2022 really felt like we were back in the thick of it, supporting internationalization goals across the campus, our local communities, Indiana, and the nation. We have some exciting developments at the center; first, we are delighted to be once again designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a National Resource Center for International/Global Studies and as a Foreign Language and Area Studies grantee, designations that will remain through 2026. We are joined by colleagues across the Hamilton Lugar School and the Kelley School of Business in receiving more funding from the Title VI program than any other institution in the country. My deepest gratitude for all those who assisted in the application process. With this funding, the Global Center will continue to offer the highest quality in programming over the next four years.
Eli Konwest CGC Director
Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship Coordinator
Institute for Curriculum and Campus Internationalization Director
We witnessed some transitions in staffing at the Global Center in the last year as well. Our Postdoctoral Fellow in Sustainable Development, Dr. Elisheva Cohen, moved to a new position in the Hamilton Lugar School as Director of International Education Programs and Outreach. We’re delighted that she will be staying at Indiana University and continuing to collaborate on a wide variety of programs. We also welcomed a new Associate Director. Dr. Taurean Webb joins us from the Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary at Northwestern where he was the director of the Center for the Church and the Black Experience and completed his PhD. Welcome Taurean! Two new Graduate Assistants joined the team - Derya Doğan and Isaiah Green. And several staff continued on with the Global Center this year including Global Employability Coordinator Linda Mann, undergraduate program assistant Dawn Lipperd, and administrative assistant Nicholas Burrus. We are thankful for everyone’s dedication to the mission of the Global Center and all their hard work.
Global Center director, Eli Konwest, poses with IU colleagues at the U.S. Department of Education meeting in Washington D.C. for a joint meeting Title VI National Resource Center and Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship awardees from across the country.
We invite you to join our listserv or follow us on social media to learn more about our upcoming events and opportunities in 2023. Some of these include workshops and events sponsored by the Muslim Voices project, hosting an artist in residence as part of our longstanding Arts & Refugees project, and multiple summer institutes for educators. Two institutes in particular to “Save the Date” are theGlobal Community-Engaged Course Development Institute and the2023 Institute for Campus and Curriculum Internationalization. Lastly, we’ll be hiring a new Postdoctoral Fellow to join us in August 2023 in partnership with the Randall L. and Deborah F. Tobias Center for Innovation in International Development and the Hamilton Lugar School.
Global Center staff hosted a donation drive across the IU Global and International Studies to support clients of the Bloomington office of Exodus Refugee Immigration. Our colleagues generously overloaded donation bins with supplies for our new neighbors.
I invite you to read on for more in depth discussion on 2022 including the successful return of the Institute for Campus and Curriculum Internationalization, our impressive fellowship and scholarship recipients, and our innovative outreach programs. Thank you for reading and thank you for your partnerships.
