Barcelona, Spain
The initiatives support the goals of the university’s strategic plan on global immersion
Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) is expanding its study abroad program so that more students gain international engagement experiences, ultimately preparing them to learn and work in a global workforce. During the summer and in the fall of 2022, nearly a dozen ECSU students traveled abroad to learn multiple languages, share cross-cultural exchanges, and gain skills that will support them as global citizens.
“We have successfully partnered for grants, offered more scholarships to students, and identified professional development opportunities for faculty, staff, and administrators to experience innovative models of study at the University. at other universities and among our partners,” says Andre P. Stevenson, Ph.D., professor of social work at ECSU and director of the Office of International Programs.
In support of The ECSU Strategic Planthe Office of International Programs has various goals for the academic year, including increasing partnerships with study abroad providers, sharing presentations and publication manuscripts from students who have studied abroad , the increased interest in faculty-led study abroad programs and the increase in the number of students obtaining passports.
Here are highlights of the new additions to ECSU’s global lineup.
U.S. Department of State IDEAS Grant
ECSU is one of 44 colleges and universities in the United States to receive a Education Abroad Augmentation and Diversification Program for American Students (IDEAS) 2022 scholarship. The university received $35,000 from the US Department of State to increase its study abroad capacity in accordance with US foreign policy objectives.
“Thank you for your commitment to providing your students with international educational experiences that will not only prepare them for global careers, but also support our nation’s national security and economic prosperity,” said Heidi Manley, head of USA Study Abroad – Office of Office of Global Education Programs.
ECSU’s Department of Aviation and Emergency Management and the Office of International Programs have partnered to create the International Studies for Disaster Workers program. Through the IDEAS grant, the university will develop partnerships with international disaster relief organizations, pairing faculty with field professionals to create study abroad experiences for students from Barbados and Iceland.
“Students in emergency services, a historically underrepresented field in study abroad, will learn best practices in disaster management by working and studying abroad, developing real-world skills and creating a generation of well-equipped global citizens,” says Kevin Kupietz, Ph.D., emergency management program coordinator at ECSU and principal investigator for the grant. “Students will gain a better understanding of international emergency services and develop skills that will prepare them for the global workforce.”
Along with funding from the IDEAS grant, ECSU will receive implementation resources and support from learning about the world and benefit from networking with fellow IDEAS 2022 grant recipients, which include institutions in 32 states and Puerto Rico, 10 community colleges, and 18 minority-serving institutions, as well as the more than 100 IDEAS grant recipients from the years previous grants.
Scholarship opportunities for students
Two ECSU students – Noel Herron and Kenae Turner – recently completed the University Innovation Fellows program led by the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University. Scholars learn the skills to address global challenges, build entrepreneurship organizations, and host experiential events on their college campuses.
Noel Herron
MAJOR: Social Work
Class of 2024
Kenae Turner
MAJOR: From birth to kindergarten
Class of 2025
Each year, faculty and administrators nominate University Innovation Scholars as individuals or teams of students, who are selected through an application process. If accepted, fellows participate in online training for six weeks, learning to analyze their campus ecosystems and identify opportunities for change related to innovation, entrepreneurship, design thinking, and design. creativity.
For their scholarship project, Herron and Turner developed key card readers to more effectively track attendance. Key card readers would be placed in classrooms and lecture halls, and data on the readers could be managed from any device.
They also proposed using an app known as REMIND to improve communication between professors and students. This simple interface would allow professors to set office hours and students would be reminded to have instant access to an educator.
Finally, the two fellows developed a monthly mental health program to help students learn how to better balance life and college while adopting an innovative mindset to learn new concepts and tips to reduce the risk of burnout. They will travel to Silicon Valley, California in March 2023 to share their work and interact with the other 240 students from universities around the world. This is the second year in a row that ECSU students have received this scholarship. Last year’s recipients were Dayana Garza and Jordan Thornton.
Faculty collaboration with other providers and universities
In July 2022, Stevenson was appointed by the publisher to join the editorial board of Frontières: the interdisciplinary journal of studies abroad.
Borders encourages a variety of disciplines, subjects and perspectives to enrich the field. This open-access, peer-reviewed academic journal communicates the latest research on onboard education to foster dialogue in international education. It focuses on areas such as innovative study abroad program models or interventions, examples of good practice in study abroad programming, and the development of tools to assess intellectual development. , personal and intercultural students in an international and intercultural context.
Border eeditorial board members actively contribute to the development and proper management of the publication and are appointed for three years. Stevenson will review submissions, seek out the best work for inclusion in publication, and act as an ambassador for this peer review.
As part of additional collaborative efforts, Stevenson and Latasha Wade, Pharm.D., Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at ECSU, participated in a site visit to Spain with Study Abroad Experience in Barcelona (SAE), a study and internship abroad program that offers personalized attention and an unforgettable academic, cultural and professional experience in July 2022.
“We were able to discover the many academic opportunities offered by Barcelona SAE, including their customizable programs and internships, while participating in various cultural activities as part of the site visit. Not only were we able to engage with some of the professors who teach at local universities, but we also got to experience first hand some of the programs our students attend while we are in Barcelona. Wade said. “When our students study abroad, they can have wonderful, life-changing experiences that give them a broader perspective of other cultures and countries, as well as their own.”
Finally, the Office of International Programs has a new initiative: the Vikings Abroad International Professional Development Seminars. The objective of these annual seminars is to increase awareness and understanding of the importance of international education through international professional development. ECSU faculty, staff and administrators will be invited to attend the seminars, which will be held in a different country each year. The Vikings Abroad International Professional Development Seminars will include many cultural and administrative experiences, including meetings with faculty and staff from a local university and community organizations, visits to notable sites, and hands-on arts and crafts activities. The first seminar will take place in May 2023 in Panama City, Panama.
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