International Accents 2023

Cover Photo by Jeremy Wangler

From the President

I am very pleased to recommend to you the 2022 version of Washburn’s International Accents. I hope you will read it with as much pride and appreciation as I do.

This publication showcases the robust international programming on our campus during 2022.

The wonderful global initiatives and activities undertaken by our faculty, staff and students underscore what Washburn University is all about –students. These opportunities enrich the Washburn experience and strengthen our reputation as the No. 1 regional public university in Kansas (U.S. News & World Report, 2022.) I wanted to take this

From the Director

2022 proved to be the year of great recovery for international education at Washburn! Our international student enrollment reached nearly 200 from 34 countries, and around 130 students participated in study abroad programs. Both numbers were back to the pred-pandemic level of 2019. Our Intensive English Program received accreditation of nine additional years, till 2031! In addition, 40 international students graduated, which was a back-to-back year with 40 graduates or more.

2022 also saw Dr. Farley’s retirement. Needless to say, we appreciated his visionary leadership and determined backing of international education during his 25-year tenure, which was essential in our success. Dr. Russ Smith, who contributed significantly to Washburn’s internationalization, also retired after a 38-year distinguished career at WU.

opportunity to thank our international educators for their dedication and contribution, and to commend our students for their courage to get out of their comfort zone and challenge themselves to be better informed citizens.

Since its founding, Washburn has been valuing and embracing diversity, equity and inclusion when there was not much international education to speak of. But the world we now live in is vastly different. A proficient body of knowledge about the world and an adequate level of global competency, in my view, is integral to a solid college education. And as such, Washburn will continue its commitment and support diverse educational activities, welcome international students, and enhance international education programs. Let’s work together to further internationalize Washburn.

We wish them well.

It was exciting and rewarding to hear from our past graduates. Their stories warm our hearts and their successes motivate us to keep doing what we are passionate about.

On the faculty front, we welcomed three outstanding international scholars to the Washburn community and inducted five colleagues into Phi Beta Delta – Honor Society of International Scholars. These wonderful additions and their contributions will undoubtedly further strengthen the programs and services we provide to our students and faculty and staff.

Finally, I want to thank all those who supported our programs and students through mentorship, leadership, and financial assistance. I look forward to reporting to you about our 2023 successes.

Baili Zhang, Director International Programs

Dr. JuliAnn Mazachek University President

Kelly McClendon Coordinator of Intensive English

Lots of good news from this desk for 2022! In December the Intensive English Program (IEP) was reaccredited by Commission on English Language Program Accreditation for an additional 9 years...until December 2031! In addition to this, all three of the top-level courses in the Intensive English program now count as credit for General Education Humanities courses, much like Beginning Spanish 2. This is a huge step in inclusion of non-native English-speaking WU students by recognizing their learned skills. Not many universities across the US give General Education credit for IEP courses. In 2022, this year we had students from Brazil, Japan, Spain, Nepal, and Mexico. The enrollment of the IEP is slowly increasing, but like other programs all across the US, we continue to be affected by the pandemic and other geopolitical events and trends. Our adjunct instructors for 2022 were Dr. Roger Laubengayer, JiSoo Abbuehl, Dr. Crystal Buck, Elissa Jones, Kelsey Huff, Tisha Sinclair, and Theresa Livingston. They have been working hard because course planning is time consuming even if there are fewer students. They continue to show excellence in all they do. We look forward to what 2023 will bring!

Heidi Staerkel Associate Director of International Programs

Like my colleague Kelly, I also have good news to report from my desk! In 2022, we welcomed 25 new students to WU in the Spring (a 65% increase over Spring 2021) and over 65 new students in the Fall (a 20% increase over Fall 2021). We’re processing an increasing number of applications – particularly for our LL.M. in Global Legal Studies graduate program, which grew from 2 applicants for Spring 2021 to 25 for Fall 2022. Something both familiar and “new” during Spring 2022 was receiving 20 Japanese students from Chiba University of Commerce (CUC). The 8-week exchange began in Fall 2016 with eleven CUC Global Studies majors. To graduate with a Global Studies major, CUC students must spend at least eight weeks studying abroad. When our CUC colleagues contacted us about the possibility of shifting the 8-week exchange to Spring 2022, we knew there would be some challenges but were

eager to provide these students with an exceptional study abroad experience, especially since other opportunities had been drastically limited in 2020 and 2021. The students arrived in early April and had a wonderful, transformational experience. Due to the continued lessening of COVID restrictions, CUC also resumed sending students for the Fall exchange, so we gladly welcomed 18 students in late October. One of the highlights for these students, and myself, was an afternoon of cultural sharing spent at Randolph Elementary School. One of the students remarked afterwards that he was full, which I found unusual since we hadn’t eaten anything. When I asked him what he meant, he explained that his heart was full. I treasure the opportunity to be present for these special moments. It makes me so grateful to work with our international students here at WU!

Fall 2022 new students getting some energy and wisdom from Mr. Ichabod; photo / Peggy Clark

Tina Williams, ba, ‘95, M.S., ED, Study Abroad Coordinator

As I reflect on the many accomplishments of the past year, it is clear that the value of a study abroad experience cannot be underestimated nor can the resilience and determination of WU faculty, staff, and students. We began in person advising, orientations, and onsite study abroad programs in the spring of 2022. The return to travel began with the departure of the “Women in WWII” faculty led program during spring break. The program was led by professors Kerry Wynn, History, and Courtney Sullivan, French. The travels continued with four faculty led summer programs. Due to continued COVID-19 travel restrictions the locations of two programs were changed. The “Nursing Perspectives” program led by Professors Lara Rivera and Amy White was changed from Guatemala to Puerto Rico. Although Puerto Rico is not an international destination, it offered a unique cultural experience for nursing students and faculty. Professor Bob Betty, Political Science, was on schedule to offer the “Modern Japan” program, but due to the uncertainty of Japan opening for travel, the department opted to pivot and instead Professor Linsey Moddelmog, offered the “European Capitals” program as an alternative. After two years of travel delays, Professor Sharon Sullivan, Theater, was finally able to depart

with her students to attend the “Fringe Festival” in Edinburgh, Scotland. Business Professor Dr. Michael Stoica also waited two years to return to Brazil with his students for the International Business Experience. In the end the faculty, staff, and student’s flexibility and patience made the return to travel a success. We remain committed to providing a robust portfolio of high-quality, experiential, and rigorous academic programs for students and look forward to continuing to offer valuable study abroad experiences.

A visit to Washburn’s partner school in Mexico , the University of Monterrey, Nuevo León

Dr. Andrew Vogel Coordinator of International Student Recruitment and Retention

2022 was a huge year for the Office of International Programs

– not only for our team, but for the many talented international students who call Washburn University and Topeka home. For example, Simran Shrestha (Molecular Biology & Biotechnology), Alisha Bajracharya (Biochemistry), Avinash Dhimal (Molecular Biology & Biotechnology), and Manish Bhatta (Chemistry) represented Washburn in Iowa City at the Mid-Western Regional Meeting organized by the American Chemical Society! They are senior international students from Nepal who presented their undergraduate research at the poster session of the seminar.

More examples of excellence are: Spring 2022 Nepali graduates

Diepsh Thapa pursuing the Ph.D. program in Cancer Biology at Kansas University Medical Center with a full tuition waiver and $34,000 annual stipend, and Rajesh Kandela, receiving a full-ride scholarship for a Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of California, Davis. Alisha Pyakurel & Ashmita Kharel, two Spring 2022 Nepali graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, are doing OPT at regional hospitals in Chicago and Wichita. In addition, Nancy Acharya

(Accounting and Finance), another international student from Nepal, had an intern at Koch Industries over the summer term. Another notable example is in the School of Business. The School of Business Major Field

Test is a standardized national exam taken by students from more than 550 business schools nationwide. The exam consists of questions from all the concentrations of Business, such as Finance, Management, Marketing, Accounting, Economics, Management Information Systems, and International Business. This exam is taken at Washburn when students are enrolled in Strategic Management(BU449) class. Nilam Dangi was the second-highest scorer, scoring 176 out of 200. The score was in the 95th percentile in that national exam. Dangi was followed by Saimon Ghimire, Sangya Yogi, and Sumnima Limbu. These 4 Nepali students were in the top 10 highest scorers

in the School of Business.

Another notable international achievement was the enrollment of Sheronika Simeon, who won Miss Teen Bahamas in 2021 and chose to attend Washburn University and study kinesiology with her scholarship prize. Lastly, David Kibet, who achieved 54th in the 10k in the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships in a blazing time of 30:47, a 4:57 per mile pace. This feat is even more tremendous, considering he overcame injury the previous season and had fought back while maintaining solid grades and working part-time at the Student Recreation and Wellness Center.

Our student’s impressive achievements inspire us incredibly and these are just a few. Thank you for making our favorite moments from this year possible and for being a part of this incredible international community.

10 years of International Summer Institute (ISI); photo/bz

Liviu Florea President of ICT, International Center of Topeka

Each year, Washburn University is the ‘home-abroad’ for hundreds of international students. Just like it has always done, Washburn community welcomed new international students in 2022, through its numerous ‘vectors of care’ and exceled in making them feel welcomed, cared for, assisting, and supporting them in numerous ways in the classroom and on campus.

One of these vectors of care is the International Center of Topeka, Inc. that has contributed to Washburn and Topeka communities by endowing scholarships through the Washburn Foundation, supporting international students and study abroad programs, providing emergency assistance, organizing cultural events, and offering educational and social services such as tutoring for

Washburn international students.

For instance, two members of the International Center Board, Anita Epps and Bobbie Anderson have worked diligently to assist international members of our community to enhance literacy skills within the Topeka Literacy Council and English for Speakers of other Languages volunteer programs. For more than 50 years, these programs have assisted Washburn students and other members of the Topeka community.

Sangyoub Park, former President of the International Center of Topeka, took leadership to organize the Japanese Spring Festival (Japan Haru Matsuri) to be held at Washburn Institute of Technology this year on March 24. The Festival included educational presentations, performances, hands-on activities, and snack-sampling.

The International Center of Topeka looks forward to welcoming new members, expanding its reach, and continuing its work on behalf of international students to welcome and celebrate diverse cultures in the Topeka community.

New Members of the ICT Board

Ellie Walker Public Relations Specialist, Washburn University

Robert Coffelt Graphic Artist, Washburn University Mailing and Printing Services (UMAPS)

The International Center of Topeka (ICT) hosting a Welcome Party; photo/bz

Family of theYear `

Each year, the Office of International Programs selects a local family for the “Family of the Year” award, which recognizes the family for their generous support for our students. This year’s award goes to Dave and Mary Horner. Congratulations and thank you, Dave and Mary!

Staff News…

Meet our new team member - Shari Westfall

I started working for the State of Kansas in August 1985 as a Clerk Typist for the Department of Revenue. Throughout my career, I also worked for the Department of Administration, Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, and lastly for the Department of Transportation until May 2021, when I retired as a Public Service Administrator III. I started working for Washburn University in June 2021 in the Social Work Department as a Senior Administrative Assistant. In November 2022, I accepted the position of Administrative Specialist for International Programs and Scholarly & Creative WTE. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time working at Washburn University and getting to know many of the faculty, staff, and students across campus.

Dave and Mary Horner

International students making pizza at the Horner’s

Horners’ lavish dinner party for international students

International Student Scholarship Recipients 2022

Congratulations to the following recipients of the 2022 International Programs Scholarships! This year a total of over $39,000 was awarded. A big thank you to the many generous donors and friends of Washburn International Programs, whose support makes the Washburn experience even more rewarding and memorable for our international students. Non Nobis Solum – Not for Ourselves Alone!

Max Bickford Rotary International Education Scholarship Fund

Acharya, Nancy

International Center of Topeka /William O. Wagnon Jr. Scholarship Fund

Adams, Olumide Alcantara, Luis

Mildred I. Pfuetze International Student Scholarship Fund

Armadans, Costanza

WU International Student Scholarship Endowment

Bajracharya, Alisha

Dr. David C. Thurston Memorial Scholarship Fund

Basnet, Ajar Bhatta, Manish Bird, Daniel Dangi, Nilam

William H. Guild International Program Fund

Dhimal, Avinash Dhungana, Avaya Dicu, Raul-Alin

International Education Endowment Fund

Flores, Marco Gadtaula, Divita Ghimire, Saimon Gutierrez, Justine

Dr. William H. & Patricia Zimmerman Scholarship Fund

Hashimoto, Kinjitsu Hidaka, Yumi

Lauranna Russell Clothier International Programs Scholarship Fund

Isobe, Hinata Isobe, Minami Kajihara, Aika

Kashiyama, Kaito Kibet, David

Stanley Curyea Memorial

Liao, Chenxi

International Center of Topeka / William Langdon Fund

Limbu, Sumnima

William H. Guild International Program Fund

Manandhar, Urshula Marini, Raul Min, Jihwan

Neupane, Sanskar Pan, Qi Paudyal, Girish

Saeki, Shiori Sah, Anish Saito, Junnosuke

Shrestha, Simran

International Center of Topeka/Betty Jo “Bo” Sheafor Fund

Pjontek, Sebastian Rana, Ojashwi

The Rev. William & Susan Kraus, Jr. International Scholarship

Silva, Debora Regmi, Sambridhi

Allyn O. Lockner & Barb McCandless Int’l for Future Endowed

Sun, Yueyi Ying, Yixin Yogi, Sangya

Hula International Student Fund

Swarnakar, Rakesh Viveros Garcia de Zuniga, Renata

Sturm/Workman Family International Fund

Zermiani Hoffmann Bassanesi, Larissa

From Our Donor

“We are pleased to establish the “Internationalists for the Future Endowment Fund” to encourage students during their careers to choose and act across national political, economic, environmental, cultural and class boundaries to advance common human interests. They collaborate in the future with individuals and groups to achieve longterm peaceful interests because they are more important than shortterm violent conflicts.”

Allyn O. Lockner

International Student Graduates

Congratulations to the following 40 graduates. They represent 17 countries. We are so proud of you! Go Bods!

Spring and Summer Graduates

Name

Fisal Alanazi

Saud Alanazi

Ata Balkhair

Bijaya Basnet

Manish Bhatta

Svea Crohn

Romain Henry

Ukpekor Jarigbe

Rajesh Kandel

Ashmita Kharel

Lia Kitiashvili

Nikki Kraaijeveld

Chika Murakami

Kenya Oi

Jorge Henrique Ornelas Queiroz

Christian Paez

Shela Pierre Noel

Alisha Pyakurel

Maria (Laura) Rivas Wright

Kasumi Sawaki

Dipesh Thapa

Yuxin Zheng

Abdulrahman Alghanem

Rakan Alhuwaimel

Nuria Barrientos Pereira

Muhannad Bin Radhyan

Matheus Mota Lima de Morais

Christian Paez

Irene Sanz Gistau

Virginia Scardanzan

Nancy Acharya

Country

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia

Nepal

Nepal

Germany

France

Nigeria

Nepal

Nepal

Georgia

Netherlands

Japan

Japan

Brazil

Paraguay

Haiti

Nepal

Paraguay

Japan

Nepal

China

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia

Spain

Saudi Arabia

Brazil

Paraguay

Spain

Italy

Nepal

Degree & Major/s

BCJ, Forensic Investigation

BCJ, Security Administration

LL.M., Law

BS, Physics

BS, Chemistry

BA, Psychology

MBA, Business

BSN, Nursing

BS, Chemistry

BSN, Nursing

LL.M., Law

BA, Mass Media

BA, Mass Media

BA, Communication

BBA, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Marketing

BBA, Data Analytics

BA, French, AA in Early Childhood Ed

BSN, Nursing

BBA, Economics, Management

BBA, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Management

BS, Biochemistry

BM, Music Performance

BBA, Management

MBA, Business

MBA, Business

LL.M., Law

BA, Kinesiology

BBA, Entrepreneurship & Innovation

BS, Molecular Biology & Biotechnology

MBA, Business

BBA, Accounting, Finance

Latin & Department Honors

Magna Cum Laude

Magna Cum Laude

Chemistry, Magna Cum Laude

Summa Cum Laude

Communication, Magna Cum Laude

French and Education, Cum Laude

School of Nursing Honors, Summa Cum Laude

School of Business Scholar, Magna Cum Laude

Chemistry, Summa Cum Laude

Cum Laude

Sch of Business Scholar/Honors

Cum Laude

Sch of Business Scholar/Honors

Fall Graduates

Name

Avaya Dhungana

Niels Meier

Karla Molina

Shota Nagino

Ojashwi Rana

Sambridhi Regmi

Shiori Saeki

Yueyi Sun

Country

Nepal

Switzerland

El Salvador

Japan

Nepal

Nepal

Japan

China

Degree & Major/s

MBA, Business

BBA, Economics, Management

BED, Elementary Education

BA, Sociology

BBA, Accounting, Finance

BBA, Finance

BBA, Management, Marketing

BA, Computer Information Science

Latin & Department Honors

Cum Laude

School of Business Scholar, Magna Cum Laude

Summa Cum Laude

Spring and Summer Graduates

left to right

First row:, Kenya Oi, Matheus Mota Lima de Morais, Ata Balkhair, Fisal Alanazi, Abdulrahman Alghanem, Tilak Thapa, Manish Bhatta

Second row: Virginia Scardanzan, Laura Rivas Wright, Dr. Jerry Farley, Kasumi Sawaki, Alisha Pyakurel, Ashmita Kharel, Bijaya Basnet

Third row: Jorge Ornelas Queiroz, Irene Sanz Gistau, Nuria Barrientos Pereira, Romain Henry, Svea Crohn, Nikki Kraaijeveld, Rajesh Kandel, Dipesh Thapa

left to right

Some of the spring graduates posing with Dr. Farley; photo/bz

Sambridhi Regmi, Dr. Andy Vogel, Nancy Acharya

One on One with Dr. Farley

Dr. Jerry Farley retired after serving as president of Washburn University for 25 years. During his storied tenure, he was actively involved in international education every step of the way. The editor sat down and had a conversation with him:

Editor: What is/are your most proud achievement(s) in international education during your tenure at WU?

Dr. Farley: I am proud of the work our International Programs Team did in the growth of international programs and participants. International enrollment over my 25 years has grown from fewer than 100 to well over 200 until the global pandemic disrupted exchanges. I’m glad to know we are once again back at the pre-pandemic level. We have strengthened relationships with universities around the world and provide our exchange students with solid support and rich experiences. We have also grown significantly in the number of opportunities for students to study abroad, scholarships available to them, and the number of faculty participating in international education.

Editor: How did you see international education as part of the Washburn experience?

Dr. Farley: The transformational experience program gives U.S. citizen students an opportunity to learn from international studies. The international students we bring to Washburn gives everyone the opportunity to grow from learning about other cultures.

Editor: What have you done to advance Washburn’s international education programs?

Dr. Farley: We traveled tirelessly to visit institutions in many countries to develop and strengthen relationships. For example, we travel regularly to Japan, Thailand, Paraguay, Nepal, China, India, Finland, Northern Ireland, South Korea, Brazil, Ireland, etc. We have been supportive in growing the number of international faculty. We have enjoyed hosting events for visiting international students, faculty, and administrators both in our home and on campus. Getting to know students who participate in the international programs is most rewarding.

Editor: What is the most memorable trip you have taken internationally?

Dr. Farley: They are all memorable and it is difficult to choose. One stand out is visiting Korea when we presented their president, Kim Dae-Jung, with Washburn’s honorary doctorate. He had been a political prisoner and could not attend the graduation ceremony. Another occasion was a celebration on both the Washburn and Fukuoka University campuses of 30 years of cooperation.

Editor: Anything else you would like to add?

Dr. Farley: I value the international experience because it is life changing. It gives one the chance to see other viewpoints, exchange ideas, and appreciate other cultures.

Dr. Jerry Farley, President Emeratus

Student Athlete (Basketball Player), Software Engineer, and Chief Marketing Officer, Oh My!

– A Conversation with Ewan Auguste

Editor: What is your pathway to where you are since graduating from Washburn?

Ewan: Most professionals would categorize my pathway as nonlinear. I started my post graduation career as the Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach at Washburn University. I have always had a passion for teaching, mentoring, and nurturing talent. Coaching was an avenue to put these skills into practice as well as grow and refine them. After four plus years at Washburn, I moved into my first role in Corporate America as a Software Engineer at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas. I was able to develop my business knowledge and acumen opening up an opportunity to IBM who recruited me into a Product Marketing role because of my background working with their WebSphere MQ product.

I always say, IBM is where I grew up as a Marketer and professional although I was highly skeptical of my ability to be a Marketer going into the role. I spent eight years at IBM refining my marketing skills and learning to lead in a business setting. In my final role at IBM, I was the leader of the Social and Digital Marketing Team, a role that brought me back to one of my passions Digital Experiences and Technology. I left IBM to pursue my first executive role at Workfront, a PE owned SaaS company. After two plus years at Workfront, we were acquired by Adobe. I spent one year plus at Adobe Leading their Global Marketing Operations Team and left after accepting my first Chief Marketing Officer role with PlanSource.

Editor: Please share the impact of your Washburn experience on your professional and personal growth.

Ewan: A huge part of college is finding yourself, your passions, and independence. Washburn’s campus gave me a big enough environment to experience discomfort that fostered growth, while its small class sizes provided a safe learning environment that fostered participation in ideation and sharing of ideas. Skills that have applied in my professional journey, daily.

Editor: Could you share a few words of wisdom for international students / CIS majors?

Ewan: Mostly for CIS majors. The best advice I ever got that I would like to pass on is, coupling your technical degree with a business degree can exponentially grow your value to the business and create avenues to career growth other professionals will not have.

Ewan Auguste (St. Lucia), BS in CIS, 2002; MBA, 2010 Chief Marketing Officer, PlanSource

Kun “ Adam” Xie (China)

BA in CIS, 2021

Software Engineer III, Walmart Inc. Headquarters

Kun Xie once studied at Washburn for two bachelor’s degrees: Accounting and Computer Science. He graduated in 2021 May and started working as a software engineer until now. Last Autumn, he moved from Topeka Kansas to Bentonville Arkansas, since the policy of remote

Vladislav Baidin (Russia)

work is lifted by his employer. ��

“…the CIS Department of Washburn provides a high-quality education, helping me to be successful in my software engineering career. The faculties are knowledgeable, friendly and patient. My experience of studying here is great. I would recommend Washburn University to anyone who is planning to start a software engineering career.”

studied at Washbvurn under the YEAR program sponsored by the U.S. State Department.

My time at Washburn University was one of the most enriching experiences of my life. As a Russian student, I have been exposed to a diverse range of perspectives and ideas that have broadened my knowledge and understanding of the world. At Washburn, I had the opportunity to learn from some of the most knowledgeable and experienced professors in their respective fields. The professors were not only experts in their subjects, but they were also passionate about teaching and ensuring that every student understood the material thoroughly. It was evident that the professors cared deeply about their students’ success and they went above and beyond to provide the necessary support to help us succeed. What I appreciated

most about my time at Washburn was the attention to detail in each subject. We didn’t just cover the surface of a topic, but we delved deeply into each concept to ensure that we fully comprehended it. This approach to learning has equipped me with a solid foundation of knowledge that I can apply to various aspects of my life. The experience I gained at Washburn University will continue to have a significant impact on my life. The knowledge and skills that I acquired will be useful in my future studies and career. I feel more confident in my abilities and better equipped to tackle challenges that may arise in my life. Overall, I am grateful for the opportunity to study at Washburn University and I will forever cherish the memories and knowledge that I gained during my time there.

Vladislav Baidin’s greetings from Siberia

Carolina Blair Gómez (Colombia) MA in Clinical Psychology, 2012

Since graduating in 2012 from WU, my husband (Solmer Alvarez, also a WU alumn) and I continued to live in Topeka for two and a half more years. During this time, I worked as a Staff Clinician at Family Service and Guidance Center, where I saw children and teenagers with severe mental and emotional difficulties. Also, during this time, Solmer and I had a beautiful baby girl named Isabel while Solmer got his Master’s in Music Performance at Wichita State University. In 2015 we returned to Medellín, Colombia where I went back to teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses, supervising practicum students, and seeing a few clients. I have seen some ex-pats living in Medellín, who needed to see a therapist who spoke their native language (most of them from the US, but I had others from the UK, Australia, and also Colombian ex-pats living in Canada), so it’s been nice to keep up with my English and to use it in therapy. Coworkers and students commend me constantly on my knowledge

and experience and I feel extremely grateful for all the things I learned at Washburn, especially from professors like Dr. Dave Provorse, who made a special impact on my clinical abilities. I feel very much an Ichabod still. As a University Professor, I have a few papers published and at least one of them came from my academic work during one of the classes I took in the Master’s Program (Blair-Gómez, C. (2013). The biological basis of parent-infant attachment: Foundations and implications for further development. Informes Psicológicos, 13(1), 23-40). In 2018 we had another baby girl (Elena) and we continue to live in Medellin.

Liting “Angelina” Guo (China)

studied at Washburn from 2009-2010 as an exchange student from ZJNU

I am in Ningbo of Zhejiang province. I have two lovely daughters, one is in the middle class in kindergarten and the other one is in first grade of primary school. I am now a full-time mom enjoying taking care of my children.

Fu Chenning (China)

studied at Washburn from 2009-2010 as an exchange student from Zhejiang International Studies University.

For her, the 9-month experience at WU is unforgettable and it enabled her to dive deep in American culture. Chenning loves studying languages, especially English. She graduated in 2011 as an English major. In 2022, she participated in several online competitions including English translation contests and vlog-making competitions. She won the 3rd prize in the semifinal of the “CATTI” (Chinese Accreditation Test

for

Translators and Interpreters)

Cup Chinese National Competition of Translation and Interpretation. And her vlog, introducing Chinese cuisines, won the International Communications Award in the 2022 “In Sync with China” video show competition. The vlog was chosen to be posted in a prestigious Chinese app. She is currently working at U.S. Consulate General in Shanghai. Fu Chenning is now self-studying Spanish and she looks forward to exploring more possibilities in her life.

Dipesh Thapa (Nepal)

Bachelor of Biochemistry, 2022 Graduate student and Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) at the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC)

After graduating from Washburn in May of 2022, I decided to start a new chapter by joining the Ph.D. at the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC).

I am a very result-oriented person as I constantly seek the way to find the final goal of the study and exercise my ideas to motivate myself, believing in the process of getting the result. I enjoy doing research as I think it is one of the most powerful ways of learning in the scientific world. My purpose of studying in the United States of America is to have a research career in Biomedical Science. I am currently doing the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Biomedical

Sciences (IGPBS) at KUMC. This program at KUMC providing exceptional opportunities in broad cancer as well as other scientific research fields is particularly intriguing to me. At Washburn, I was able to start my research career, which contributed to the advancement of various scientific knowledge in a lot of different directions. This had a significant impact on me through the scientific conferences to broaden my view on how a researcher should conduct their life. Washburn brought people together from diverse backgrounds, providing opportunities for students and faculty to broaden their perspectives and engage in cultural exchange which was another opportunity from Washburn provided for me during my four years there.

Diana Martinez-Ponce soaked in colors during the Holi Festival; photo/bz

Minami Isobe and Junnosuke Saito proudly representing Japan during the Celebration of Cultures; photo/Washburn Review

International students enjoying authentic South Asian food; photo/bz

The International Club at the 2022 Homecoming Parade; photo/bz

Left to right

Front Row: Kereser Augustin, Kirshan Ferguson, Yixin Ying, Junnosuke Saito, Qi Pan, Chenxi Liao, Hinata Isobe

Back row: Costanza Armadans Garcia De Zuniga, Minami Isobe, Larissa Zermiani Hoffmann Bassanesi, Ahmed Alanazi

Three Outstanding International Scholars Join the Washburn Faculty

Dr. Kosman Rajapaksha Assiant Professor, Math

Dr. Kosman Rajapaksha was born and raised in Kandy, Sri Lanka. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Peradeniya. He joined the Mathematics Department as a demonstrator after finishing his B.Sc., where he developed an interest in teaching. At the same time, Dr. Kosman began his first master’s in Applied Statistics where he discovered his passion for statistical methods and applications. This motivated him to come to the USA for higher education. Dr. Rajapaksha joined Southern Illinois University Carbondale where he received his M.S. in Mathematical Statistics and his Ph.D. in Mathematical Statistics. Dr. Kosman Rajapaksha is an Assistant Professor of Statistics and Actuarial Science at Washburn University. Before joining Washburn University, he was an Assistant Professor of Statistics at Augustana University. Robust statistics, Bootstrapping, Machine Learning, and Data Science are among his specialties. He won the gold medal at the awards for outstanding research projects 2014 competition, post-graduate category, Institute of Applied Statistics Sri Lanka (IASSL). Southern Illinois University awarded him the Outstanding Graduate Teacher Award for 2019. Dr. Kosman enjoys volunteering at educational and research events and in his free time, he likes to play Cricket. He is eager to contribute to Washburn University’s goals by working and serving the University. Dr. Rajapaksha enjoys the collaborative environment of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

Meet New International Faculty

Dr. Adebanke L. Adebayo Assistant Professor, Communication Studies

Dr. Adebanke Adebayo earned her BA in English Studies from Babcock University–Nigeria, her MA degrees in English and Applied Communication Studies both from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, and her Ph.D. in Communication from George Mason University, Virginia. Her research interest is in international health and risk communication related to maternal and neonatal health, social epidemiology, community engagement, intercultural health, and global health equity. She also conducts instructional communication research because she believes in enhancing teaching and learning through translational research. She enjoys teaching and is genuinely invested in the success and well-being of her students. She is currently researching and actively raising awareness about the adverse effects of climate change on maternal and neonatal health in developing West African nations.

Dr. Yang Song Assistant Professor, Kinesiology

Dr Yang Song graduated from West Virginia University (WVU) with a Teaching and Coaching Ph.D. degree. Before earning the degree from WVU, Dr. Song also earned a master’s and an undergraduate degree in Physical Education Teacher Education from Shanghai University of Sports, Shanghai, China. Dr. Song had taught in higher education for five years (two years with Lane College, Jackson, TN, and three years with Delta State University, Cleveland, MS) before he joined the Washburn family. As a professional, Dr. Song strives for teaching excellence and likes to integrate technology into his teaching. During his lecture, you will see him engage students actively by asking students to answer questions and participate in discussions. Dr. Song’s research interests involve promoting students’ physical activity levels, motivations for exercise, and students’ health behaviors. Dr. Song lives with his family in America (wife, son, and daughter). All of his other family members reside in mainland China. Both children attend Elmont Elementary, where they are having a great time. Everyone in Song’s family loves the city of Topeka, where they have access to an Asian grocery store and a Chinese school in Lawrence, opportunities that Song’s family previously had no easy access to. Dr. Song advocates active lifestyles, is an avid tennis player, swimmer, and basketball player, and teaches his children how to play sports. Besides sports, he watches TV news every day and never gets tired of fixing everything around the house, ranging from oversized items such as cars to small items such as kids’ broken toys.

Faculty International Activities

Dr. Deborah Altus (Family & Human Services) visited ten ecovillages in Denmark and presented a paper at the International Communal Studies Association conference titled Developmental Communalism in the Therapeutic Communities Movement: Synanon and the Oxford House Model.

The ecovillages she visited included Grobund, Friland, Andelssamfundet i Hjortshoj, Hertha, Svanholm, Okosamfundet Dyssekilde, Munksogards, Hallingelille, Permatopia, and Christiania. While these communities have somewhat different missions and vary in size and configuration, there is a common focus on promoting ecological sustainability and reducing their ecological footprint.

The communities also focus on social sustainability in the design of membership, governance, work-sharing, and cultural activities to promote cooperation and camaraderie. Governance is typically horizontal with a concern for egalitarian decision-making. Many of the communities are broken into neighborhoods to allow for smaller governing units, with neighborhoods often having some autonomy over issues such as membership selection and home design. Cars are typically restricted to the periphery of the communities to promote safe, quiet spaces for family life.

Many of the communities set aside housing for renters in order to open membership to those who otherwise could not afford to join. A limited-equity system is typically used to prevent real-estate speculation and maintain affordable housing. Two communities specifically include members with intellectual disabilities to promote diversity. At Hertha, about 15% of members have intellectual disabilities, with deliberate steps in place to promote social and occupational integration. Similarly, Andelssamfundet i Hjortshoj has set aside one of its neighborhoods for members with intellectual disabilities, and some communities promote age diversity by deliberately designing neighborhoods for older members.

Safe, affordable, sustainable housing that meets needs of diverse populations is a critical issue in our society. The opportunity to visit these communities provided Dr. Altus with useful information for her Family & Human Services courses.

Faculty International Activities

Dr. Sangyoub Park

(Sociology & Anthropology Department) traveled to Korea to explore a growing number of migrant workers and immigrants during his 2022 Sabbatical. As Korea has become more diverse, there are many “multicultural towns” due to ethnic enclaves. He visited various multicultural towns in Seoul. In addition, he

Ye Wang (Art Department)

I spent my 2022 summer Sweet Sabbatical in France and Italy. During the 64-day travel, I did 30 Plein Air oil paintings (9”x12” each) and took 3,000 photos of artworks and 10,000 photos of landscapes. I also visited 14 art museums, 14 churches with murals, and 10 castles.

It was my first time handling a Plein air oil painting trip for two months. There were quite some challenges and I learned a lot. I had to cut my canvas into a very small size for the luggage weight limit. I used fast drying medium and paint to speed up the drying time and used a painting box to store the wet paintings. I painted landscapes in some places where the old masters used

to paint, such as Fontainebleau Forest, Barbizon, La Rochelle, and Provence in France. I also painted in Puglia, Perugia, and Venice in Italy.

The visits to art museums, churches, and castles have greatly enriched my knowledge of art making and art history. The following are the most impressive places from this trip. Château Clos Luce, where Da Vinci spent the last three years of his life.

had the opportunity to visit the K-pop Star Road and HYBE, the Korean entertainment agency behind supergroup BTS.

Tapestry Museum in Château Angers, which hosts the most famous tapestry from the 14th century. St. Paul de Mausole Monastery, where Van Gogh made his famous Starry Night, Wheat Field with Cypresses, and The Irises. Montignac, where people did amazing animal paintings in caves 17,000 years ago. La Rochelle, a medieval harbor city where Corot, Pierre Langlade, and Paul Signac used to paint. Pompei and the Naples Archaeological Museum, where you can see very realistic murals and drawings from over 2000 years ago. St. Francis Church in Assisi, which evidences the development of Italian paintings from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.

Ye Wang painting on the road

Sangyoub Park in the Mongolian Town, Seoul; photo: S Park

Faculty International Activities

Tom Prasch (History Department)

We began our summer 2022 Sweet Sabbatical in Lisbon, Portugal, where I presented a paper on Owen Jones and the Alhambra at the Mediterranean Studies conference (and where we ate tons of seafood and visited museums— the tile museum is fantastic, the archaeological museum in the monastery ruins sublime, the show of African immigrant art at the Gulbenkin eye-opening). Then, after a tour of Portuguese historic sites with the conference organizers, we headed south to sample for ourselves what entranced Jones about Moorish Spain.

In Sevilla, our planned trajectory was derailed when my wife Marcia came down with COVID; somehow I escaped. And, really, there are worse places to be stuck an extra week than Sevilla, with the wonders of its cathedral, the Alcazar Moorish palace, the heavily tiled Case de Pilatos, and the fabulous seafood. And I daytripped my way to the

Alhambra to see the place for myself (see picture).

We closed out our trip with a few days in Tarifa, on Spain’s Mediterranean coast, and in London (lots of museums—the “Surrealism beyond Borders” show at Tate Modern; the “World of Stonehenge” exhibition at the British Museum—a bit of theatre, and of course a few some bookstores).

Dr. David Price (School of Business) visited Australia between December 2022 and January 2023. He presented a research paper titled: “Defining What It Means for Firms to Leverage Resources” at the IRES Conference in Sydney, Australia. The trip was also an opportunity to create closer relationships with his colleagues at his alma mater at Griffith University on the Gold Coast, Queensland. He met with several faculty members from Griffith as the Business School is investigating a new program around ‘social entrepreneurship.’ Ideas were shared on ways to launch and implement a new student competition and curriculum that will begin in the spring semester of 2023.

Tom Prasch at the Alhambra

David with his best friend Roo

Dr. Kelly Thor (Art Department)

Cropping up throughout the Iberian Peninsula, impressive rock-cut tombs and related structures appear in different shapes, arrangements, and contexts including churches, monasteries, rural settlements, and ancient ruins. The labor-intensive nature of these stony sepulchers, coupled with the dramatic landscapes into which they were carved strongly suggests funereal practices that were central to the life (and death) of many medieval communities. These dramatic cemeteries and spaces have received little attention over the years and so I was thrilled to finally be able to benefit from my deferred 2020 Sweet Sabbatical and spend time in Portugal, Spain, and France for six weeks in the Summer of 2022.

This was my first opportunity to conduct new field work related to my ongoing interest in the persistent appreciation for powerful, magical landscapes among the medieval populations of Iberia. Although I have previously focused on rural, frontier churches, the frequency with which I encountered adjacent rock-cut tombs, receptacles of unknown function, boulders, springs, and caves kept pulling me towards the question of why these communities would choose these sites and this arduous method of burial…leading me to consider that the landscape was considered powerful in and of itself.

It is really only by traveling to these sites can one appreciate how rock-cut steps or stony passages “direct” viewers to and among the tombs. Compasses come in handy when trying to determine if graves were excavated to align with a natural feature (like a balancing boulder), along religious lines (Muslims facing Mecca, Christians towards the East), or perhaps something else altogether, like the shape of the rock itself. I returned from my travels with more questions than I began with and am eagerly anticipating my first Academic Sabbatical for the chance to dive into archaeological reports and better understand these practices.

Medieval Necropolis of Cuyacabras, Quintanar de la Sierra, Spain; photo: Thor

2022 Study Abroad Scholarship Recipients

Congratualtiosn to the following 102 students who studied abroad through 21 programs, which included facultyled, affiliate, and direcet (partnership) enrollment programs. These students received aid totaling over $100,000 from the WTE funds and International Program Scholarships.

Adelante Abroad - Edinburgh, Scotland: Taylor, Chloe

AIFS Study Abroad in London, England: Sutton, Brenden

Anyang University - South Korea: Munoz, Shelby

East & Central European Studies - Prague, Czech Republic: Collett, Caroline

Edinburgh Fringe Festival - Scotland: Gallardo, Illiana Kirby, Hannah McCollum, Grey

Rea, Caroline Staats, Josh Woods, Angela

ESC Rennes School of Business - France: Postma, Graci

ESC Rennes School of Business - Rennes, France: Sutton, Shelby

European Capitals: Netherlands, Belgium, England:

Adams, Joe Albert, Mia Archer, Daniel Boswell, Richie

Connolly, Katrina Dickens, Jordan Dorantes, Megan Fiola, Brady

Hanes, Shayden Harris, Quentin Howell, Jacob Howell, Ruby

Jeter, Sierra Leffingwell, Quinn Manna, Paul Murray, Molly

Ngatia, Liz Norton, Justine Olberding, Koy Rorstrom, Eric

Urban, Kade

Griffith University: Australia: Price, Peyton

International Business Experience - Brazil ( Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Bunito ):

Briggs, Stacy Davis, Kolby Emanuel, Carlos Mason, Emily

Meier, Niels Mullen, Aaron Schwensen, Nicolas Zook, Riley

International Business Experience - Belgium, France, Germany:

Albertson, Josh Alghanem, Abdulrahman Hicks, Kera Kelpin, Larresa

Last, Connor McCrory, Abigail Paez, Christian

International Entertainment Law: London, England: Chambers, Alison

Maastricht University Law Program, Netherlands: Ben, Marcello Emma, Staats

Maynooth University International Summer School – Ireland: Hubener, Emma

Nursing Perspectives in the Caribbean - Puerto Rico: Alonzo, Lucky Barnes, Lauren-Elise Bitner, Haley Cadwell, Sadie

Eckert, Belinda Egidy, Mercedes Fischer, Haley Flack, Abi

Fontaine, Marley Heusi, Michelle Hickerson, Josie Huey, Anna

Izard, Khalil Koranda, Makenzie Marquez, Isabel Martinez, Valeria

McMillan, Ethan Meyer, Megan Nelson, Alexia Royal, Rebecca

Sandoval, Jennifer Sutton, Abby Thissen, Ashlie Thompson, Carlee

University of Santiago de Compostela – Spain: Kiamco, Britney

Women in World War II – France:

Anderson, Anna Bermudez, Breanna Burdick, George Cedillo-Silva, Carlos

Colwell, Cheyanne Dickens, Jordan Frank, Lauren Hiserote, Elisa

Hubener, Emma Jeter, Sierra Johnson, Katie Jones, Eleanor

Kastrup, Michealla Kofoid, Julia Kuck, Loren Morrissey, Emma

Nguyen, Quan Pendergrass, Eliana Revell, Jessie Pendergrass, Elizabeth

Centre International d’Antibes French Language School - France: Ansah, Destiny

Mester Spanish School – Spain: Cedillo-Silva, Carlos

Don Quijote - Winter Break Course - Spain: Workman, Savannah

Reflections of Scholarship Recipients

“I am beyond grateful for this opportunity, which would not be possible without your generosity. This scholarship allowed me to have experiences I never would have otherwise.”

- Kade Urban participated in the Political Science Department “European Capitals” program in the UK, Belgium, and the Netherlands

“I have always been rather independent, but knowing I could figure out how to navigate a city as big as Paris on my own instilled a new confidence in me… I am forever grateful for this once in a lifetime trip.”

- Katie Johnson, Senior, History Major Spring Break Abroad, Women in World War II, Paris, France

“Improving on my Spanish was an amazing opportunity and has given me skills that I can develop while here at home..”

- Carlos Cedillo-Silva, Senior, History Major Summer Abroad, Mester Spanish School, Salamanca, Spain

London Streets. Photo by Kade Urban

Katie Johnson at the Effiel Tower in Paris, France. Photo by Katie Johnson

On a walking tour of the beautiful city of Salamanca. Photo by Carlos Cedillo-Silva

Study Abroad

Photo Essay Contest

“Looking back on my trip, I am proud of the strength and confidence that I gained during that time. I navigated 5 airports, 4 cities, 3 train stations, and countless bus stops by myself… I now feel I have the confidence to accomplish anything in my life and I’m so proud to say that I was a Bod Abroad.”

Senior, Business Marketing and Management, Summer Abroad at Rennes School of Business, Cross Cultural Management Program

Rennes, France

The welcoming streets of Rennes, France. Photo by Shelby Sutton

Shelby Sutton at le Mont St. Michel, Normandy, France

1st Place WinnerShelby Sutton

Wonderful Wonderful Copenhagen!!

Linda Elrod ba ’69, jd ’72, Distinguished Professor Law School of Law, reflecting on her life-changing semester

Washburn started transformational experiences in 1963 when Dean Engelbert teamed with Knud HelmErichsen to create Washburn’s semester in Copenhagen with twelve Washburn students. I went in 1967 with 24 Washburn students and 80 from other schools. We lived with a Danish family, walked or commuted to the university in the heart of Copenhagen, and traveled on trains around Europe on weekends. We learned about Denmark’s educational system, took courses in Scandinavian literature, contemporary history, saw landmark sites and felt history everywhere. We created new friendships. We experienced new ways of living including tea and pastries at 4pm!

In October, the International House and Alumni Association sponsored a Copenhagen alumni reunion in connection with the premiere of A Fairy Tale Life written by June McCarty Clair who was on the first program. With relatively short notice, about thirty-five Copenhagen alumni came to some of the events. Five from 1967 came - Chris Armstrong, Steve Johnson, Ken and Joyce Roberts and me. Our class had met once when Helm-Erickson was in town visiting and once for a 20-year reunion in Kansas City with about 32 people. The one comment everyone at the October reunion made was “That semester in Copenhagen changed my life.”

WU Copenhagen, Denmark study abroad alumni reunite during Homecoming October 2022. In the 1960s and 70s they participated in a transformational experience that changed their lives.

Photo by Jeremy Wangler

The International Media Seminar in Paris Offers Students a Glimpse of How Global Media Operate

To some Spring Break 2023 might be a time to relax, but for some Washburn students it will be a time to learn about international media from renowned media professionals and explore the cultural side of Paris. The International Media Seminar is one of the flagship experiences at the Mass Media department and this year it will expose a group of 10 Washburn students to the world of international media.

Dr. Maria Stover is the faculty who has been in charge of the International Media Seminar for the past 12 years, but Dr. Kathy Menzie, now a retired Emerita, was the faculty who led the first group of Washburn students

The flagship experience has taken various formats throughout the years – from a small group of two students when Dr. Menzie first started it in 2000, to a group of 19 students in 2011, and then to the development of Dr. Stover’s MM485 International Media Systems class that embeds the trip as part of the course.

Yet, the biggest constant is the premier experience that students receive each time. The speakers and site visits vary from year to year, but students immerse in a full week of meetings with renowned media professionals from the National Geographic or CNN as well as tours of such landmark media organizations as The International Herald Tribune, France 24 (French CNN) and UNESCO.

The International Media Seminar was created in 1996 by Lee Huebner who is the former publisher of The International Herald Tribune. In the past, the seminar included groups from different universities. This year, Washburn students will again share experiences with a group from Georgetown University.

“I am a big champion of international travel,” said Stover. “When I talk to students who have traveled abroad, I see how different they feel about the world around them.”

Taryn Reed and Reilly Pauser, mass media majors, take their first snapshot of the Eiffel Tower. Photo by Taryn Reed

Professor Maria Stover with mass media majors Taryn Reed (right) and Reilly Pauser (left) on top of the Eiffel Tower. Photo by Maria Stover

WU Alumni Paul Maricle’s AFS Story

In 1971, Paul Maricle, ba ’76, jd ’79 was a Spanish student in Mary Porterfield’s class in Goodland, Kansas. Paul was Mary’s first student who applied to study abroad with the American Field Service (AFS) when the Goodland, Kansas AFS Chapter was established. Paul had three years of Spanish but was sent to study abroad in Germany! After high school, Paul attended Washburn University where he studied German and spent time abroad during his university years. Today, Paul is a member of Castle Lantz Maricle, LLC (CLM), which specializes in international business transactions with German businesses entering the U.S. Market. Paul is the Honorary Consul for Germany, Colorado, and Wyoming.

20 Years of the Magellan Exchange –A Washburn Transformational Experience

The Magellan Exchange was founded on the belief that exchange is an effective tool for building cultural understanding and is fundamentally important to making ourselves and the world a better place. Magellan provides affordable educational and cultural experiences though a network of 40 partner institutions helping students to explore the world. In the fall of 2022 at the annual Magellan Exchange Conference in Monterrey, Mexico, WU was recognized for 20 years of participation in the Magellan Exchange Consortium. During the past 20 years, WU has had 73 Outgoing WU Students, 70 Incoming International Students, 2-Faculty Exchanges and 2 Staff Exchanges in 16 Countries across 3 Continents. To learn more about the Magellan Exchange visit: https://www. magellanexchange.org/

Paul Maricle, ba ’76, jd ’79 and Mary Porterfield, AFS Volunteer

Tina Williams, ba ’95, and Tori Patterson, Director of the Magellan Exchange; photo by Tina Williams

Study Abroad

Women in World War II

Twenty-three French, history, and honor students travelled to Paris and Normandy with professors Kerry Wynn, Courtney Sullivan, and Hélène Perriguey-Keene in March of 2022 as part of the travel component of the Women in WWII course they took last spring. While they visited some of the classic historical monuments such as the Louvre and Orsay museums, the Eiffel Tower, and the Mont St. Michel in Normandy, they focused on visiting the sites they had studied about in their course. In Normandy, they visited the American Cemetery, the Mémorial de Caen, the Arromanches Landing Museum, Sainte-Mère Église, the Airborne Museum, Utah and Omaha Beaches and the Pointe du Hoc Memorial. Students relished visits to off-the-beaten path sites related to the class. In and about Paris, students visited the Deportation Memorial, the Shoah Memorial and the Holocaust Center in the Marais and the Drancy Shoah Memorial in a northeastern suburb of Paris as well as the Leclerc Memorial and Liberation of Paris – Jean Moulin Museum. The memorial plaques in the Marais commemorating the lost lives of Jewish children deported during the Occupation as well as a park marking the deportation of children during the notorious Vélodrome d’Hiver round-up just minutes away from the hotel, moved the students.

A Historian and a French professor, Doctors Wynn and Sullivan decided to collaborate on a course that would expose students to the diverse histories of women during WWII, a period in which women’s lives tend to fade into the background of a popular culture our students know and love. Twelve years ago they began teaching the course, “Women in WWII: Agents of Change or Victims of Circumstance?,” to explore the history and myth of women’s roles during WWII in French and American fiction, film, autobiography, and history. This last spring, they realized their dream of teaching a travel-study course that would bring the history alive to students.

Students enjoyed their time in France and reported being greatly transformed. As one remarked: “This study abroad experience has impacted me by having me see and experience a different culture and country. This was my first time going to another country and I am very grateful of the experience and opportunity. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I never thought I would have and I learned and experienced so much about French culture.”

Professor Kerry Wynn leads the way with WU students at le Mont St. Michel in France. Photo by Courtney Sullivan

Phi Beta Delta (PBD)

- Honors Society for International Scholars, was established in 1987 at the California State University – Long Beach, to recognize the achievement and contribution of faculty and staff, who are involved in international scholarship and / or activities. In 2022, five scholars were inducted into Beta Phi, Washburn’s PBD Chapter.

New inductees David Sollars - left JuliAnn Mazachek (Honorary Member) - middle Dmitri Nizovtsev - right

Photo by Kelly McClendon

New inductees Crystal Stevens - left Lara Rivera - right

Photo by Kelly McClendon

Phi Beta Delta: Reflections of a Retiree

By Russell E. Smith, Professor Emeritus

My international activities pre-date my arrival at Washburn in the fall of 1984. The best example is my 1976, mostly overland, trip through Latin America to Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world. The trip started with an intensive course in Spanish at CIELO, a language school in Chiapas, Mexico, followed by travel down the Amazon River by local river transportation from Leticia, Colombia to Belem, Brazil near the mouth of the Amazon. After several months in Brazil, I continued across Paraguay, Bolivia, and Chile to the last boat trip, crossing the Straits of Magellan by ferry and arriving in Ushuaia. The return trip was mostly by air to Buenos Aires for a month and then home from Bolivia. Another foundational experience was six years of doctoral study in economics which included two years of field work in Brazil. In 1978, influenced by professors and graduate students I met during my travels, I entered the Ph.D. program at the University of Illinois at Urbana. I was supported in the program with a fellowship for language study in Portuguese for four semesters (1979-1981). My interest in Brazil was reenforced by the excitement for Brazil shown by the Brazilian students in the Ph.D. program. I completed my course work in 1981 and was successful in obtaining competitive external funding for the field work (1981-1983).

My 38 years at Washburn can be seen as 16 years of mostly faculty duties of teaching, research, and service (1984-2000) followed by 22 years (2000-2022) as Associate Dean with primary duties in curriculum management which included professional development and participation in AACSB (from 1996) and HLC (from 2002) accreditation efforts, both of which included international travel. From 1996 to 2002 I served as Director of the MBA program, which was highly formative as I learned about analysis of foreign and domestic transfer credit. This served me well after 2000 when my duties included the undergraduate transfer students.

During the first 16 years, I was able to continue field work in Brazil and later in Argentina during summer and winter breaks. Eventually, I won a Fulbright Senior Research Award (1988-1989) for travel to Brazil and Argentina for research on wages and stabilization policy. In the 1990s during the implementation of the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA), John French, a Latin Americanist labor historian at Duke University, and I organized a multi-national group of labor scholars for a project on “Labor, Free Trade, and Integration in the Americas” with funding from the North-South Center at the University of Miami (19931994). I used Sweet Summer Sabbaticals for travel to Brazil in 1997, 1999, and 2007.

During the 2000s there was greater university interest in international activities beyond simple student exchange. This interest resulted in official institutional partnerships. I was instrumental in Washburn joining in 2002 the Magellan Exchange, a multi-lateral student exchange alliance among schools; a bi-lateral student exchange with Fachhochschule Osnabruck in 2003; and a multi-component partnership with the Wuhan University of Science and Technology (WUST) in 2005.

Taken together these four elements: travel and cultural exposure, educational foundation, organizational experience, and institutional support provide the basis for a professional life of contribution and satisfaction.

O ce of International Programs

Brown Bag International Lectures

The Brown Bag International Lecture series is a forum where the Washburn and Topeka Communities come together to share international experiences and perspectives. During 2022, the following presentations were produced:

Linsey Moddelmog (Political Science), Kris Ailslieger (Political Science), and Tom Prasch (History) - What’s at Stake in Ukraine: A Forum

Martin Nekola (Czech Republic) - History of the Czechs in Kansas and Elsewhere in the Midwest

Tom Prasch - A Hindu or Secular India: The Debate over the Citizenship Amendment Bill

Kerry Wynn – In the Land of Sulfur and Salt: Imagining Life and Labor in Early 20th-Century Sicily

Steve Lerner – Strangers in Town

Linsey Moddelmog - Cuba: An Update

Tom Prasch - Thinking about the Alhambra: From Owen Jones to Now

Tony Silvestri - Seisún, Story, and Song--a month in the west of Ireland

Susie Hoffman and Rugena Hall - Portugal and the Douro River Valley

Sangyoub Park - Multicultural neighborhoods in Korea

Ken Gimple, MD - Orthopedic Surgery and Socialism in Ukraine 1994-2006

Deborah Altus - A Look at Intentional Communities in Denmark

Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash