Office of International Affairs - Portland State University...Director for Office of International...

What’s InsideMessage from Vice Provost Gil Latz

New Faces

Spotlights

Centers & Institute News

International Student and Scholar Services

Cross-Campus Collaboration

Education Abroad

No. 21, 2011 Summer/Fall Newsletterwww.oia.pdx.edu

Internationalization Poster Presented at nafsa Every Spring the Association of Interna-tional Educators (nafsa) holds their annual conference and expo. The conference brings together education abroad and international student advisers, exchange program develop-ers, university administrators and faculty members for training workshops, educational sessions and networking opportunities. On May 29-June 3, 2011 nearly 9,000 people from around the world attended the confer-ence in Vancouver, bc. The Office of International Affairs sub-mitted a proposal that was accepted under the poster session “Internationalizing the Curriculum and Campus”. The poster showcased how Portland State University laid the groundwork for winning the 2009 Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehen-sive Campus Internationalization. Kristin Engelbretson designed and presented the

poster along with Gil Latz, Agnes Hoffman and Ji l l Townley. The 4’x8’ poster is hang-ing in the OIA conference room, East Hall 109, or you can view it at http://oia.pdx.edu/images/uploads/nafsa_poster.pdf. In addition, Gil Latz also participated as one of three respondents during the inau-gural Trends and Insights Seminar that was designed to highlight social , economic, po-lit ical and higher education trends that wil l affect internationalization. Also presenting at nafsa was Christina Luther, Associate Director for Office of International Stu-dent and Scholar Services, who conducted a workshop session tit led “f1 Regulations for Beginners”. This 8-hour workshop was designed to give new international student advisors a basic foundation of understanding from which to advise international students.

Office of International Affairs

PHOTO BY KRISTIN ENGELBRETSONAgnes Hoffman, Gil Latz, and Jill Townley.

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I will soon be departing psu after an intellectually rich and rewarding career of more than a quarter of a cen-tury. It is fitting in this final message as Vice Provost that I salute the work of the University’s faculty, students, and staff who have worked creatively and thoughtfully in support of the Of-fice of International Affairs (oia).OIA and the InternationalizationCouncil Let me begin by highlighting the ongoing collaborative work between oia and the psu Internationalization Council (ic), comprised of faculty and staff representatives from across the campus. A singular achievement of the ic is development of a Strategy for Comprehensive Internationalization, a critically important document clarify-ing the University’s international mission:

to support interdisciplinary and professional training and research on global issues; to foster greater international ex-posure for students, faculty, staff, and the community; and to provide leadership on the pursuit of strategic part-nerships across campus, and between the campus and the local, regional, national and international community that contribute to global awareness, understanding and engagement.

Four priority areas are identified by the work of oia, as found in the Strategy for Comprehensive Interna-tionalization:1. Provide support for psu’s interna-tional students, students seeking to study or pursue internships abroad, faculty engaged in international scholarship, visiting international pro-fessors, and internationally oriented community/university partnerships.2. Prioritize research, teaching, and community partnerships that are glob-ally significant and regionally focused through support for Portland State University’s internationally oriented Institutes and Centers (Middle East Studies Center, Center for Turkish Studies, Institute for Asian Studies, the Confucius Institute, and Cen-ter for Japanese Studies), as well as its World Language and Literature Department.3. Contribute to psu’s vision to be an internationally recognized urban university known for excellence in stu-dent learning, innovative research, and community engagement by promoting and advancing selected programs that distinguish psu and increase innova-tive scholarship that addresses regional issues and has global significance.4. Promote collaboration between oia and the ic to facilitate and coordinate cross-campus and cross-community discussion and prioritization of psu’s international activities.

Comprehensive Internationalization and Global Excellence Of key significance is that the ongo-ing work of oia and the ic illustrates the linkage between the Strategy for Comprehensive Internationalization and the guiding themes established for psu by President Wim Wiewel. oia is an exemplary platform for providing comprehensive civic leadership through global partnerships that connects the campus with the local and interna-tional community; improves student success by increasing opportunities for every student to have meaningful con-tact with other cultures; achieves global excellence by encouraging leadership and innovation in the creation and delivery of a world-class international education, and by strengthening ties with international alumni; enhances educational opportunities for faculty and staff to incorporate international dimensions into their teaching, schol-arship, and professional development; expands resources by administering funds for international research, cur-riculum development, and service-learning; and improves effectiveness by translating international education priorities into action through an align-ment between ideas and resources, and fostering dialogue on the most intractable and urgent global issues of our time, be they cultural, social, economic, or environmental.

Message from Vice Provost Gil Latz

Education Abroad

International Student & Scholar Services

International Special Programs

Centers and Institutes: Middle East Studies CenterCenter for Japanese StudiesCenter for Turkish StudiesInstitute for Asian StudiesConfucius Institute

Office of International Affairs

O F F I C E O F I N T E R N A T I O N A L A F F A I R S

Continued on page 3

“MIDNIGHT BENCH” PHOTO BY OKO DAVAASUREN , FORMER PSU STUDENT FROM MONGOLIA

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Global Learning and PSU’s Core International Commitments The Strategy for Comprehensive In-ternationalization is a forward-looking document that seeks to challenge the campus to think anew about its priori-ties, identify which academic, admin-istrative and organizational areas need further strengthening, and aspire to embrace a vision of internationaliza-tion. The Strategy commits psu to a global perspective that recognizes the need for a comprehensive approach to the interdependent and interconnect-ed nature of our most pressing local and global challenges and their yet to be discovered solutions, one that links every dimension of the campus with the community in which we reside. The foundation upon which the University’s global vision will be pursued rests atop international core values and assets that have been built over the past half century. PSU’s com-mitment to world-class international education, research, and service to and with the community is demonstrated through its support of outstanding faculty with global interests; its prior-ity in seeking and supporting a diverse student body comprised of inter-national students; and its history of close collaboration and coordination between community-based learning outcomes and University initiatives. Thanks to this past investment and commitment, over the past decade substantial progress has been made in pursuit of internationalization goals, including:

• theappointmentofaViceProvostfor International Affairs and the es-tablishment of an Internationalization Council;• pioneeringdevelopmentofInter-national Faculty-led Programs for study abroad, now supporting fully half of psu students studying abroad, providing unique opportunities for student learning and faculty leadership development in over 20 countries;• adoublingofthenumberofinter-national students over the last decade, to 1,850 (6.5 percent of the student body as of Fall 2010), over half of whom come from the Asia countries of China, India, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, and including the largest number of students from the Middle East of any u.s. university;• arenownedInternationalCulturalService Program, whose scores of student-scholars annually teach others about their home countries, cultures, and traditions in order to build bridges between communities and promote cross-cultural understanding;• nationalrecognitionasoneoffiveu.s. campuses to win the prestigious 2009 Senator Paul Simon Award for Exemplary Campus Internationaliza-tion, from nafsa: the Association of International Education Administra-tors;• athirdplaceawardtoourStudentLeaders for Service program of the MacJannet Prize for Global Citizen-ship (2010), honoring exceptional university civic engagement programs;• thefirstfederallyfunded(in1960)

and now continuing prestigious desig-nation as a National Resource Center for Middle East Studies;• aCenterforTurkishStudiesthatbuilds intellectual, cultural, policy and business linkages between the u.s. and Turkey, linked to the only u.s. en-dowed chair in Contemporary Turkish Affairs;• theInstituteforAsianStudies,which was selected to host the 2010 Asian Studies on the Pacific Coast convention that annually attracts scholars from all disciplines engaged in work on Asia;• theCenterforJapaneseStudies,firstestablished more than 25 years ago, that has grown into a major resource with more Japanese Studies faculty than most universities in the u.s.;• andthenewConfuciusInsti-tute that has received international recognition for its collaboration with the Oregon State legislature in the cre-ation of Chinese language instruction opportunities throughout the state, increasing the education and engage-ment of the American public with an interest in China. Congratulations to psu and its internationally oriented faculty, students, and staff; the future that beckons is no less than the pride that distinguishes our past efforts and ac-complishments!

Gil Latz, Vice Provost for International Affairs


Internationalization Council Sponsors Mini-GrantsInternationalization mini-grants have been the catalyst for change on campus, spurring faculty to develop innovative proposals to enhance the internationalization of their teaching and research. Successful mini-grant proposals in 2010-11 included pro-posals to: invite international experts to speak to students and consult with faculty on campus; do research abroad

and gather information to incorpo-rate into new courses; build contacts through overseas site visits leading to the development of new study abroad programs; establish a weekly speaker series; and create international com-munity partnerships. Mini-grants were awarded in amounts ranging from $500-$1400, to thirteen faculty members from nine departments.

Please visit the Internationalization Council’s webpage on the Office of International Affairs website, at ww.oia.pdx.edu/intl_council/ for information about applying for a mini-grant this academic year.

Judy Van Dyck, Director

International Student and Scholar Services

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in the history of the Middle East since 1500. His Ph.D. in History was awarded in 1999 from the University of Texas at Austin. He has lived and traveled primar-ily in the Middle East, with extended stays in Turkey, Syria, and Egypt. He is currently writing his second book, a study of popular religion in Ottoman Syria and Palestine. When he is not working on Ottoman History, he finds relaxation in music, soccer, and chess.

Kanaan Kanaan joined oia in January 2011 as the Middle East Student Adviser. In the past he has taught Interactive Media for the psu Art Department. Kanaan received a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from psu and a Master’s in Fine Arts at Warnborough University in Ireland. He has lived in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Alge-ria and Iraq. When he isn’t helping keep his nephews in line, Kanaan makes art that fosters dialogue about culture, language, tradition and faith and reflects concepts of integration and cross-cultural awareness. His artwork has appeared in many galleries around the world and has received numer-ous critical accolades including an appear-ance on the pbs Newshour.

Qian Li joined the Confucius Institute in June 2011 as a Chinese language teacher. Before coming to Portland, she was a Chinese teacher at Yichang Commercial School, Yichange, Hubei, China. She has a Master’s degree in teaching Chinese to speakers of other languages (mtcsol) from Wuhan University. Her hobbies include aerobic exercise, folk dancing, and cal-ligraphy.

Surong Chen joined the Confucius Insti-tute at oia in September psu as a teacher of Chinese language. Previously, Surong attended Soochow University, psu’s sister university, in Jiangsu, China, where she received her Bachelor’s degree. She enjoys reading, watching movies, singing Karaoke and cooking.

Elisheva “Elly” Cohen joined the oia Middle East Studies Center in June of 2011 as Outreach Coordinator. She re-cently graduated from Columbia Univer-sity with a Master’s degree in International Education Development with a focus on Peace and Human Rights and Education in the Middle East. She was also the Direc-tor of Education at Congregation Shaare Zedek in Manhattan and intern with an agency that provides education support in emergencies around the world. Elly enjoys dancing, singing karaoke, cooking and reading. She has lived in Morocco, Israel, and Egypt.

James Grehan joined oia as Director of the Middle East Studies Center in Fall 2010. He is a faculty member in the Department of History at psu, where he serves as Associate Professor, specializing

David Brandt joined oia in June as the International Scholar and Faculty Advisor. Before coming to Portland, David worked at the Berkeley, International Office, UC Berkeley as an International Student and Scholar Advisor for 12 years. Since mov-ing to Portland, he has been involved with citizen and civic engagement programs with Metro and Portland’s Office of Neigh-borhood Involvement. He has also done volunteer work on the Portland Plan with the city’s Bureau of Planning and Sustain-ability, and is a member of the Portland Streetcar Citizens Advisory Committee. In the past year, he worked with Life by De-sign NW, a life planning program for older adults at PCC. David grew up in Pendle-ton, Oregon and has a BA in Political Sci-ence and English from Whitman College. He has lived in Japan and has traveled extensively in Asia and elsewhere. David enjoys glass work and playing the ukulele. David’s office is in East Hall #106a, and he invites you to stop by and say hello.

Guoliang “Daniel” Chen arrived in Portland in June 2011 and is a Chinese language teacher at the Confucius Institute at psu. Previously, he received a Bachelor’s degree from the Southwest Petroleum Uni-versity, Chengdu, Sichuan, China, where he also taught English. Daniel likes to play piano, sing, swim and play ping-pong in his spare time. He says he loves being in Portland and hopes to make many new friends.

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New faces

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Karen Lickteig, just joined psu on Sept-tember 1 as the new Office Coordinator for the Middle East Studies Center. Imme-diately prior to joining the center, she was doing two summer internships in Wash-ington, d.c. - one at the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center of the Middle East Insti-tute, and the other at the u.s.-Qatar Busi-ness Council. Previously, she spent nine months in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, studying at the American University in Dubai as a Clinton Scholar. She attended Lewis & Clark College here in Portland, and will be taking classes while working at psu to finish up her degree in International Affairs focusing on the Middle East.

Masumi Lint started her new position with International Special Programs as Program Manager on October 17, 2011. She has a Bachelor’s in International Rela-tions from University of Shizuoka, Japan, and a Master’s in tesol from University of Idaho. Prior to joining psu, she worked for a local non-profit homestay organiza-tion. As a native of Japan, her first u.s. home was in Idaho, which she says is almost a different planet compared to Portland. In her spare time, Masumi likes to travel, hike and camp with her husband and Taro, her dog.

Joseph Miller joined oia on August 29, 2011, as the Faculty-led Programs Coor-

dinator. Prior to psu, Joseph was a faculty leader and site coordinator with Amizade Global Service Learning in Tanzania (he speaks Kiswahili), as well as a program coordinator with the study abroad office at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. He has a ba in Biology from DePauw University and a ma in Geogra-phy from University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Joseph enjoys playing the guitar, hiking, reading and fly fishing. Joseph says he is very excited about joining oia at psu.

Thomas “Tam” Rankin joined the oia Middle East Studies Center in November 2010 as Program Manager. He formerly held a similar position at Yale University’s Council on Middle East Studies. He received his Master’s degree from Johns Hopkins. Tam enjoys traveling and has lived in England, Israel, and Australia.

Xiaoyuan Wu joined the Confucius Institute at oia in March of 2011 as Co-Director. His previous position was Direc-tor of the Foreign Affairs Office and other leading positions at Soochow University in the Jiangsu Province in Eastern China. He received his Master’s degree at City University New York. In his spare time he enjoys playing Chinese chess.

Yao Wu joined the Confucius Institute in September 2010 as a Chinese language

teacher. Prior to her arrival in Portland, she graduated from Soochow University, psu’s sister university, with a Bachelor’s degree in teaching. She says she feels very lucky to have the opportunity to apply what she learned in school and to enrich herself with more practical experience. In her spare time she likes to read, talk to lots of different people, and simply enjoy all the green trees and natural beauty that Portland has to offer.

Longxiang Zhao joined the Confucius Institute in June 2011 as a visiting teacher of Chinese language. He received his Bachelor’s degree at the Communication University of China in 2009. He enjoys photography, basketball, swimming, travel-ing, making new friends, and living here in Portland. He hopes to study at psu in the future.

Wenjuan Zhao is a Chinese teacher from Beijing, China. She graduated from So-ochow University, psu’s sister university, in 2009 with a Bachelor’s degree in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language. She has been working since August 2009 at Lewis & Clark College on behalf of the Confu-cius Institute, and this year is assigned to teach at psu. She says her passion is teach-ing Chinese language, history and cross-cultural communication. In her spare time, she likes to do outdoor sports and spend time with her friends.

Debra ClemansFinancial OfficerDirector of Fulbright & Boren ProgramsOffice of International Affairs


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First Place -- “La Mascletà”in Valencia, SpainBy Seth “Moe” Tangman

Second Place -- “The colors that define Mexico” in Oaxaca, MexicoBy Brittany Rogers

Third Place -- “Sunset over the Arno River”in Florence, ItalyBy Wesley K. Heuston


Recent participants in psu’s Education Abroad and International Internship pro-grams were invited to submit photographs representing their experience during their time abroad. Photographs were judged on a range of elements: creativity/composition, creative use of color, photos that show a his-tory, photos that show interaction between cultures, photos that tell a story, or have an emotional impact.

The first place award went to Seth “Moe” Tangman, for his photo “La Mascletà” taken in Valencia, Spain. Seth notes, “This Photo was taken during the Valencian celebration of Las Fallas. La Mascletà is a firework display that takes place in the Plaça de l’Ajuntament every day leading up to the burning of Las Fallas”. The second place award was given to Brittany Rogers, for her photo “The colors that define Mexico” taken in Oaxaca,

Mexico. Brittany notes, “Mexico is a land full of colors and this can be best experienced in local markets where colors are flooding out of every corner.” Third place was awarded to Wesley K. Heuston, for his photo “Sunset over the Arno River” which was taken in Florence, Italy.

To view all submitted photos, please visit: http://oia.pdx.edu/ea/gallery/

International Photo Contest Winners

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Lydia Beyoud, former office coordinator for the Middle East Studies Center, was award-ed an academic fellowship at American University in Washington, d.c. for the 2011-2012 academic year. Lydia will enter graduate school majoring in journalism and public affairs, and her fellowship is with the Investigative Reporting Workshop, a professional journalism center in the School of Communication, see: http://investigativereporting-workshop.org/about/. Lydia is a graduate of PSU and holds a degree in International Studies with a Middle East and North Africa focus. We miss her and wish her well on a new and exciting career.

Spotlights

Ahmed Bohliqa, an international student from Alhasa, Saudi Arabia, was chosen this year as one of two commencement speakers at psu’s graduation. Ahmed graduated with a bachelor degree in Computer Science and a minor in Community Development. Ahmed held a new leadership position at psu every year. He was the first international student to be a Coordinator for the psu Student Ambassador Program, a prestigious student program at psu. Ahmed was also a Coordinator for the Organization of Inter-national Students, and managed International Night 2011, as well as the International Sustainability Exhibit and Panel. The Graduation Program Board chose Ahmed through a process that selects speakers based on content, articulation, presentation style and originality.

We welcome Chido Dhliwayo to the Office of International Affairs as a student em-ployee. She is a native of Zimbabwe and has been at psu since August 2010. Chido is majoring in Business Administration and Music. She recently was awarded the Cameron Business Scholarship for the 2011-2012 academic year, and won an essay contest submitted to the Commission on the Status of Women on how challenges and opportunities faced by women help shape the dialogue about diversity at psu. Chido was also accepted into the International Cultural Service Program, a scholar-ship program for international students promoting the recognition of cultural simi-larities and differences through presentations in schools, community organizations and businesses. Besides her studies, Chido has been involved in student activities including International Night, Africa Night and is a member of the psu Program-ming Board.


oia was proud to welcome back Dr. Abeer Etefa, former Research Associate at oia, to give a lecture titled “The Changing Middle East: Revolution in Egypt, Libya, and Beyond,” on July 27, 2011. Dr. Etefa talked about the current political situa-tion in Egypt and her thoughts on the future of her native country, and the Middle East. Abeer graduated from psu with a doctorate in Urban Studies in June, 2005, and currently works at the United Nations as the Senior Regional Public Informa-tion Officer for the Middle East, un World Food Programme. Her work has taken her all around the region, including war-torn Iraq, drought-ridden Somalia, and several weeks helping feed the Libyan people when they fled into Tunisia as rebel and Gaddafi forces began their conflict.

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The Office of International Affairs Congratulates Scholarship and Fellowship Awardees for 2011-2012

Fulbright US Student Program Recipients

Erica Charves – United Arab EmiratesWomen’s Participation and Leadership in Emirati Urban Planning and SustainabilityErica received her Bachelor’s degree in June of 2011. She has been involved in the Muslim Student Association at psu, an experience which helped her decide to major in Community Development and Communication with a minor in Arabic. She looks forward to spending the year in Abu Dhabi, uae, and studying urban planning with a women’s leadership focus.

Sandra Derrick – AzerbaijanEnglish Teaching Assistant with a research and writing project on Muslim Women VoicesSandra received a Master of Fine Arts-Fiction degree in 2011 from psu and has worked in the past with psu’s Ooligan Press. During her Fulbright year she will teach English part-time in an Azerbai-jan classroom. For her project, Sandra will teach the interview process to women and help them begin to write their own stories and those of other women in their communities. She plans to publish this collection of stories as a way to share female voices of the Muslim world.

Samuel Nickilaus McLain-Jesperson – MoroccoEnglish Teaching Assistant with a research project on the role of hip hop in North African youth cultureSam is currently in the Master of Arts tesol program in psu’s Department of Applied Linguistics. He will teach English part-time during his Fulbright year and will do research in his spare time on codeswitching between Arabic and French in North African hip hop music. Upon completion of his Fulbright, Sam will return to psu to finish his thesis on this topic and complete his degree. In addition, he will continue his study of Arabic while in Morocco.

Nick O’Gara – TurkeyEnglish Teaching Assistant with a community project on interfacing with local culture through musicNick received a psu Bachelor’s degree in Applied Linguistics in the Summer of 2010. He studied Spanish in Chile and tutored young Chileans in English before setting his sights on learning Turk-ish. During his Fulbright year, when he isn’t teaching English to Turkish youth in the classroom, he plans to enhance his Turkish language skills and interact with local musicians, using a portable device to record musical traditions in order to encourage cultural exchange. He will leave behind CDs that will be available to both students and the community.

Julia Ruppell – LaosEcology of Crested Gibbons (primate research)Julia is a PhD candidate in Biology at psu. Her Fulbright project will focus on studying the ecol-ogy of a little-known ape, the White-Cheeked Crested Gibbon, which are among the world’s most endangered mammals. She has a background in Anthropology and experience traveling in Thai-land, Cambodia, and Laos, where she first discovered her interest in working in the field of wildlife conservation.

Sarah Taylor – GermanyEnglish Teaching Assistant, with Projects on German K-12 Educational System and American Culture ClubsSarah graduated from psu in the Summer of 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Applied Lin-guistics and German. She will be living in Baden-Wuerttemberg Germany in the year ahead, teach-ing English to German high school students and involving herself in the local community through volunteer and project work. Her work as a Peer Mentor for University Studies helped prepare her for this Fulbright experience.

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The Office of International Affairs Congratulates Scholarship and Fellowship Awardees for 2011-2012 Katherine Fuxia Stankus – China

Mandarin Language StudyFuxia is an undergraduate student at psu, majoring in Environmental Physics and minoring in Chinese Language. This Fall she goes to Nanjing University in China to study Mandarin through the ciee Intensive Language and Culture program. Upon graduation, Fuxia plans to pursue a career focused on global environmental issues. She knows that Chinese language fluency will allow her to work in a variety of technical fields both in the u.s. and China.

Alisha M. Reinhart – RussiaRussian Language StudyAlisha is an undergraduate student at psu majoring in Russian Language and Applied Linguistics. She is also a student of psu’s Russian Flagship Partner Program which helps prepare Russian stu-dents for professional careers in the language. She will go to St. Petersburg during 2011-2012, tak-ing advanced classes and completing an internship with an organization in St. Petersburg. Alisha’s background as an Army translator of Russian many years ago left her with a desire to return to the language and achieve a career goal that allows her to utilize her valuable skills.

Kelly Doherty – GermanyFulbright International Education Administrators SeminarThis October, Kelly will go to Germany to participate in the German Administrators Seminar through Fulbright Council for International Exchange of Scholars (cies). She will participate with a group of fellow university and college administrators to learn about the German higher education system through briefings, government appointments, campus visits and cultural events. Sub-groups will also focus on specific professional interests taking them from Berlin to other parts of the coun-try. Kelly is the Assistant Director of Marketing and Recruiting at psu’s School of Business Admin-istration.

Jeff Gerwing – IndiaFulbright ScholarFrom October 2011 to January 2012, Jeff will be in India researching the role of community-based monitoring in collaborative forest management. This is a field of study that has grown rapidly over the past two decades and it’s goals are the increase of social equity and improved forest manage-ment. Results have been mixed and this research aims to make improvements by involving the community to achieve success. Jeff is an Associate Professor of Environmental Sciences and Man-agement in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Mark Kaplan – SwedenFulbright Senior Specialist in Public/Global HealthIn April of 2011, Mark started a six-week project at the University of Gothenburg’s Neuropsychiatic Epidemiology Unit in Sweden in order to deepen and broaden scientific and pedagogical programs to enhance their expertise. His research is in the field of public health, with a special focus on sui-cide, alcohol-related problems and social determinants of mental health over the life cycle. Mark is a Professor in psu’s Department of Community Health in the College of Urban and Public Affairs.

Dannelle Stevens – TurkeyFulbright Senior Specialist in EducationIn October of 2011, Dannelle Stevens will go to Ankara, Turkey, as a Fulbright Senior Specialist to participate in a project that will help establish a center for academic excellence at Atilim Univer-sity. The center and its workshops will orient faculty to use current research-based methods in their teaching so they can develop better academic studies, improve teaching, implement new methods, share their experiences with other faculty and motivate students to be lifelong learners. Workshop topics covered will include classroom management strategies, motivation techniques, lecture deliv-ery methods, portfolio creation and management, academic writing, journal keeping in professional style, syllabus development, rubrics development as assessment tools and learning utilizing informa-tion technology (it), and management systems(lms). Dannelle is a Professor in the Curriculum and Instruction Department, Graduate School of Education.


Boren Scholarship Award Recipients

Fulbright Scholars Program

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As a National Resource Center for Middle East Studies under the u.s. Department of Education’s Title vi program, the Middle East Studies Center at Portland State University promotes understanding of the people, cultures, languages and religions of the Middle East.Staff The Middle East Studies Center appointed three new members of staff: Outreach Coordinator, Elisheva Cohen; Program Manager, Tam Rankin; and Office Coordinator, Karen Lickteig. We are grateful to former Office Coordina-tor, Lydia Beyoud and former Associate Director, Jean Campbell for their years of service to the Center.Student Scholarships With Title vi funding, the Center awarded the following Foreign Language and Area Studies fellowships:

2010-11 Academic Year: Megan Dyer, Mi-chelia Kramer, Jena Mathews, Meghan Ohmart, Laurie Schindler, Renata Stauder, and Aileen Wyse

2011 Summer: Ethan Gross, Touraj Housmand-Shafii, Zubair Kohistany, Katelin Putnam, David Duke, and James Moran

2011-12 Academic Year: Kathryn Krueger, Jena Mathews, Katelin Putnam, Renata Stauder, Kelsey Lundgren, and Aileen Wyse.

Touraj Housmand-Shafii also received

the John Damis Scholarship for Middle East Studies, the Patricia and Gary Leiser Scholarship for Middle East Languages, and the Elizabeth Ducey Scholarship for Middle East Languages. Jonae Cope received the Elizabeth Ducey Scholarship for Middle East Languages. Faculty Achievements Members of the Middle East Studies Center’s faculty presented at a number of conferences and events, including the Mediterranean Studies Spring Work-shop on Mediterranean Empires at the University of California, Davis; the Peace Symposium on Cyprus at George Mason University; the Oregon Council for Social Studies; the University Club in Portland; the English Speaking Union; the City Club of Oregon; and the Middle East Studies Association annual meeting in San Diego. Associate Professor of Management, Berrin Erdogan, received a 2011 Text-book Excellence Award for Organiza-tional Behavior, a book she co-authored. Assistant Professor of Arabic, Yasmeen Hanoush, won a National Endowment for the Arts grant to translate the stories of Luay Hamza Abbas. Assistant Profes-sor of Arabic, Laura Robson received a Faculty Enhancement Grant for research in Geneva, Switzerland, on Arab response to the League of Nations. Outreach Highlights With the Portland Center for Public Humanities, the Middle East Stud-ies Center co-sponsored two panel

discussions on current events in the Middle East. The panels featured Thomas Bartlett, former President of the American University in Cairo and former Chancellor of the Oregon University System; Assistant Professor of Political Science, Lindsay Benstead; Associate Professor of French and Francophone Studies at Oregon State University, Nabil Boudraa; host of the radio show, Voices of the Middle East, Goudarz Eghtedari; Adjunct Professor of International Stud-ies and Women’s Studies, Taghrid Khuri; Assistant Professor of History, Laura Robson; Associate Professor of Anthro-pology at Reed College, Paul Silverstein; Professor of Applied Linguistics, Keith Walters; and Associate Professor James Grehan, Director of the Middle East Studies Center. The Middle East Studies Center also co-sponsored talks by Professor of History at the University of California, Berkeley, Maria Mavroudi; Assistant Professor of History at Simon Fraser University, Paul Sedra; and Director of the Institute of Middle Eastern, Islamic, and Strategic Studies, Sherifa Zuhur. The Center hosted visits by the Consul Gen-eral of Turkey, Hakan Tekin; the Consul General for Israel, Akiva Tor; and the Western Ottomanists Workshop.

James P. GrehanAssociate Professor of History andDirector, Middle East Studies Center

Middle East Studies Center


Elisheva Cohen, James Grehan, Karen Lickteig and Tam Rankin PHOTO BY EMILY MANNHEIMER

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Institute for Asian Studies The Institute for Asian Studies (ias) at Portland State University promotes research, training, curricular development and public awareness on all parts of Asia. Drawing on the expertise of over 50 faculty and academic pro-fessionals, across 15 disciplines, the Institute for Asian Studies plays a vital role as a nexus and resource hub for Asia-related programs at psu. New Appointments Fall 2010 brought new faces to the Institute for Asian Studies: Dr. Sharon Carstens, psu professor of Anthropology, was appointed Di-rector; and Katherine Morrow, formerly with the psu International Special Programs Office, now serves as the Institute’s new Programs Administrator.

Sharon Carstens has been a professor at Portland State University in the Department of Anthropology since 1987. She regularly teaches courses on China, Southeast Asia and the Asian-American experience. Dr. Carstens primary area of research has been with Chinese communities in Malaysia and Singapore, and she has spent a total of 8 years in Asia, includ-ing Taiwan, China, Singapore, and Malaysia. For the past seven years she has been research-ing and working on a curriculum development project that integrates instruction in Chinese language and culture for K-8 students.

Katherine Morrow brings a wealth of program administration and management experience to both the ias and the Confucius Institute. Prior to joining the Institute for Asian Stud-ies, Katherine worked for 15 years with psu’s

International Special Programs office where she specialized in developing customized programs at psu for partner universities in Japan and Ko-rea. Katherine is conversant in Japanese and is deeply knowledgeable about both Japanese and Korean culture. In addition to managing the day-to-day operations of the ias, she provides support to the Confucius Institute at psu. The Institute for Asian Studies appreciates the contributions of our 2010-2011 interns and volunteers: DongAe Park, Suelki Park, Mike Shin, and EunYoung Her. Looking ahead to Fall 2011, the ias office is pleased to welcome new interns Bora Ra and Maki Karakida, and welcomes back volunteer office assistant EunYoung Her. A Review of 2010-2011 With renewed energy and focus on collab-orative efforts, the Institute for Asian Studies coordinated and co-sponsored a wide array of public lectures and events in 2010-2011. A detailed list of past events is posted on the ias website at http://oia.pdx.edu/ias. Areas of program development included quarterly meetings open to all associated and affiliated ias Faculty, formation of a Korean Studies Program Committee, renewed atten-tion to fund raising, expanded focus on Korea, and submission of two grant proposals to the Korea Foundation to aid in expanding Korean Studies at psu. The ias staff also kept busy with networking and community outreach, building partner-ships with the Portland Art Museum, Asian Art Council, World Affair Council of Oregon, Portland-Suzhou Sister City Association, nw China Council, Portland Chinese Garden Volunteers, colleagues at nearby universities and colleges, and Asian-American community leaders in the Portland metro area.2011-2012 Activities & Events ias priorities for the up-coming year include: re-establishing the Friends of Asian Studies; growing our partnerships; enhancing commu-nication and outreach; fund raising; and devel-oping a regular lecture and program series.

Fall 2011 Calendar•10/4 (Tues), 6:00 pm; smsu 327-8Lecture: What would it take for Korea to for-give Japan for the past?•10/17 (Mon), 4:00pm, sh 210 Lecture: Spectacular Compassion: “Natural” Disasters and National Mourning in China’s Tibet•10/28 (Fri), 6:00pm, Lecture: Deng Xiaoping and the Transforma-tion of China•11/5 (Sat), 9:30am, location tba First Saturday Lecture Series, in partnership with the Portland Chinese Gar-den Volunteers, Sensory Plants in a Scholar’s Garden to Awaken and Inspire•11/ 17 (Thur), 6:00pm, smsu 238Lecture: The South Korean Economy: What Lies Ahead?•12/3 (Sat), 9:30am, location tba First Saturday Lecture Series, in partnership with the Portland Chinese Garden Volunteers. For more information about up-coming events, volunteer opportunities, ways you can contribute to the psu Institute for Asian Stud-ies and more, contact the Institute for Asian Studies, tel. 503-725-8576, e-mail: [email protected], or visit our website http://oia.pdx.edu/ias

Katherine Morrow, Program AdministratorInstitute for Asian Studies

Korean Drumming and Dance Performance at PSU. Sponsored by the PSU Dept. of Music and Institute for Asian Studies. May 6, 2011.

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A L U M N I


Confucius Institute

CI-PSU teachers with China’s Vice Minister of Education Hao Ping (center); Deputy Director General of Hanban Wang Yongli (far left); Deputy Director of International Bureau of Minister of Education Shen Yang (far right).

The ci-psu, in its fourth year, held a number of programs, projects, events and activities. The most notable was the high-level visit to psu and ci-psu in April 2011 by China’s State Councilor liu Yandong along with Minister of Education yuan Jiren, Vice Minister of Educa-tion hao Ping, Chinese Ambassador zhang Yesui, Director General of Hanban, Mme. xu Lin, and scores of top ranking Chinese officials. The visitors attended the inaugu-ral ceremony for the 12 Oregon Confucius Classrooms that were established in 2011 with the help and under the umbrella of the ci-psu. (See related article China State Councilor Liu Yandong Meets with Oregon Governor’s Delega-tion; page 13). In the past academic year, ci-psu sponsored a number of lectures, including psu’s Bruce Gilley, “Reporting on China”; Mel Gurtov, “Will this be China’s Century”?; as well as a lecture recital by Susan Chan with Hong Chou on Chinese music of various regions. psu MIM students were also invited to report on their research projects on such themes as the Chinese economy and software and business site development. Distinguished guest speakers included: Dr. Richard J. Samuels, mit, “Japan-China-u.s. Relations” (co-sponsored with the Center for Japanese Studies); Mark Selden, Cornell University, “The Chinese State: Suppressed Consumption and Structures of Inequality in Two Epochs” (co-sponsored with Institute for Asian Studies); and Dr. Claire Huot, Univer-sity of Calgary, The “85” Project as X-cultural Écriture”, to name a few.

ci-psu also organized three key events dur-ing the past academic year:•The2nd Annual International Conference on Oregon-China Investment, Education and Tourism (with ofssa), June 2011, which included the signing of an mou for educational collaboration by psu President Wim Wiewel and tifert (Tianjin Institute of Foreign Eco-nomic Relations and Trade), represented by President qian Weirong;•ChineseEducationForum:“HeritageChi-nese Education in the u.s.: How to Learn and Teach Chinese to Heritage Learners: What to learn? How to learn? What to teach? How to teach”, held in January 2011; and •ForumonChina’sEconomicShift,February2011. During the Summer 2011, fifty k-12 Chinese language teachers were trained at the ci-psu’s 4th teacher training program. Two Chinese speech contests and one Chinese painting contest were also hosted and orga-nized by ci-psu. As of the Chinese proficiency test held in May 2011, ci-psu has altogether hosted 12 tests with 910 people participating. Recent cultural presentations included two performing shows, one by China’s Northeast Normal University Troupe, in March, and another by Tianjin Cathay Future School Art Troupe, in June; a Chinese calligraphy exhibi-tion, including 48 calligraphy works by famous Chinese artist Ma Weihua; three violin, piano and vocal lecture recitals; and screening of a “Video Opera: Sun Wu-Kong/The Monkey King” with live singing by Mr. Alexis Gilden. In celebrating the Chinese New Year of Rabbit,

ci-psu sponsored and co-sponsored several gala events with the PSU Chinese Students and Scholars Association, the Portland Chinese Times, and other organizations. Dozens of non-credit Chinese language and culture courses were offered in the 2010-2011 academic year at psu. Participants included employees at Nike, Port of Portland, and City Hall. Finally, ci-psu became the first Con-fucius Institute in the world to offer online Chinese language practice opportunities via internet. For more information, visit:www.ci.oia.pdx.edu and www.cipsu.chinese.cn

Meiru Liu, DirectorConfucius Institute

Artist Ma Weihua demonstrates Chinese calligraphy.

PSU President Wim Wiewel and QIAN Weirong, President of Tianjin Institute of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade, signing a MOU for education collaboration.

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On Sept. 19, 2011, China State Coun-cilor liu Yandong met with the Oregon delegation led by Governor John Kitzha-ber. The meeting took place in the Hall of Ziguangge of Zhongnanhai, China’s White House. Dr. Meiru Liu, Director of Confu-cius Institute at Portland State University (ci-psu), was also invited to the meeting.

Councilor Liu Yandong said in her speech that she was happy to see friends and distinguished guests from Oregon. The Oregon governor’s delegation was the largest u.s. state-level delegation ever to visit China, underscoring that the govern-ment and people of Oregon emphasize the importance of China-Oregon relationships, and in developing cooperation with China in economy, trade, culture, education, and tourism. Councilor Liu recalled with fond memory her visit to Oregon on April 15,

2011, when she, along with a large delega-tion from China, including Minister of Education Yuan Jiren, Vice Minister of Education Hao Ping, Chinese Ambassador to the u.s. Zhang Yesui, and the Director General of Hanban Xu Lin, attended the inaugural ceremony of Oregon’s 12 Con-fucius Classrooms. Councilor Liu Yandong spoke highly of the two bills passed by the Oregon legislature that promotes Chinese language education in Oregon’s public schools. Confucius Classrooms and Institutes are an initiative of the Chinese Ministry of Education to promote Chinese language instruction and cultural studies in high schools and colleges around the world. Students and community members have access to Chinese language studies, travel to China, and friendship-building opportuni-ties with Chinese students, teachers, and professors. Prior to the unveiling of the twelve Con-fucius Classrooms, Oregon had established the first Confucius Classroom in the u.s. in 2008, at St. Mary’s School in Medford, Oregon. The newly designated schools with Confucius classrrooms are Woodstock Elementary School, Atkinson Elementary School, Hosford Middle School, West Sylvan Middle School, Cleveland High

School, Franklin High School, Lincoln High School, International School in Portland, International High School of Beaverton, Cascade Heights Public Charter School, and West Salem High School and Oak Hills School. Each school will have one Chinese language teacher from differ-ent provinces in China. During her visit, Councilor liu Yandong also met with Governor Kitzhaber, and Dr. Meiru Liu for briefings on programs and work of the ci-psu. The visit on Sept. 19th is a return visit at the invitation of The Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.

Kristin EngelbretsonAssistant to the Vice Provost for International Affairs

China State Councilor Liu Yandong Meets with Oregon Governor’s Delegation

Oregon legislative delegation with Councilor Liu Yandong.

Councilor Liu Yandong receives a warm welcome from 30 elementary school children, Portland State University.

Hanban Director Xu Lin, OUS Chancellor George Pernsteiner, PSU President Wim Wiewel, Governor John Kitzhaber, Councilor Liu Yandong, Minister of Education Yuan Guiren, Chinese Ambassador Zhang Yesui jointly unveiled the plaques for the twelve new Confucius Classrooms in Oregon. Portland State University, April 15, 2011.

Councilor Liu Yandong and Governor John Kitzhaber greet Portland school children after their Chinese performances. Portland State University, April 15, 2011.

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On Friday, April 22nd, 2011, the Organiza-tion of International Students (ois) hosted the 35th annual International Night. A cel-ebration of the international diversity at psu, the event offers an opportunity for students, faculty, staff, families, and the greater Port-

land community to learn about the culture and traditions of our international student population. ois Coordinators Ahmed Bohliqa from Saudi Arabia, Jimmy Hsu from Taiwan, and Carolina Karlsson from Sweden worked with the International Student Life Team and Student Activities and Leadership Programs in planning the festivities. The theme of this year’s event was ‘Orches-tra of Diversity,’ and for the first time in the event’s history, tickets were free, with dona-tions suggested to help support a number of good causes. The event raised $1,800 for Mercy Corps and their Japan relief efforts, $1,000 for the International Cultural Service Program Scholarships, and $525 for the oia International Student Emergency Aid Fund. Over 800 attendees got the chance to

feast on international cuisine, peruse cultural booths, participate in international dance workshops, and experience a three-hour long show featuring outstanding performances including German, Korean, Nepali, Saudi Arabian and Vietnamese students. The fash-ion show is always spectacular, and this year it did not disappoint. Over 60 students took part representing more than 40 countries. Prashant Kakad (dj Prashant) closed the show, playing Bollywood tunes that got the whole crowd on their feet. To find out more about International Night, you can view a video created by psu tv at: http://www.youtube.com/user/psutelevision#p/u/0/DKI8IC-oqhQ

Sarah KenneyInternational Student Life Advisor

psu’s Office of International Student and Scholar Services hosted a diverse group of 15 visiting faculty this Summer as part of its International Visiting Professors pro-gram. In existence for over 35 years, the ivp program collaborates with both Sum-mer Session and psu departments, inviting professors from across the globe who teach in a wide range of disciplines. This year, faculty from China, Italy, Brazil, Turkey, France, Serbia, Germany, Kenya, Tibet, England and Russia taught courses on topics such as Contemporary French Literature, Tuscan Sustainability, the Political Economy of Latin America, Third World Development, and Tibetan Buddhism. Manar Alattar, a student in Geogra-phy’s Tuscan Sustainability class taught by Dr. Mauro Agnoletti, visiting professor from Florence, Italy, said of her professor, “From the first day, I was intrigued and completely in agreement with the ideas he presented which regard landscapes as the result of human and natural interactions. Also, the idea that landscape management could simultaneous merge the needs for

human development with sustainability of ecological functionality was such a breath of fresh air.” In addition to teaching classes which enrolled more than 230 students, selected ivps offered weekly lectures to the psu and

Portland community on contemporary global issues in the “Tour the World at Home” international lecture series.

Judy Van Dyck, DirectorInternational Student and Scholar Services

2011 International Night

O F F I C E O F I N T E R N A T I O N A L A F F A I R S International Student and Scholar Services

International Visiting Professors Contribute to PSU’s Summer Session

Front row left to right - Tianxiang Zhan, Andrea Sand, Jovan Babic, Marie Sanconie, John Davies, Francis Wam-balaba, Joanilio Teixeira, Selma Teixeira. Second row left to right - Judy Van Dyck, Darko Pantelic, Yanqiang Ding, Andrea Gazzoni, Zeynep Alemdar, Yumei Pan (Yangiang’s Daughter).

Sudin Singh Maharjan, Pasang Sherpa Suwal and Salyna Magar performing a Nepali dance.

PHOTO BY KHALIL ALFURAIH

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Connecting Hearts: The International Student Mentor Program

With a goal to build global citizens and facilitate meaningful cross-cultural dia-logue, the International Student Mentor Program (ismp) is excited to move into its 5th year at psu! The program offers an intercultural leadership component for returning student leaders that focuses on building the creative and culturally ap-propriate communication skills needed to work with our diverse international student population. The mentors act as cultural bridges to connect new students with the unique educational system and wide range of services offered at psu. The program commences in May when

we choose 45 undergraduate and graduate student mentors to work with the approxi-mately 300 new international students from over 40 different countries who will enter psu in the Fall. We match every new inter-national student who registers for Interna-tional Student Orientation with a mentor before they arrive. The mentor connects with new students via e-mail to make sure all pre-arrival questions are answered and connect with them in person when they arrive to help smooth their transition to life at psu. At our two-day International Student Orientation, the mentors lead their student mentees through the program and

continue to interact with them regularly throughout the term. We also offer the mentoring program Winter, Spring, and Summer terms. Student mentors help coordinate the Fall International Student Life programs including the Multnomah Falls Trip, Hal-loween Party, trip to the Pumpkin Patch, Thanksgiving Dinner, and offer service learning opportunities to work with men-tees to serve the greater Portland commu-nity. One of the goals of the program is to build a strong and thoughtful community of mentors. Jimmy Hsu, Coordinator of the Student Ambassador team this year, is now in his 3rd year of mentoring. He is moving into a leadership role because of his personal connection to the program. Jimmy feels that “the International Student Mentoring Program is a heart-touching ex-perience for me. Every year I meet mentees from many different countries, and it has always been a wonderful learning oppor-tunity.” This is our goal: to teach student mentors to practice intercultural leadership by connecting with the cultural knowledge in their head and sharing from the heart.

Jill Townley, Associate DirectorInternational Student LifeInternational Student and Scholar Services

Intercultural Student Coffee Hour is a wonderful opportunity for international stu-dents to share their experience of studying and living in the United States while enjoy-ing free coffee, snacks, and great company. Faculty and staff are welcome to come and meet our international students, too! This event is organized by the Organization of International Students (ois), the Intensive English Language Program (ielp), and the Multicultural Center, in collaboration with the International Student and Scholar Services. We want this coffee hour to be environmentally friendly; we encourage all of our students to bring their own cup! International Student Coffee Hour takes place every Wednesday from 3:30-5:30pm in mcc, smsu 228.

Intercultural Student Coffee Hour

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International Cultural Service Program (icsp) scholars had yet another very productive year. We were proud to have 27 members representing 21 countries. This year’s countries were Syria, India, Norway, Uganda, Turkey, Nepal, Taiwan, Kenya, Sweden, Mali, China, Nigeria, Germany, Mexico, Iran, Japan, Viet-nam, Kosovo, Brazil, Sri Lanka and Slovakia. Each participant contributed ninety hours of community service work to Portland State University, the city of Portland, and our state. At Portland State University, icsp students participate in many projects, including: ethno graphic interviews with undergraduate and graduate students from the Department of Applied Linguistics; presentations to the sinq Family Studies program as well as Internation-al Special Programs. Occasionally, they visited the American Culture and Academic Life classrooms where they interacted with Inten-sive English Language Program students. They also volunteered for the International Student Orientation and welcomed new international students to psu. Furthermore, many of them translated the highlights of the University Housing contract to make the transition to psu a little bit smoother for new international students. Two of our icsp members, Osman Tanri-kulu from Turkey, and Flamur Vehapi from Kosovo, organized a wonderful lecture series called “International Students Discuss Social Issues.” The lecture series took place once or

twice each term. At each lecture, they asked four current members to prepare a presenta-tion focusing on social issue(s) existing in their home countries. They met with the students, gave them an opportunity to practice their pre-sentations, and provided feedback for presenta-tions in front of an audience. Many of our members ventured out to different schools where they represented their countries and educated different audiences about their cultures. Some of the school they visited were Vernon School, Cesar Chavez School, Lincoln High School, Laurelhurst El-

International Cultural Service Program (ICSP)


Murna Majam, from the Federal Republic of Nigeria, gives a lecture on her country to local high school students.

ementary School, and Grant High School. icsp worked closely with many local non-profits and other organizations, as well. Some of them include the World Affairs Council of Oregon, the Center for Inter-cultural Organizing, Calaroga Retirement Center and the Colored Pencils Art and Culture Night. The International Cultural Service Program Scholarship allows students to enhance their public speaking skills and to develop their personalities in creative ways through being cultural ambassadors to various audiences including kindergartens, high schools and local non-profits. icsp enables students to learn more about their own countries and to teach others about what they’ve learned. Students learn from each other to the point that they become cross-cultural experts. They build bridges between communities and promote cross-cultural understanding through firsthand knowledge and experience. During the process of providing this cultural service, they become a big, colorful icsp family. In this family, everyone respects each other and helps each other to succeed. If you would like to learn more about icsp or if you would like to invite icsp representative to your event, please visit: www.icsp.pdx.edu.

Anna GindlespergerInternational Student Life Advisor and icsp AdvisorInternational Student and Scholar Services

1 7 The Cultural Ambassador’s Program was started two years ago as a collaboration between three offices: the Alumni Office, the International Admissions Office and the Of-fice of International Affairs. In the last year, we were also joined by the Office of Graduate Studies. Since then we are proud to report that we recruited 34 cultural ambassadors from 17 countries. The countries represented are Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Japan, Cam-bodia, China, India, Mexico, France, Kenya, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Nepal, Syria, Qatar, Germany and Indonesia. Our program objectives are to reinforce the

connection between psu and the rest of the world by continuing to internationalize the psu campus, to strengthen the ties between psu and its international alumni, to engage alumni cross-culturally to assist students with professional skill development and to enhance cultural awareness and understanding. We invite graduating international students to apply for one year, voluntary positions. The main qualities we look for in an Ambas-sador are enthusiasm and a genuine love for Portland and psu! Upon selection, these students receive Social Media and International Admission’s

training. They have an opportunity to renew their participation in the Cultural Ambas-sador Program from year to year. Cultural ambassadors’ continued involvement depends on their availability. We ask those Cultural Ambassadors who return home to give a presentation(s) about psu in their college or high school and keep in contact with the program coordinator to answer any ques-tions that potential students from the same country might have. Also, if psu faculty or other representatives plan to visit the Cultural Ambassadors’ home countries, we ask them to be contact persons and occasionally to help organize events, thus providing a bridge between psu representatives and our alumni abroad. Those Cultural Ambassadors who remain in the u.s. are invited to many alumni related functions to promote the university in differ-ent venues. Our goal for next year is to expand this wonderful program and create many more op-portunities for involvement for our Cultural Ambassadors. If you have any further ques-tions about the program, please contact Anna Gindlesperger at [email protected].

Anna GindlespergerInternational Student Life Advisor and ICSP AdvisorInternational Student and Scholar Services

Cultural Ambassadors Program


What we do:• International Student Orientation & Mandatory Immigration Check-In• International Student Mentoring Program• Compass Program: Community Mentoring for psu International • Students• Programming Activities, Events and Lectures• Organization of International Students (ois) Advising and Support for Intercultural Student Coffee Hour, International Night, and ois Events• Cultural Ambassadors Program• International Cultural Service Program and Retention • Scholarship• Social Media Networking: Facebook, e-news

Programs Supported by the International Student Life Team

International Student Life Team members Anna Gindlesperger, Sarah Kenney, and Jill Townley

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In May, the Center for Academic Excel-lence hosted the second International Institute on Partnerships (iip): From Reciprocity to Collective Transformation: Achieving the Potential of Community-Campus Partnerships. Featuring a pro-gram to strengthen the capacity of both community and higher education constit-uents for participation in transformative partnerships, the 2011 iip was attended by 225 participants from 5 countries and 32 states, representing approximately 105 different universities, colleges, and organi-zations. Portland State is now internation-ally recognized as a leader in community-university partnerships; this event is an illustration of the level of leadership the field seeks from Portland State. The 2011 iip featured topical workshops and study sessions exploring opportunities and challenges confronting a broad range of collaborative efforts facilitated by teams of community/higher education partners who covered topics ranging from reci-procity and sustainability to assessment strategies and international partnerships. A program providing full information on all iip sessions can be found atwww.pdx.edu/cae/iipprogram. Inter-national partnerships were highlighted through sessions such as, “The Sticky Side of Service: Ethical Issues in Cross-

Cultural and International Service Learn-ing,” “Sustainability and Reciprocity in a Partnership Community in Mexico City University: itsem_Campus Santa Fe,” and “Advancing Campus-Community Partner-ships: Course Design and Institutional Integration,” with presenters from univer-sities including the American University in Cairo, University of Quebec (Montreal), and itsem (Monterrey Institute of Tech-nology and Higher Education), Mexico. The Institute received positive feed-back for the session, “Challenging Our Assumptions: Exploring International Partnership Practices,” featuring Barbara Holland (Professor, University of Sydney) as the main facilitator. The session ad-dressed the following questions designed to test broad assumptions on international community-based learning and engage-ment:•Whataresomeexamplesofcommonforms/models/strategies in international work?•Whataretheinternalchallengeswithinthe context of your institution in terms of procedure, approval, leadership, risk-management, evaluation, sustainability, funding, etc.?•Whatarethestrategiestoaddressthechallenges?•Whataretheidealprinciplesforinterna-

tional engagement practices: what would our practical/operational assumptions in our work be if the above were suspended? Open discussion was further guided by a panel of experts with broad-ranging international experience from Japan and Beirut to Ireland and Equador, which included Portland State’s Kevin Kecskes (Associate Vice Provost for Engagement) and Amy Spring (Assistant Director for Community-University Partnerships). In addition, the iip program offered a session titled, “Searching for Common Ground: International & u.s. University Partnerships for Faculty Development.” Members of psu’s Center for Academic Excellence and Northwestern University’s Searle Center for Teaching Excellence collaborated to present case studies on Vietnam and the Palestinian Faculty De-velopment Program. Session participants discussed strategies to overcome uncer-tainties and obstacles in international partnerships.

Kevin KecskesAssociate Vice Provost for EngagementDirector, Community-University Partnerships

Amy SpringAssistant DirectorCommunity-University Partnerships for Learning

Esther LimGraduate Assistant

Center for Academic Excellence

PSU Hosts the 2nd International Institute on Partnerships

O F F I C E O F I N T E R N A T I O N A L A F F A I R S Cross-Campus Collaboration

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On Saturday, June 11, a celebration was held honoring the first Intel Vietnam schol-ars graduating from Portland State Univer-sity. The scholars, who were sponsored by Intel, came to psu in a 3 + 2 program from select universities in Vietnam and graduated from psu with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering. The graduation dinner, held in Gallery 903 in the Pearl District, included a presen-tation by Rick Howarth, General Manager of Intel Products Vietnam, a welcome from Wim Wiewel, President of Portland State University, and remarks from Renjeng Su, Dean of the Maseeh College of Engineer-ing and Computer Science (mcecs). Steve Megli, Vice President for Technology Manufacturing Group (tmg), presented Intel Achievement Award to the scholars, Intel Oregon mentors, and psu staff who supported the scholars through their years at Portland State. A speech was given by Ms. Thanh Nguyen, a mother of one of the scholars, who talked about what the pro-gram meant for her daughter. Four of the ivs graduates, Khoa Tran, Quyen Do, Duc Tran, and Thuong Le shared their personal stories on their experience at psu. The program closed with a slide presenta-tion about each of the graduating students and included before and after photos and

information from each scholar. Each scholar was also presented with the ivs honor cord with Intel blue and psu green symbolizing the close collaboration between Intel and psu in support of this program. The program was emceed by the IVS Pro-gram Co-directors, Marcia Fischer (mcecs) and Roma Arellano (Intel).

The 28 Scholars graduated from psu with an average gpa of 3.76, and began their new engineering careers at Intel Vietnam on July 4. The program continues with a second ivs cohort of 24 students who will graduate in 2012.

Kristin EngelbretsonAssistant to the Vice Provost for International Affairs

We are delighted to report that two in-ternational faculty members in the College of Liberal Arts Sciences, Olena Kostyshyna (Economics) and Geoffrey Duh (Geogra-phy) received the 2011 John Eliot Allen Outstanding Teaching Award. Originally from Ukraine, Olena Kostyshyna has been working as an Assistant Professor at psu since September 2008, after graduating with a PhD in economics from Simon Fra-ser University, Canada. Dr. Kostyshyna teaches macroeconomics and money and banking. Her research interests include macroeconomics and monetary economics with a focus on adaptive expectations and

learning, and also agent-based computa-tional economics. Jiunn-Der (Geoffrey) Duh, originally from Taiwan, received his PhD from the University of Michigan and is Associate Professor and Director of gis Programs. Dr. Duh’s teaching focuses on the theory and applications of geospatial technologies and analyses, including courses on Geo-graphic Information Systems (gis), remote sensing and digital image analysis, gis da-tabase design, and digital terrain analysis. In his research, Dr. Duh concentrates on developing gis theory and applications and remote sensing techniques in geographic

education and interdisciplinary geographic analysis. This is the second time that he has won this award since arriving at psu in 2004.

A complete list of the award’s recipients can be found at: http://www.pdx.edu/jea/

Congratulations, Olena and Geoffrey, on this achievement!

Eve NilendersInternational Faculty AdvisorInternational Affairs

International Faculty Win Outstanding Teaching Award

First Cohort of Intel Vietnam Scholars Graduate

O F F I C E O F I N T E R N A T I O N A L A F F A I R S Cross-Campus Collaboration

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How does three month’s worth of life squish so readily—or possibly with a bit of grumbling coercion and brute force—into two suitcases and two-point-five carry-ons? For that matter, how does a quarter of a year pack away…at all? Even if that is possible, I am not sure how my brain is going to ac-complish it. It has been two weeks since I returned to Portland, Oregon, from Santiago de Chile. I still dream in Spanish (with additions in Castellano Chileno). I arrive early to the Metro… no, the MAX, in expectations of a Chilean transportation culture…I am now allowing my brain to miss Santiago, and I am allowing myself to remember in detail. I miss my coworkers/friends, my work, my surroundings… Part of flying home and adjusting back into a “normal” routine for me is the con-scious effort to not suspend these memories, these experiences. To do so would be to ignore a main dynamic of my trip: I visited Chile, but I also lived there. While not mu-tually exclusive, these different facets tend to blend and blur in my memory. Yes, I vis-ited Santiago de Chile. I went with the in-tention of existing there for a period of only eleven and a half weeks. Because of how the situation was initially designed, I could not extend my trip in either direction even if I wanted to (that is how things worked out, and how I planned it for my own sanity). I worked in Chile with the knowledge that, in the back of my head, my surroundings were temporary. It also was a timespace that com-

forted me in its brevity; soon I’d be going home and interacting more with my social group (who I missed) and my lover (who I also missed), and I would get to share in their lives once more…something that, as this trip underlined for me, is important in the core of everything personal and profes-sional that I accomplish. Yet, I also lived in Santiago, and that was also how I meant it to be. I had a five-day-a-week job (that I loved!) with a morning and evening commute. I made friends (across a large age range) that I could have night or weekend shenanigans with, but I was also free to snuggle into my bed, cook up a stew, listen to classical radio and be an-all-round homebody. I knew, by the end of my trip, where to go for walks, where to find 100% pure fruit juice, and I had a small list of touristy things (museums mostly, but also a really incredible cementerio) that I visited, knowing that I wouldn’t be disappointed if I didn’t actually get to cross them off at the end of the trip. I thought about work stuff when I was home, and home stuff when I was at work. I finally got into a rhythm and confidence with my working skills in health promotion and health empowerment for the first time in my life… All in all, I think I am having trouble describing what this trip meant to me be-cause I am consciously and subconsciously folding it into my greater experience of life. I didn’t stop existing here, in the United States, because I was in Chile, and the same goes for living back here. Yes, I packed up stuff into my suitcases (and I still haven’t unpacked everything), and I arrived back in the states (after almost a day of travel), and I have no way of seeing my Chilean friends in person… but I refuse to let this be a data point with a definite and finite influence on my life. I tend to think, now, that American culture views international travel as some-what unobtainable—in scope, in length of trip…; as individuals in a culture, we simply don’t travel often and I think we perceive travel as difficult. We see three months as an incredibly long time, whereas every other

nationality I talked to while abroad saw it as a rato corto. I am not saying that one of these views is right and one is wrong, but I am saying that moving from place to place and learning about place might be easier in action than we imagine them to be. Santiago is not wild and exotic (nor, dear lovely peo-ple who asked me this before I left Portland, is it rural); it is different. It is a different country, city, comuna, and I could spend hours and days making an infinite num-ber of comparisons. Maybe I will. But… something that may have hit me hard simply because I grew up in the United States, where I know many people who have never left the state they grew up in, is how easy it was to travel to Santiago, to live there, and to leave there knowing that I could remain in contact with the people at my host-site (I am part of a international network! Woo-hoo!). It is a smaller world than we think in terms of spatial construction and potential for human connection (and yet, the range in worldview is something that can easily be underestimated). So, actually, “How was Chile” you ask?Simple answer: * Good. * Hard. * Wonderful. * Layered. * I miss it dreadfully. * Tasted like bread, palta, zapallo and sweet tea on a cold day.Long answer: * Come to Portland, take me out to coffee, and I will start spewing stories and connected rambles. * Take a chance and travel there. I guar-antee you that, with an open mind and a willingness to learn, you’ll come away with more than a taste for Churrasco and Inti-Illimani.

Jamaica RobinsonIE3 Scholarship recipient and Portland State University student interning with Fundacion Educacion Popular en Salud (EPES) in Santiago, Chile. Featured in IE3 Field Notes at http://ie3global.ous.edu/blog/comments/puzzling_back_into_portland/

Puzzling back into Portland

O F F I C E O F I N T E R N A T I O N A L A F F A I R S Education Abroad

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This summer students from psu went on a short-term study-abroad program to Mexico City led by psu faculty, Hector Hernandez. Under Hector’s guidance, students executed a mural project in collaboration with the hosting institution in Mexico, The National School of Painting, Sculpture and Print Mak-ing, La Esmeralda. Through site and mu-seum visits, students had the opportunity to review mural styles and to study the historical background of the mural movement from its origins to the current community rural move-ment. The Mural was the product of a series of ideas around the subject of immigration and the borders as well as the communities of origin and destination. Students and faculty from both institutions participated with ideas and images for developing the narrative. The theme includes elements depicting risk involved with migration in a symbolic way. The narrative could be related in particular to the migration between Mexico and u.s. but could be related as well with any migra-tory process from any other part of the world. Although the references are related with the

Mexican culture symbolically, such as the coy-ote, the butterflies and the agave plant, such elements have a meaning beyond the particu-lar context in relation with Mexico and u.s. The influx of butterflies and virgulas or “bal-loons” is a constant movement of migrants as well as their transit and changes. The balloon in specific represents elements of communica-tion and interchange. In this migratory flux and influx process, the presence of the coyote at the foot of the wall, shows a threatening guardian but at the same time a guide. This dual role is crucial in overcoming challenges, and such a symbol is as meaningful in both cultures, the u.s. culture and in particular the Mexican. The border wall gets lost in the ocean and cuts the landscape into two creating a dark scar on the earth. On both sides of the wall elements from the communities of origin are represented by a hamlet and a field ready to be cultivated but then abandoned. At the cen-ter of the field a maguey or agave plant grows out of which butterflies fly away to the wall along with “virgulas” or balloons mimicking the butterflies as symbols of dialogue. Hover-

ing over the wall two virgules “balloons” encounter each other as a symbol of the encounter of two speeches or conversations coming from both sides of the border. On the other side of the wall an urban landscape of wealth surrounded by woods and mountains (volcano) is placed relatively close but far out of the reach guarded by the coyote. In spite of many obstacles for the but-terflies’ influx and “virgules” balloons, these overcome the dividing wall and reach both sides of the border. It is our hope that border walls are not used for dividing people but as means for communication and understanding between countries and nations as the mural tradition has been doing by using walls. psu and in particular Chicano Latino Stud-ies wish that this mural would be an element for union and exchange for both institutions and its presence will facilitate the communi-cation and understanding between nations, peoples and cultural and academic communi-ties.

Hector Hernandez Faculty, Chicano Latino Studies

Beyond the Borders


Alyse Collins, PSU Education Abroad Advisor, (pictured here) together with PSU colleague Katherine Morrow and 18 PSU students representing Ulsan, Korea, joined over 100 community members walking behind the “Carnival of Friendship’ Portland International Sister Cities float sponsored by Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon in the 2011 Rose Festival Parade.

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In Winter 2011 I led a group of eighteen students to my native Argentina. We started with three days in Buenos Aires, but our destination was San Pedro de Colalao, a town of 4000 residents. Nested in a valley where the Chaco plains begin their transformation into the Andes, San Pedro sits at 3300 feet above sea level, in the foothills of mountains rising to 13000 feet. While the community offers a unique blend of modern life with traditions deeply rooted in indigenous culture, the region also exhibits high levels of poverty and inequality, particularly among the rural population. It was the combination of land-scape, culture and economic need that brought us to San Pedro all the way from Oregon. The purpose of the group was to explore the potential for San Pedro to attract visitors interested in environmentally and culturally sound tourist services. The town already acts as a magnet for domestic tourism, primarily from the city of Tucumán, but the economic impact is mostly seasonal and, by their own account, many town residents suffer

negative environmental and cultural consequences rather than capture any tangible benefits. Out task was to seek avenues to attract a different sort of tourism. In order to facilitate the work, students were divided into four groups with specific goals to accom-plish: social justice, homestays, hiking and attractions. My approach was to organize a few activities, show-case potential attractions, make key introductions, and provide guidance as needed, but for the most part I gave the students great freedom of ac-tion. This generated some anxiety, as many students did not feel prepared to pursue the goals set for the groups. However, as the students became familiar with the community, they gained confidence and expertise and were able to establish fruitful rela-tions with local residents. On the last day of the course the students presented their findings to the community. People were invited via the local radio station and by word of mouth, filling the town’s theater to capacity. There was great expectation to know what this group

of foreigners who had been hanging out in the town for nearly three weeks had to say. They were not disappointed. At times in broken Spanish, others with perfect diction, the students recognized the great potential for the establishment of eco-tourism in San Pedro de Colalao, but they did much more than that. They mentioned spe-cific attractions that could be offered by already existing community organizations, such as wool dying and weav-ing workshops, or guided hikes inclusive of plants/birds sighting and a traditional meal in the countryside, or homestays that would increase the cultural exchange compo-nent enhancing the experience

for host and visitor. Of course the community knew that these were all attractions that they could offer, after all, they know their town, culture and landscape better than any outsider. What they did not know is that those hills around town, or the daily rou-tines of drinking mate, firing a mud oven or preparing tamales, could be of interest to foreigners. I plan to take a new contingent of students to San Pedro de Colalao in Winter 2012. We will work directly with the groups that the first capstone identified, helping them establish whichever eco-tourism services they consider most appropriate. The new capstone participants will face many new challenges, for sure, but their path will be greatly aided by the excellent rapport and hard work of those who preceded them.

Leopoldo RodríguezAssociate Professor, International Studies

Capstone in NW Argentina


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Beyond the Campus: Faculty-led Programs AbroadEvery year more than two hundred Portland State students leave the fa-miliarity of the campus on programs bound for destinations as varied as Italy, Ghana, Mexico, or Vietnam. Some are international capstones, some emphasize a specific topic such as art or sustainabil-ity, and others focus on service learning. For some students such study abroad is a happy break in educational routine while for others it is a step toward future opportunities. Yet most of the Portland State community, including program participants themselves, rarely discusses the broad principles informing the design of faculty-led study abroad. One key consideration is that most faculty-led programs are customized, meaning they are consciously designed to meet the needs and priorities of Portland State students. Many programs address concerns such as sustainability, social justice, or community development, and stress individual as well as organizational capacity-building. In turn this leads to program design around specific themes, e.g., community health or education, environmental protection, or improving social services or living conditions. For example, one of our programs in Mexico emphasizes developing skills and un-derstanding that facilitate working with immigrant populations, while a focus on social entrepreneurship in India ad-dresses innovation in local development. And much of Portland State’s custom programming takes students along roads less-traveled to places such as Nicaragua or Uganda. A second principle shaping program design is engagement, a commitment to learning directly from and about the communities we study. Portland State’s faculty-led programs tend to be community-based, as students live with families or in hostels and spend much of each day in contact with the local population around specific case studies or projects. As most programs last only 2-3 weeks each hour must contribute to program goals, leading to an intensity rarely found on campus. International capstones require close collaboration with community partners, furthering the sense

of engagement. The Mexico capstones may begin the day visiting a food bank or community clinic, move on to an interview with a human rights organiza-tion, and finish the day with language classes or a round-table discussion with members of a cooperative. In Argentina students work with community groups assessing sustainable tourism prospects. This emphasis on engagement parallels campus attention to university-com-munity partnerships and offers students exceptional insights to host society perspectives. Many faculty-led programs place considerable emphasis on their devel-opmental dimensions. These programs are not “stand-alone” in nature, those once-in-a-lifetime experiences to be ap-preciated but with no clear significance beyond the experience itself, but instead

link to opportunities for graduate school, Peace Corps, or employment at home or abroad. Developmental considerations may lead to other opportunities; from a single program in 1997 in Oaxaca, Mexico, Portland State has expanded its activities to multiple faculty-led pro-grams, internships, research, and profes-sional development for students and faculty, and Oaxacans coming to Port-land for research, training, and graduate study. For individual students a single faculty-led program abroad may be their only international travel while at the university, but the cumulative benefit of Portland State’s promotion of these pro-grams becomes a critical component in our overall efforts at internationalization.

Jack Corbett, Associate ProfessorUrban and Public Affairs


Thursday, October 6, 2011 SMITH BALLROOM 11am – 2pm

Enjoy free food and prizes!!Choose from over 120 short-term, long-term & internships programs in over 45 countries.

EducationAbroad Fair Ever wondered where

your degree will take you?

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Office of International AffairsWWW.OIA.PDX.EDU

VICE PROVOST FOR INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, GIL LATZ

ASSOCIATE VICE PROVOST FOR INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS & DIRECTOR , EDUCATION ABROAD, RON WITCZAK

FINANCIAL OFFICER AND DIRECTOR OF FULBRIGHT & BOREN PROGRAMS, DEBRA CLEMANS

DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL STUDENT AND SCHOLAR SERVICES, JUDY VAN DYCK

EDITOR KRISTIN ENGELBRETSON

CONTRIBUTOR TAM RANKIN

This newsletter is a publication of the Office of International Affairs.Portland State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action instituion. Printed on recycled paper.

What’s InsideMESSAGE FROM VICE PROVOST GIL LATZ

NEW FACES AT OIA

SPOTLIGHTS

CENTERS AND INSTITUTE NEWS

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT AND SCHOLAR SERVICES

CROSS-CAMPUS COLLABORATION

EDUCATION ABROAD

Office of International AffairsPortland State’s international mission is to support interdisciplinary and professional training and research on global issues, to foster greater international exposure for students, faculty, staff, and the community, and to provide leadership on the pursuit of strategic partnerships across campus and between the campus and the local, regional, national and international community that contribute to global awareness and under-standing.

In pursuit of the University’s mission, the Office of International Affairs collaborates with the major international activities in each of the colleges and schools at Portland State University.

OIA plays a leadership role on campus and in the community in the development and implementation of the University’s Internationalization Initiative and Strategy. OIA’s responsibilities include providing support for: the Internationalization Council, inter-national students, PSU students seeking to study or pursue internships abroad, faculty engaged in international scholarship, visiting international professors, and internation-ally oriented community/university partnerships. In recognition of the University’s international research, education, and service mission, OIA supports the University’s internationally oriented Institutes and Centers (Middle East Studies Center, Center for Turkish Studies, Institute for Asian Studies, the Confucius Institute, and Center for Japanese Studies).

Get all of the latest news at www.oia.pdx.edu

Office of International AffairsPost Office Box 751Portland, OR 97207-0751

Location:101 East Hall 632 SW Hall Street

Phone: 503-725-4094 Fax: 503-725-5065 E-mail: [email protected]

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