Interim Director's Letter

Here at the Center for the Study of Global Change in the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, we have seen some major accomplishments as well as some major shifts during 2019.

First, we want to extend another congratulation to Hilary Kahn for her new position as Associate Vice Chancellor for International Affairs at IUPUI and Indiana University Associate Vice President of International Affairs. We are grateful to Hilary for her leadership at the Global Center and in the Hamilton Lugar School to support individuals in being more prepared for and knowledgeable about the interconnected and complex global worlds in which we live and work. Fortunately for us, Hilary will be staying on as a Global Center Advisory board member and continue her involvement in several projects including Framing the Global and Muslim Voices.

In the wake of Hilary's departure, we were fortunate to have Deborah Cohn, Professor in Spanish and Portuguese, serve as Interim Director in September and October. A big thank you to Deborah for her service, in particular her guidance with the Global Service and Peace Corps Preparation Program (which you can read more about in the pdf). As of November 1st, I am serving as Interim Director until a new director is identified. Also with this transition, we would like to thank Stephen Macekura, Associate Professor in International Studies, for serving as the new advisor for the PhD Minors in Global Studies and Human Rights, which the Global Center continues to support.

The Global Center welcomed several new team members this year. Elisheva Cohen is the Postdoctoral Fellow in International Issues and Sustainable Development and is supported in collaboration by the Global Center’s Title VI National Resource Center grant, the Tobias Center for Innovation in International Development, and the Hamilton Lugar School. Elisheva has a PhD in Comparative and International Development Education from the University of Minnesota and has previously worked for a range of international development agencies, including UNICEF and the International Rescue Committee. The Global Center is also proud to host Kazeem Sanuth as the International Education Outreach Administrator, which is a new full-time position in HLS. Kazeem has a PhD in Second Language Acquisition from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he conducted an ethnographic study of American learners of Yoruba in South-West Nigeria. Linda Mann joined us in January as the Global Employability Coordinator, a position supported by all eight federally designated National Resource Centers and the Center for International Business Education and Research at Indiana University. You can read more about our new students and returning staff members here.

With this dynamic team, we have many other faculty, staff, and student partners at IU and community partners across Indiana and the nation that allow us to advance global studies and international education at all levels of education and beyond. We are particularly proud of the publication of the Indiana Language Roadmap, the culmination of a two-year U.S. Department of Defense grant. Stay tuned in 2020 for planned initiatives based around the project’s findings and recommendations. 2019 also marked the end of Year 1 of our status as a U.S. Department of Education National Resource Center and Foreign and Area Studies Fellowship granting unit and the beginning of Year 2.

Thank you for perusing our newsletter and for your involvement with the Center for the Study of Global Change. Whether we connected a while ago or last month, please reach out and let us know how we can continue to support you and your global education goals.

All the best to you in the new year!

-Eli Konwest