International Campus Update
February 15, 2002
Headlines
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT LEGISLATION: The Kennedy-Feinstein bill has passed the House, but still needs to be approved by the Senate. This bill would clarify the types of data universities will need to track and report on international students. The SEVIS tracking system is scheduled to be operational on Jan. 1, 2003. Applications from international graduate students are up 34 percent at the University from this time last year. Undergraduate applicants are also up. Students and scholars may face a more rigorous visa screening process — the INS says the visa process may take up to three months. Colleges are encouraged to make their decisions as early as possible to allow enough time to process visas.
OIP continues to monitor news, legislation, and issues related to international education and the events of September 11. Updated information and resources are posted on the OIP website.
GLOBAL SEMINAR PROPOSALS: University faculty have the opportunity to lead short-term study abroad programs over Winter Break or May Session. Faculty leaders design the program around a particular theme or topic, which may be specific to one discipline or cross-disciplinary. There are opportunities to lead programs at locations world-wide where Global Campus has partners on-site. Faculty receive a salary stipend plus expenses. Proposals for programs are due on May 1, 2002, for programs during Winter Break 2002 and May Session 2003. For more information, visit the Global Campus website or contact Sophie Gladding at 612-626-0597 or gladd001@umn.edu.
INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FAIR: Thursday, February 21, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the lower concourse of Willey Hall. Information on and representatives from international programs including: study, work, internships, and volunteer/service. Raffle prizes will include Eurail passes and travel vouchers! All staff and faculty are welcome as well. Sponsored by the International Service and Travel Center.
WAIVERS AND INSURANCE: As the travel season approaches and faculty contemplate leading study tours and other departmentally sponsored programs abroad, it is important to consider University liability issues as well as health insurance coverage. For more information on international medical evacuation insurance as well as sample waivers, please contact Kathleen Sellew, OIP, at 612-626-8834 or k-sell@umn.edu.
PHOTO EXHIBIT: "Focus on New Beijing" will be on display through February 28 at the Wilson Library – Fourth Floor Gallery. Hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and noon to 5 p.m. on weekends. The exhibit is organized by the East Asian Library, China Center, and U.S.-China Peoples Friendship Association – Minnesota Chapter.
BORLAUG TO RECEIVE AWARD: The National Academy of Sciences will present its Public Welfare Medal to Norman Borlaug, U alumnus and Nobel Peace Prize winner. The award is presented annually to honor the extraordinary use of science for the public good. Borlaug is honored for improving agricultural techniques and food production in the developing world.
Campus and College News
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES: David Biesboer, professor of plant biology, traveled to Brazil last fall to conduct research related to coastal lagoons. Assistant Professor George Weiblen led a group who toured rainforests in Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, and Brazil last fall to research the similarities and differences among the rainforests. Photos and the complete story can be found in the CBS newsletter "Frontiers."
CONTINUING EDUCATION: "The Stem Cell Revolution," part of the Great Conversations series, will be held March 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the Ted Mann Concert Hall. Catherine Verfaillie, director of the U’s Stem Cell Institute, will be joined by Dr. Austin Smith, director of the Centre for Genome Research at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Tickets are $20 for faculty, staff, and students. Order tickets at 612-624-2345 or online. For more information about the event, go to Stem Cell. OIP provided funding to support Smith’s travel.
COLLEGE OF CONTINUING EDUCATION: The College of Continuing Education’s Master of Liberal Studies (MLS) program will offer its first study abroad venture in March. The seminar, "The Persistence of Ancient Greece in the Arts: The Threshold of Memory," is a collaboration between the MLS program and the Graduate Liberal Studies program at Hamline University.
DULUTH: Erik Brown, Associate Professor of Geological Sciences, is a 2001-2002 Fulbright Scholar at Centre European de Recherche et d'Enseignment de Geosciences de l'Environnement (CEREGE) in Aix-en-Provence, France. This year he is also serving as a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the French Fulbright Commission.
Researchers from the Duluth campus will travel to Lake Malawi in eastern Africa late next year to study climactic history. Researchers will obtain sediment samples from the lake’s bottom in an attempt to understand the evolution of the Earth’s climate. Read the complete story in the Star Tribune.
GENERAL COLLEGE: Jill Trites, a teaching specialist in General College (Twin Cities), spent one month in Nairobi last summer teaching a cultural orientation class for people who have been accepted as refugees by the U.S. Trites received an OIP travel grant to help fund her trip. At the University, Trites works with the Commanding English program for University freshmen who are non-native speakers of English, many of whom are refugees or immigrants. For more information about her trip, go to Trites.
HUMPHREY INSTITUTE: Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden, founder and honorary chair of the World Childhood Foundation, will present the next Distinguished Carlson Lecture, Feb. 27, at 12:15 p.m. in Northrop Auditorium. The Queen’s speech on the rights and needs of children in developing nations and around the world is free and open to the public. Tickets are available in 130 Humphrey or by calling 612-625-5002.
MACARTHUR BROWN BAG: Anna White will present "Globalization, Big Tobacco & the American Dream: Tracking the Marlboro Man in Senegal" on Feb. 22 from noon to 1 p.m. in 246 Social Sciences on the West Bank. In 1996, White spent seven months in Senegal through the University’s Minnesota Studies in International Development (MSID) program. She returned as a Fulbright Fellow in 1997-98 to research the tobacco industry's activities in the country and the grassroots movement to counter it. White is currently the coordinator of Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control.
MEDICAL SCHOOL: The day-long conference "Women’s Health and Human Rights – International Perspectives" will be held March 8 at the Radisson Hotel Metrodome. Some topics include Women, War, and Torture; Women and HIV/AIDS, and Reproductive Health and Women’s Rights. The conference is free to the first 100 students and $25 for University faculty and staff. Call 612-626-7600 or view the brochure online.
MINNESOTA INTERNATIONAL CENTER: "The Afghan Refugee Situation: Past, Present and Future" - a panel discussion on the Afghan refugee situation and the historical context of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and South Asia. Feb. 19, 6 to 7:30 p.m., Humphrey Auditorium, non-members $5, advance registration requested. To register, call 612-626-6204 or go online.
Funding Opportunities and Announcements
TRAVEL GRANTS: Travel grants are designed to enable University faculty on all campuses to participate in one-time research or conference opportunities, or to fund initial phases of projects that will ultimately be supported by other sources. To receive a 2002-2003 application, call OIP at 612-624-5580, stop by 645 Heller Hall, or download the forms. Applications may also be made online. Grants will be made each term on a competitive basis. The first deadline is April 1 for projects commencing in May, June, July, or August. Complete information about Travel Grants is available on the OIP website. Read above about Jill Trites, who recently received a travel grant to go to Nairobi.
DUNN PEACE AWARD DEADLINE: The J.W.G. Dunn Jr. Scholarship for Foreign Research on International Peace was developed to provide an annual award for a University of Minnesota student to pursue research abroad dealing with issues of direct relevance to international peace. Application deadline is March 1, 2002. For more information, contact Stephanie Bettermann, OIP, at 612-624-5580 or bette011@umn.edu or go online.
PEACE CORPS: There is still time to go abroad through the Peace Corps this summer. Learn more by attending the International Opportunities Fair, Feb. 21, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Willey Hall lower concourse or the Nonprofit Career Fair, Feb. 28, noon to 4 p.m., Humphrey Atrium. Or contact Matthew Dufresne at 612-348-1480 (ext. 226) or mdufresne@peacecorps.gov.
FULBRIGHT: Anne Marie Cooper, a graduate student in Fisheries (TC), is the second winner of the Graduate School’s Fulbright Scholarship Exchange Program with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway. Her research focuses on genetic conservation of Atlantic salmon, a topic in which Norway is a world leader. Cooper was recently featured in the Star Tribune.
GILMAN: Angie Grafing, a student in the College of Liberal Arts (TC), has received a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to participate in a study abroad program during spring semester 2002. Angie is going on the U of Kansas Costa Rica program in San Jose for calendar year 2002.
IRSEP: The 2002-2003 International Reciprocal Student Exchange Program scholarship recipients are Matthew Bowlby, Susannah Dodge, Nick Johnson, Ryan Johnson, Katie Maline, and Erin Streff. The IRSEP scholarship supports a full academic year of study in China, Germany, Malaysia, Senegal, or Tanzania.
University of Minnesota
International Campus Update
Vol. 3, No. 1
Office of International Programs
Assoc. Vice President: C. Eugene Allen
Editor: Jennifer Schulz
Interested persons may request to receive this newsletter as an e-mail update by contacting the editor at schul160@umn.edu or calling 612-624-0557.
The next issue will be sent in March. International Campus Update welcomes submissions. Please send items to be included to schul160@umn.edu or call 612-624-0557.