The IIE pilot course, “Connecting with the World: International Relations at Higher Education Institutions,” aims to familiarize university and Ministry representatives in Myanmar with an overview of how to establish an international office, and the role an international office can play in linking with other institutions, establishing an international presence, and achieving other institutional goals. An outcome of the February 2013 IIE delegation to Myanmar, the twenty-week course will launch on November 26th with an in-person inaugural workshop at the U.S. Embassy’s American Center in Yangon.
The training will be an essential step to enable universities in Myanmar to connect with institutions in the United States and other countries so that they can build institutional capacity and prepare their students to meet the current workforce needs and support rapid economic development.
The comprehensive course, delivered via online platform, USB drives, and written materials, will be comprised of asynchronous lessons that each participant will follow on their own with the assistance and guidance of an experienced mentor. Lessons address topics such as hosting international delegations, facilitating faculty and student exchange, cross-cultural communications, and developing international partnerships. IIE is working with a number of partners, including Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; Northern Arizona University; the Monterey Institute of International Studies; Knowledge Platform, a next generation learning solutions platform company; the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA); and the U.S. Embassy. The initiative is funded in part by a grant to IIE from the Henry Luce Foundation.
A critical part of this course, a cohort of nearly forty individuals have volunteered to be paired with participants in Myanmar and provide virtual mentorship on a weekly basis from November 2013 – April 2014, and in an informal capacity through November 2014. These individuals are experts in their field, have experience working in an international office, and include professionals from a range of countries, including the U.S., Canada, Thailand, and Indonesia.
The individuals selected to be mentors are:
- Cathy Lee Arcuino, Pittsburg State University
- Jason Carbine, Whittier College
- Susan Carvahlo, University of Kentucky
- Maria Crummet, University of South Florida
- Alba DeLeon , Palo Alto College (Alamo Colleges)
- Eric Deschamps, Northern Arizona University
- Simon Evans, University of Melbourne
- Adelaide Ferguson, Formerly at Temple
- Thamora Fishel, Cornell University Southeast Asia Program
- Kimberly Gillette, University of Minnesota Crookston
- Mandy Hansen, Northern Arizona University
- Kenneth Holland, Ball State University
- Christopher Johnstone, University of Minnesota
- James Ketterer, Bard College
- Jaruwat Kiatiwongse, Bangkok University
- Ravi Lakshmikanthan, Heller School, Brandeis University
- Keith Leitich, Pierce College Puyallup
- Jessica Loh, University of Michigan
- Per Lundberg, Linnaeus University, Sweden
- Cheryl Matherly, University of Tulsa
- Chris McCord, Northern Illinois University
- Tracy Mouser, Montana State University Billings
- Jennifer Murray, Bard College
- Eugene Murphy, Rutgers University
- Sharon Nagy, Clemson University
- Surakit Nathisuwan, Mahidol University, Thailand
- Michele Petrucci, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
- Greet Provoost, University of Mississippi
- Katherine Punteney, Monterey Institute of International Studies
- Joanna Regulska, Rutgers University
- Jennifer Robertson, Valencia College
- Maribel Roman, Teachers College, Columbia University
- Juliane Schober, Arizona State University
- Holli Semetko, India IIT; Emory University
- David Stewart, West Virginia University
- H. Stephen Straight, Binghamton University
- Kevin Timlin, Northern Michigan University
- Craig Ullom, Ohio Wesleyan University
- Nancy Vered, University of British Columbia
- Georg Winterberger, University of Zurich
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