas, Adam B. Chinese language study--CET Shanghai Evans / Lotruglio

Morrison, Carrie Japanese language study--Kyoto Evans / Lotruglio

Murchie-Beyma, Megan Collaborative research--gender inequality in China Evans

Olmstead, Darcy L. Cultural Heritage in N. Europe w. Prof. Bent, Uffelman Mellon / Evans

Ricks, James M. Smoking research Oda Foundation, Nepal Mellon

Riter, Anne Arabic Language Study, American University in Beirut Evans / RRJ

Rodrigues, Arthur Collaborative Grant--Art Scene in Brazil CAJEF/ Evans

Salita, Robert M.

Shrestha, Riwaj

Internship – Borja V. Sorli SANZ – Spain Evans

Renewable Energy Reseach – Nepal Academy of Sci and Tech Evans

Tu, Haochen Collaborative Grant: Architecture in China Evans

Wang, Xinxian Collaborative Grant--Leftover Men in China/Ageing Research in Tokyo Woolley

White, Kana Internship Ghana Make a Difference Woolley

Xia, Lingyu (Beverley) Collaborative research--Gender Inequality in China Evans

We Thank Our Benefactors

Thanks to the generosity of our benefactors, the Center is able to support the great number and diversity of summer grant projects undertaken by our students. Each year, our students amaze us with their creativity, scholarship, community involvement and dedication to service. Again, it is a pleasure this year to thank our benefactors:

■ The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

■ The Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Foundation

■ The John M. Evans Endowment for International Experiences

■ The Goldman Sachs Endowment for International Experiences

■ The Rusty Johnson ’86 Endowment

■ The Daniel Miller III and Phoebe T. Miller Endowment

■ The Eric T. Woolley Fund for International Internships

■ The Anthony F. Lotruglio Endowment for Study Abroad

International Student Profiles

Our international students are a vibrant presence on our campus. Working with Hunter Swanson, our International Student and Scholar Adviser, our international students have organized numerous campus activities that celebrate their energy and enthusiasm and enrich our campus life. This year, we experienced Diwali and Bollywood celebrations that shook the roof of the Center for Global Learning, colloquia focused on entrepreneurship and economic development in Africa, and presentations at the biennial conference on Science, Society and the Arts—to name just a few of the events our international students proposed and supported.

In addition, we hosted World Language Teaching Assistants in Arabic, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, and Russian. On these pages, we offer profiles of several of our 2019 graduates and one of our TAs, Caio Albernaz, who returns to the USA for graduate school in 2019-20.

Caio Albernaz

Caio came to W&L from Brazil under the auspices of the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant program. In addition to his service as a teaching assistant, the Fulbright program enables TA’s to take classes at their host institution. Caio celebrated the chance to take classes with Profs. Antonio Reyes, Dan Johnson, Dick Kuettner, Françoise Fregnac-Clave, and Brian Alexander.

In addition, Caio joined other teaching assistants Noura Shaarawy (Arabic), Sofia Stechina (Spanish) and Linda Konrad (German) to attend the annual meeting of the Foreign Language Association of Virginia. Drawing upon that experience and the study of foreign language pedagogy with Prof. Dick Kuettner, Caio and his fellow TA’s put together a powerful presentation on language pedagogy at SSA 2019 (facing page).

Caio returned to the USA in September, 2019 to pursue a Master of Arts degree in Spanish with a concentration in Hispanic Linguistics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He plans to work with Language Acquisition and Bilingualism and aspires to pursue a career as a professor. We wish him good luck and look forward to his return visits to Washington and Lee!

Rebecca Bakare, ’19

Rebecca graduated with a degree in Economics and received the Certificate of International Immersion. She is currently working at the Ashoka Global office in Arlington as a search associate with a particular focus on identifying and bringing together entrepreneurs from around the world to promote collaborative advocacy for pay equity. While at W&L, Rebecca studied abroad in France, Italy and Switzerland.

Rebecca says that her W&L education “made it possible to realize some of my dreams. I got the chance to broaden my horizon culturally and intellectually through my study abroad experiences and the W&L academic curriculum.” She complemented her experiences around the globe with experiences above it as well: “Traveling to places where I stood out and participating in some of W&L’s outing club activities like skydiving taught me to not be afraid of venturing into unfamiliar places. Most importantly, I also had experiences that have informed my decision to pursue a career through which I can make sustainable social impact in Sub-Saharan Africa.”

Sofia Stechina, Caio Albernaz, Noura Shaarawy and Linda Konrad.

Tanpreet Hunjan (UK) and Zainab Abiza (Morocco)

After graduating in Economics with a studio art minor, Tanpreet began work in Investment Grade Finance as an analyst at JP Morgan in New York. While at W&L she also spent two terms at the American University in Dubai. Tan says that her experience at W&L was a wonderfully positive one. “It allowed me to reach and achieve my career ambitions to pursue a career in finance as well as pursuing my interests in studio art as a minor. I met many new life-long friends at W&L and was exposed to different backgrounds and cultures. Professionally and personally W&L has been vital in developing my knowledge and experiences as well as enabling opportunities for me to travel the world and study abroad.

Zainab Abiza graduated with degrees in Politics and Economics. Under the auspices of a Davis Projects for Peace grant in 2018, Zainab worked with the Dar Taliba Center on the outskirts of Rabat, Morocco to develop a summer English language program for school-age girls. In 201920, she will pursue a MA degree in Global Politics at Tsinghua University in China as part of the Schwarzman Scholars Program. Zainab flourished

at W&L. “The past four years at W&L have shaped who I am today. The endless opportunities, the support of faculty and staff, as well as the quality of education at the university have allowed me to learn and grow both inside and outside of the classroom. I am very grateful for everything W&L has offered me because I would not be here today if it wasn’t for that.”

Soon Ho Kwon (Korea)

Soon graduated with a BS in Finance and Accounting with special attainments in Commerce. After graduation, he worked in Washington D.C. at Grant Thornton as a government affairs intern from June to August. He is now attending the University of Virginia, enrolled in the McIntire School of Commerce Masters in Accounting program. Soon says that “the best thing about Washington and Lee is the people. Everyone works very hard and is friendly.” During his four years at W&L, he was “especially glad to get to know a couple of professors extremely well.” Thanks to his experience at W&L, Soon Ho says he was able “not only to understand Accounting and Business but I also gained new perspective on this field of study that made me more passionate about my future career.”

Tanpreet Hunjan and Zainab Abiza

Soon Ho Kwon with internship colleagues in Sydney, Australia

Hammed Ahmad (Pakistan)

Hammed is currently pursuing a PhD in Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan His principal area of research focuses on Software Engineering. Hammed says that W&L helped him grow and mature--both personally and professionally. He says that W&L offered countless research opportunities and study abroad experiences and, as a result, his time

here was the best college experience he could have asked for. “The relationships I have forged with professors and students here are ones that I will cherish for a long time. I cannot wait to come back as an alumnus to catch up with my friends and talk to my professors about my professional career. Thank you, W&L!”

Teresa Aires de Sousa

Rodriguez (Portugal)

Teresa is attending Maastricht University (Netherlands) in a one year Master’s program in Work and Organizational Psychology. At W&L, Teresa says, “I grew stronger, more educated, more comfortable with my vulnerability, more aware, calmer, sweeter, and more independent. I fought hard internal battles and got to know myself better, supported my family and friends in their own battles, and learned the meaning of happiness. The last four years weren’t just an education, but an amazing journey of selfdiscovery and soul searching, of countless opportunities, surprises, challenges, obstacles, and victories.”

Reflecting on Commencement, Teresa says that her diploma was not just a parchment. It was “the symbol of all the memories, stories, late nights, papers, Walmart runs, on call shifts, and so many other things.” Her time as an undergraduate wasn’t always as easy as she thought it would

be. But, she says, “it was fun, and exciting, and challenging in the best way. Thank you W&L for being such a marvelous home and for introducing me to some of my favorite things!”.

Gunn Scholars Return to Enrich Campus Life

In 2018-19, W&L welcomed a new Gunn Scholar, Suha al-Nahari. A native of Yemen, Suha came to W&L to continue her study of Economics. She returns to the American University in Cairo where she will graduate in 2020. We also celebrated the return to campus of two Gunn scholars: Rachel Mourao (Gunn, ’08-09 from Brazil) and Felix Yeboah (Gunn, ’06-’07 from Ghana).

Felix and Rachel are faculty at Michigan State University. Rachel is an assistant professor in the department of Journalism and Felix is an assistant professor in the department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics. Both visited W&L to meet with classes, offer public lectures and, of course, reconnect with Prof. Gunn!

On 28 January, Rachel spoke to a packed Northen Auditorium on the state of politics in Brazil and the United States. She addressed how the media

spins news topics and legitimizes the importance and roles of particular individuals. Her talk was entitled “Us Versus Them: Trump, Bolsonaro, and the News Media.”

On 11 March, Felix visited economics classes and gave a public lecture on “Africa’s Economic Transformation: The Role of Youth.” The lecture drew upon the report he authored for the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, entitled “Youth for Growth: Transforming Economies through Agriculture.” The study addresses the demographic challenges and opportunities that Africa faces in the 21st century.

Our Gunn Scholar for 2019-20 is Ms. Tenerfa Tetteh from the University of Ghana. More about her time with us in next year’s annual report!

Suha al-Nahari, Prof. Emeritus John Gunn, and Rachel Mourao

Felix Yeboah and Prof. Gunn

Oxford Program Expanding

In 2019-20, we sent our biggest cohort ever to spend a year in residence at Oxford. Four students will attend Mansfield College and one additional student will attend our new partner, Blackfriars. With these two partners, we now have the opportunity to send up to six students to Oxford each year.

Our Oxfordians come from across the liberal arts spectrum. Xinxian Wang is a Math and Economics major. At Mansfield, she will look to augment these fields of study with tutorials in the Philosophy of Science and the Politics, Philosophy and Economics program.

Ryan Fulton will study non-American perspectives on politics and literature. His particular interests lie in critical race theory and queer theory. At Mansfield he will take tutorials in Political Sociology and Marxism and is eager to take advantage of his access to Mansfield’s Human Rights Center.

Allen Litvak is a Politics and Biochemistry major. He will deepen his study of both fields with tutorials on the European Union, Latin American politics, the Human Sciences, and Genetic Evolution.

Daniel Solano Guarin’s study of economics has cultivated a specialized interest in “the complexities of utility and productivity maximization.” He will study the European Union, the Economics of Developing Countries, and Game Theory at Mansfield.

Brooklyne Oliveira will be our second student at Blackfriars. Her interest in Religion and Philosophy made her a perfect fit. Her experience will be especially engaging since Blackfriars students take six primary tutorials (as opposed to the traditional curriculum of three primary and three secondary tutorials). Brooklyne will study Catholic theology—especially the theology of Aquinas and Augustine—in her year at Oxford.

Ryan Fulton, Brooklyne Oliveira, Xinxian Wang and Daniel Solano Guarin. Not pictured: Allen Litvak

Visiting Speakers and Scholars, 2018-19

In addition to public lectures by Felix Yeboah and Rachel Mourao, the CIE sponsored numerous other visits by scholars and from around the world. On 3 October, Yascha Mounk, author of The People vs. Democracy, discussed the crisis of democracy around the world and how it has been building over the last half century. Mounk conducted a student colloquium over lunch where students quizzed him on his book and his ongoing research on public opinion and democracy. Mounk’s visit was supported by the Mosbacher Fund for International Lectures and Visitors.

On 16 October, Hon. Piotr Wilczek, ambassador of Poland to the United States, and Anna Maria Anders, Polish senator and secretary of state plenipotentiary for international dialogue, conducted a panel discussion on “Transatlantic relations between Poland and the United States.” The visit corresponded with Poland’s celebration of the century of its “rebirth” at the end of the First World War in 1918.

The Center was thrilled to co-sponsor a concert on 18 October by Sona Jobarteh and her group of musicians. Jobarteh, a world-renowned virtuoso player of the kora, a 21-string African Harp visited campus from 15 through 19 October. In addition

to her public concert, Jobarteh also offered a masterclass on the kora. The masterclass addressed the kora’s historical journey through the seven hundred years of tradition, its cultural significance, and Jobarteh’s role as a female Kora virtuoso.

On 24 October Cathy O’Neil, author of Weapons of Math Destruction brought a busy month to a close. O’Neil’s work demonstrates how advancements in computing power and technology enable analysts to use big data to impact everything from job applications to bank loans, college admissions, privacy rights and the function of electoral systems. In some cases—such as epidemiology— the use of big data presents truly lifesaving opportunities. But, in others, from hacking to privacy threats, big data analysis and the technology by which it is driven pose threats to civil liberties. In her talk, O’Neil discussed how the mining of big data—and the algorithms used to undertake big data analysis—perpetuate and exacerbate inequality and threaten democratic stability. O’Neil’s visit was supported, in part, by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

In November, the Center joined with the Williams School to co-host Salena Zito as part of the series

“Conversations in the Age of Trump.” Zito is the co-author of “The Great Revolt: Inside the Populist Coalition Reshaping American Politics.” Zito was perhaps the first journalist to predict Trump’s victory. Writing in The Atlantic in September 2016, she observed that it was the American press that took Trump literally, but not seriously while his supporters take him seriously, but not literally.

Zito’s conversation—hosted by Prof. Lucas Morel, Head of the Politics Department—addressed changes in American political attitudes that reflect similar global changes described by Yascha Mounk in his October lecture. Zito met with classes and also conducted a student colloquium over lunch. She enjoyed her visit so much and was

so impressed by our students that she offered to return and teach a class. In Spring, 2019, she taught “Campaign Journalism in the Age of HighTech Populism.” She looks forward to returning for Mock Convention 2020 and to teaching in another Spring Term.

While Zito was teaching, Claire Gastañaga, Executive Director of the Virginia Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union gave a public address on “Racial Justice at the Ballot Box: Moving Beyond Restoration of Rights” on 29 April. Gastañaga’s talk addressed practices that continue to disenfranchise voters across the United States. She also addressed the Supreme Court’s gerrymandering decisions and how several states have adopted electoral reforms that correspond to similar reforms in other nations. Echoing themes from Cathy O’Neil’s talk in the previous October, Gastanaga also emphasized how unequal access to technology (particularly broadband access to the internet) perpetuates unequal access to election information and resources that only enhances the difficulty some voters experience in trying to register to vote and gain access to the polls on Election Day.

Growing Arabic Program Has Global Presence

In 2019, four students--Tanner Hall ’21, Syed Rafay Hassan ’22, Anne Riter ’22 and Lauren Fredericks ’20—spent the summer in residence at the American University in Beirut’s Center for Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies. They represent a new trend on campus—the growth and expansion of the Arabic language program that started in Fall, 2015 with the arrival of Prof. Antoine Edwards.

and fort, and a mosque from Mamluk times. Who could ask for more?”

The Arabic instruction at AUB was strenuous: “Instructors in the Center of Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies constantly keep us students on our toes. In the course of a single day, we write essays, read short stories, listen to songs and sustain multiple conversations (casual and intellectual), all in Arabic. The idea is simple: Unless all five senses are activated, a language simply cannot be acquired.”

The students acknowledge the powerful, positive impact of the Arabic program back at home. Anne Riter noted: “I can’t say enough good things about Estaaz Antoine [Professor Edwards] and the Arabic program at W&L. I started Arabic at the intro level —I had no prior experience in learning Arabic —and the energy that Estaaz Antoine brings to the classroom, and his enthusiasm for the language, makes Arabic seem manageable, because make no mistake, it’s a difficult language to learn.”

The Arabic program did not take long to grow. The first time Arabic was offered, 30 students enrolled in the introductory course, Arabic 111. Four years later, 45 students are enrolled in several levels of Arabic or independent studies on campus or they are studying Arabic abroad.

Summer in Beirut was a memorable experience. After two weeks, Rafay Hassan already had a list of unforgettable memories: “I have toured sites, including the Jeita Grotto, Harissa and Byblos. The Old City at Byblos has been my favorite. Its “souk,” even with its modern touch, still retains that aura of a glittering ancient Arabic marketplace. Within an area of about two square miles, Byblos gives you Neolithic remains, a Roman theater, a Crusader church

Since Fall 2015, 261 students have enrolled in at least one Arabic class. Of those students, 21 have been to seven different countries (the UAE, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, Lebanon, Israel/ Palestine, and Egypt) to study abroad. The program is a foundational component of the Middle East and South Asian Studies program that was created in 2017.

Tanner Hall ’21, Syed Rafay Hassan ’22, Anne Riter ’22 and Lauren Fredericks ’20

Professor Antoine Edwards

W&L Signs MOU with the University of Cape Coast in Ghana

In Winter and Spring 2021, W&L students will have the opportunity to participate in a new international experience. Profs. Stephanie Sandberg (Performing Arts) and Hugo Blunch (Economics) will lead a group of students to the University of Cape Coast in Ghana where they will enroll and reside from January till June. The program is the first of its kind at W&L.

Blunch and Sandberg have many years’ experience in Ghana as faculty and researchers. Both have led Spring Term programs to Ghana in the past. When the opportunity to develop a longer, residential program arose, they jumped at it. “I believe that the new full term program in Ghana is super innovative, combining documentary filmmaking with studying major economic issues in developing nations,” says Sandberg. “Africa is on the brink of bursting as an international market, and Ghana is in the heart of that development, so this is the perfect time to go and study, learn about and fall in love with their beautiful country and culture, and teach students how to be agents of change in our world.”

“I have co-directed three Spring Term Abroad Programs to Ghana, so far,” says Blunch and

adds “while the STA format unarguably led to students learning about and, importantly, first-hand experiencing what ‘development’ (understood in the broadest sense, and in multiple dimensions) is or can or should be – or not, as case may be! – – now instead taking students to Ghana for a full term and a bit – as is the case with our proposed Full Term Abroad Ghana Program – will take things to the next level, however. We will be able to extend both in the width and in the depth of students’ formal learning, as well as their own personal experiences (the latter of which are also very much part of the overall learning outcomes, to be sure). And students will also have even more opportunities to explore on their own, something which I strongly feel helps complement the ‘official’ part of the Full Term Abroad Program.”

W&L students will take courses from Blunch and Sandberg and from Cape Coast faculty. They will have the opportunity to live with Cape Coast students, pursue internships and participate in site visits across the country in what will be a unique, immersive experience.

W&L and the University of Cape Coast finalized the agreement in support of the new program in Summer 2019. Blunch and Sandberg will work with the Center for International Education to organize the logistics and planning for the program. January 2021 is not far away!

Hugo Blunch

Stephanie Sandberg

W&L awards Certificate of International Immersion to 12 Seniors

In 2019, twelve students received the Certificate of International Immersion. As the table indicates, they took tremendous advantage of the opportunities to study abroad that W&L makes possible. The winners’ experiences included studying traditional Chinese Opera, mountain climbing in France, Archaeological work in Greece and Italy, and studying education practices in Europe.

To qualify to receive the Certificate, students must spend at least 14 weeks abroad, demonstrate sustained engagement with their host country, and draw upon their experience abroad to enrich campus life back in Lexington. Winners presented honors theses, made public presentations, participated in the biennial Science Society and the Arts conference, and organized countless cultural events across campus.

STUDENT

Rebecca Bakare

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE

France, Italy, Switzerland

Mikey Barro France

Alyssa Bower

Sésha Carrier

Maggie Crowell

Arianna Jepsen

Spain, Chile, Australia

China, Ghana, Brazil

Denmark, South Africa, Germany, Argentina

Italy, Greece, U.K.

Jack Kaelin Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda

Kalady Osowski

The Netherlands, Nepal, India, South Africa

Anukriti Shrestha U.K.

Yi Wang China, U.A.E

Rebecca Wellford China

Xiaoxia Yin U.K., Japan

Rebecca Bakare, Yi Wang, Sésha Carrier, Rebecca Wellford, Maggie Crowell, Arianna Jepsen, Jack Kaelin, Alyssa Bower, Kalady Osowski, Anukriti Shrestha. Not pictured: Mikey Barro, Xiaoxia Yin.

Anukriti Shrestha Receives Global Learning Leadership Award and Kalady Osowski Wins Fulbright

Each year, the Center for International Education selects one student whose interest in global education and contributing to campus life outshines the many such contributions and experiences of other W&L students who have shared remarkable experiences abroad. Anukriti Shrestha (who also received the Certificate of International Immersion) was the 2019 recipient of the Global Learning Leadership Award. A native of Nepal and an Engineering major, Anu studied engineering in the UK. She also organized a summer service project with Uma Sarwadnya to purify the water supply for small towns in rural Nepal. Back on campus, Anu organized activities while serving as resident director in the Global Service House. After graduating, Anu did not stray far from campus. We celebrate her entry into the Ph.D program in Engineering at the University of Virginia.

One of our winners of the Certificate of International Immersion, Kathryn Kalady Osowski ’19 will spend 201920 in India under the auspices of a Fulbright-Nehru Open Study/ Research award. She will study smallscale cultural heritage looting operations in the Golden Triangle of India.

“Contrary to popular depictions, art theft today rarely involves dramatic museum breakins, famous paintings or mastermind forgers,” said Osowski. “Instead, the looting and illicit sale of archeological artifacts from vulnerable

areas in the Global South has taken center stage. While people may be familiar with ISIS’s destruction in the Middle East, they are likely unaware that this sort of process also takes place every day in India.

“To stop this cycle of looting and selling of Indian cultural heritage, it is essential to work directly with those who put a price on it,” Osowski said. “I hope to use the Fulbright grant to better understand these small-scale looting operations from the inside out and make that information accessible to communities whose heritage is in danger and policy-makers who manage cultural heritage custodianship.”

After her project, Osowski plans to continue immersing herself in art history.

When she finishes her research, Kalady plans to enroll in graduate school. She is not sure yet whether she will study art history or South Asian studies or seek governmental work on art crime, perhaps a diplomatic career or even study translation.

Osowski credits her adviser Melissa Kerin, along with Profs. Tim Lubin (Religion), and Jonathan Eastwood (Sociology) for inspiring her and assisting with the Fulbright process. Thanks to their mentoring and support, Kalady says, “my W&L experience encouraged me to pull together all my different interests in art history, law, international relations, and research; now, I’m ready to mobilize that knowledge in this project.”

Professor Rush and Anukriti Shrestha

Kalady Osouski

Pemberton Endows Center for International Education: A Reflection

Not long after I had been appointed Director of the Center for International Education, Hank Humphries and Margie Lippard called from Development to arrange a meeting with Harry Pemberton. Harry had been retired since 2004. But he expressed an interest in reconnecting to talk about my experiences in the Middle East (2010-13) and my thoughts about global learning programming.

Harry started teaching at W&L in 1962. I first met him in 1990 when I arrived to Washington and Lee. Reflecting on that meeting I pointed out that I was just a baby when he started teaching Not missing a beat, he pointed out that I was still a child when we were introduced in 1990.

I was familiar with The Buddha Meets Socrates, Harry’s reflection on his time teaching Western Philosophy in Kalimpong, India. Over lunch, we compared notes about living on either side of the Arabian Sea and returning to campus. As ever, it was a charming conversation. Harry was eager to support all aspects of international programming at Washington and Lee. It was humbling and endearing to discuss his desire to endow the Center to ensure that global education continued to thrive and grow.

It was my pleasure to meet Harry several more times before he passed. It is now my honor to work with our faculty, staff and students to promote and expand international education at Washington and Lee under the auspices of his bequest.

– Mark Rush

“

When you travel abroad, you have to adjust to another culture. You learn so much about other countries and their cultures, and you often find out just how strong you are. It is an incredible learning experience for our students and one I have supported throughout my career. ”

HARRY PEMBERTON

Study Abroad, Spring Term and International Student Numbers

In 2018-19, we experienced a record-setting year in study abroad. We saw the most students ever go abroad to 26 countries for Fall and/or Winter terms and saw a boom in the number of students going abroad for summer experiences. Another robust Spring Term saw 176 students go abroad with W&L faculty on 17 courses.

Our incoming class boasts 39 international students from 30 countries across Africa, Europe, Asia and South America.

Center for International Education Staff

Mark Rush Director, Waxberg Professor of Politics and Law

rushm@wlu.edu

Cindy Irby Assistant Director and Study Abroad Advisor cirby@wlu.edu

Patrick Sheridan Operations Manager, Kenneth P. Ruscio Center for Global Learning

psheridan@wlu.edu

Hunter Swanson Associate Director and International Student and Scholar Advisor hswanson@wlu.edu

Jillian Murphy Study Abroad Coordinator jmurphy@wlu.edu

The Center for International Education 204 W. Washington St. Lexington, Virginia 24450 go.wlu.edu/global