Taking International Journalism to New Levels

“The University was recently visited by a group of journalism students from Central Connecti-cut State University (CCSU), USA. These high flying students visited their University counter-parts on the de Havilland campus for a confer-ence on the challenges facing journalists and journalism students on both sides of the Atlan-tic. The event was organised by CCSU Profes-sor Vivian Martin and University Senior Lec-turer in Journalism, Sharon Maxwell Magnus. Presentations included the differences between UK and US defamation law, women's maga-zines and the treatment of a variety interna-tional stories. University students were also fascinated to learn that US student newspapers pay their staff a salary! For their part, the US students were impressed by the layout of British newspapers and horrified by the stringency of UK libel law. Both sets of stu-dents felt the meeting had not only increased their awareness of international issues in jour-nalism but increased their interest in taking a year abroad.”

Partner University in UK Impressed by Visiting CCSU Journalism Students

Study Abroad Participant Wins URCAD Award

CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSITY

WWW.CCSU.EDU/CIE

SPRING 2010 EDITION

ACCENT International The George R. Muirhead Center for International Education

Inside this issue:

*CIBER Conference *IELP Student Journalist

2

*Kyung Hee Program *Gilman Scholarship

3

*Images from Courses Abroad 2010

4

*International Festival * Visiting Scholar

5

*Voices for Peace *Where Have You Been? *Meet the Staff

6

*Conversation Partners *Fulbright Competition

7

*Contact Information 8

Sometimes short-term courses abroad can have a long-term impact on CCSU’s reputation with its part-ner universities. Recently, the following article appeared in the April 2010 issue of e-clips, the staff newspaper of one of CCSU’s partners in the UK, the University of Hertfordshire:

History major Laura Elliott, was chosen as

the recipient of the URCAD Senior Prize in

Arts and Humanities in Fall 2009. Laura’s

research project was a paper titled “City

Walls as Political Canvas: Loyalist and

Republican Murals in Derry,” which was

completed for History 498: Historical

Field Studies Abroad: Place, Politics, and

Memory in Irish History, in spring

2009. The paper involved research that

was inspired by the murals Laura visited

in the city of Derry, while on the Course

Abroad program led by CCSU Professor of

History Louise Williams.

The CCSU School of Business and

Center for International Education

collaborated with the University

of Connecticut’s Center for Inter-

national Business Education and

Research (CIBER) to present a

one-day academic conference for

business faculty and deans from

throughout the Northeast region.

The conference, Globalizing Busi-

ness Education, was held on

CCSU’s campus on Friday, April

9.

Funded by the U.S. Department

of Education and the UCONN

CIBER, conference participants

met to collectively identify cur-

rent obstacles to globalizing

business education on their

campus, and designed strate-

gies for successfully interna-

tionalizing the curriculum. Mr.

Angelo J. Tomasso, a member

of the Board of Trustees for

Connecticut State University

System since 2004, and Vice

President and Chief Financial

Officer of Otis Elevator, a divi-

sion of United Technologies

Corporation, presented the

keynote address. Conference

sessions were facilitated by

CCSU and UCONN Collaborate on April CIBER Conference

PAGE 2

SPRING 2010 EDITION

Star Vietnamese Journalist Studying in Intensive English Language Program

CCSU Marketing Professor Jean

Lefebvre and Professor of Fi-

nance Donna Sims. The confer-

ence was free of charge and

open to CCSU business faculty

as well as all other interested

individuals.

ACCENT International

Nam becomes the first Vietnamese

woman to summit Kilimanjaro

Nam (right center) with finalists on the

Vietnamese Everest Team

Nam writing in her tent “office” at

Everest Base Camp

IELP student Nam Hoai Nguyen is a talented, award-winning multimedia journalist from Vietnam. Nam has distinguished herself as a print and online newspaper reporter and editor, magazine writer, TV anchor and host, and blogger. Among Nam’s many accom-plishments, one item of particular note is that she hosted a program called "The Journey from Vietnam to Mount Everest." In the process of working on that project, she became the first woman from Vietnam to summit Kilimanjaro, and spent several months writing, editing, and hosting a weekly reality show from Everest Base Camp, all the while con-tinuing to write her weekly newspaper column. When asked about how she found the physical strength and endurance to literally climb mountains for her work, Nam said, “If you want to summit the mountain, you have to summit by your spirit, by your mind...I am a tiny person, but my spirit is big.” While improving her English language skills in the Intensive English Language Program, Nam continues to share her expertise as a journalist here in the U.S. She is currently serving as a member of the Culture Committee for the Institute for Vietnamese Culture and Education (IVCE) in New York City, and she has also been invited to be a guest speaker in the Vietnamese Language Program at Yale University. Nam plans to pursue a Master’s degree in Journalism at Quinnipiac University in Spring 2011.

Approaching the summit of Mount

Kilimanjaro

Kyung Hee University Offers New Sustainability Program

PAGE 3

SPRING 2010 EDITION ACCENT International

CCSU Student Receives Gilman Scholarship

We are pleased to announce that Ms. Jenna Aubertin, a junior Accounting major at CCSU, has received the highly competitive Gilman schol-

arship to support her studies abroad at the University of Hertfordshire in England this semester.

The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program offers grants for U.S. citizen undergraduate students to pursue academic stud-

ies abroad. The Gilman Scholarship Program aims to support students who have been traditionally under-represented in study abroad,

including but not limited to, students with high financial need, community college students, students in under-represented fields such as

the sciences and engineering, students with diverse ethnic backgrounds, and students with disabilities. The program seeks to assist stu-

dents from a diverse range of public and private institutions from all 50 states, Washington, DC and Puerto Rico. To be eligible, students

must be a U.S. Citizen studying at a 2 to 4 year college or university and receiving federal Pell Grant funding. Award recipients are chosen

by a competitive selection process and must use the award to defray eligible study abroad costs. For more information on the Gilman pro-

gram, visit http://www.iie.org/en/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program.

Images from Winter 2010 Course Abroad, United Arab Emirates

Kyung Hee University -- CCSU’s partner university in Seoul, South Korea – has added a

new summer program – Sustainable Development towards a Green Planet -- to its highly

successful and internationally-acclaimed Global Collaborative Summer Program, offered

in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania. CCSU students may now choose to

participate in either the new program, or the long-standing Global Governance and East

Asian Civilization program, which has been rising in popularity among CCSU students in

recent years.

The new program, Sustainable Development towards a Green Planet , provides increased

opportunities for CCSU students to study such topics as: climate and environmental

change; the international political economy of sustainability; energy systems engineer-

ing; renewable and green energy sources; water quality; and the future and challenge of

nuclear energy. This program is particularly suitable for geography, engineering, and

political science majors, though students of any major may apply.

The older program, Global Governance and East Asian Civilization, offers students two tracks of courses to choose from: Track I: United

Nations and International Non-Governmental Organizations, and Track II: Global Governance and East Asian Civilization.

Both programs are one-month long, and students can earn up to six credit hours. Program faculty are drawn from prestigious universities in

Asia and the United States, including Peking University, Ritsumeikan University, Moscow State University, and the University of Pennsyl-

vania.

Each summer, Central Connecticut State University students are invited to apply, and financial support is available through the Center for

International Education. For more information about both of these programs, visit the CIE’s website at www.ccsu.edu/coursesabroad and

click on summer 2010.

PAGE 4

SPRING 2010 EDITION ACCENT International

Images from Spring 2010 Course Abroad, Rome

Images from Winter 2010 London Passport Program

Images from Spring 2010 Course Abroad, Ireland

CCSU’s 2010 International Festival Big Success

PAGE 5

SPRING 2010 EDITION ACCENT International

English Department Welcomes Visiting Scholar Earlier this semester, the School of Arts and Sciences, the English Department, and the Center

for International Education welcomed Dr. Nicholas O. Pagan, Professor of English Literature and

Humanities at Eastern Mediterranean University, to CCSU as a Visiting Scholar for the spring

2010 semester.

Dr. Pagan specializes in American literature and in literary theory and criticism. He has taught

courses in contemporary American literature in relation to modernity, spirit, and technology;

moral philosophy; and globalization and cosmopolitanism; and comparative literature: twentieth

century and contemporary American and Arabic drama.

At CCSU he is currently teaching a sophomore level course in American literature and ethnicity

and a senior world literature course that focuses on Middle Eastern literature in translation. He is also working on a book-length manu-

script, Literary Minds and Memes, which he intends to submit to a university press this summer. He presented a talk on the topic on May 2.

Dr. Pagan has been delighted by the warm welcome that he has received at CCSU, especially by Professor Gil Gigliotti and other colleagues

in the English department, and he would be happy to repeat the exchange at some point in the future.

Dr. Pagan may be reached at 832-1720 or by e-mail to Nicholas.pagan@ccsu.edu.

CCSU’s 2010 International Festival

was held on Sunday, April 11th from

12 p.m. – 4 p.m. in the Alumni Hall

of the Student Center. This year, the

Festival theme was Engaging Global

Communities. Appropriate to that

theme, the Festival featured over 20

exhibit booths, food samples, and

performances presented by CCSU

international students, local commu-

nity organizations, and campus clubs

and organizations. The Festival, co-

sponsored by the CCSU Center for

International Education and Interna-

tional Relations Club, was open to

the public and free of charge.

An event organized by CCSU’s Peer Mediators and the International Relations Club, the Voices for Peace Assembly at Smith Middle School in Glastonbury, was a great success. CCSU students addressed a crowd of 7th and 8th graders on April 14. One CCSU participant, Hamed Yusuf, shared a letter reflecting on the value of this community engagement experience:

It’s quite elating to have had the pleasure of addressing a young and vibrant group of minds like those at the Glastonbury middle school we visited today. I think something like this should be undertaken more often because the few words and photographs that were spoken and displayed may just be that definitive advice that would positively in-fluence the decisions of these kids at some point in their lives.

Affording both the kids and ourselves exposure to the diverse cultures of the inhabitants of this one planet we all call home is very vital to the perception and appreciation we will have for ourselves and those that seem quite “different” from us. Enabling us understand our uniqueness whilst celebrating our similarities and all the other fun stuff we share as one people, inevitably promoting peace across the globe: one kid/young mind at a time.

I will be happy to participate in such a presentation again. In addition, I will encourage looking in this direction of engaging young minds as a public service and gift to humanity by educating these minds about the peoples of the world.

From Nigeria with love, I leave a message of Peace.

Hamed Yusuf Proudly Nigerian M.S. Technology Management Class of 2010

CCSU Students Participate in Voices for Peace Assembly at Local Middle School

PAGE 6

SPRING 2010 EDITION

Meet the Staff: Lisa Marie Bigelow

A member of the CIE staff since

1995, Ms. Bigelow’s responsibili-

ties as Associate Director include

providing administrative support

(program design and develop-

ment, contract administration,

policy and processes) to the

University’s growing array of

study abroad programs, includ-

ing short-term faculty led

Course Abroad programs and

full-semester/year-long study

abroad programs.

Ms. Bigelow is the University’s

liaison to USCIS and the U.S.

Department of Labor regarding

employment-based immigration

issues, she co-edits the CIE’s

newsletter ACCENT International,

and assists the CIE Director, as

requested, with budgeting, re-

porting, new initiatives, and spe-

cial projects.

Ms. Bigelow has a B.S. degree in

International Business and an

International MBA, is a member

of NAFSA: Association of Interna-

tional Educators, and is the Cam-

pus Coordinator for (and an

alumna of) the Fulbright Program.

ACCENT International

Lisa Marie Bigelow, Associate Director,

Center for International Education

The wall of International Peace - Arbat Quarter –

Moscow.

(Online image) http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=peace&w=all#page=2

Where have you been?

The Center for International Education is seeking photos and stories about the international travels of faculty

and staff. If you’ve recently been abroad and would like to share some of your photos and/or travel stories

with us, send an e-mail to Erin Beecher at beecher_er@ccsu.edu. With your permission, your photos may be

published in our newsletter or other publications or on our website.

PAGE 7

SPRING 2010 EDITION

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR IELP CONVERSATION PARTNERS PROGRAM

Would you like to help your students have an international experience at CCSU without leav-ing the campus? If so, then you might consider encouraging them to volunteer to become a Conversation Partner for the Intensive English Language Program (IELP).

Being a Conversation Partner offers American students an opportunity to share their ideas and interests with a peer from another part of the world. CCSU faculty and staff members and their families are also welcome to volunteer.

The IELP staff pairs volunteers with IELP students who are interested in improving their English conversation skills, and learning more about life in the United States. Volunteers and partners usually meet for just one hour per week, but the connections they make can be long-lasting.

Working with IELP can be an easy way to add an international dimension to your class; you might choose to offer extra credit to students who volunteer, or you can take the relation-ship a step further by partnering with an IELP class for a shared group activity.

For more information, please contact:

Christie Ward * wardc@ccsu.edu

Carmetta Williams * williamsc@ccsu.edu

Application forms are also available on the IELP Home Page.

ACCENT International

Fulbright U.S. Student Program Competition Opens

International Study or Research Grants and English Teaching Assistantships

Now Available

New York, NY (May 1, 2010) – The Institute of International Education (IIE), in cooperation with the U.S. Department of State and the J.

William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, is pleased to announce the launch of the 2011-2012 Fulbright U.S. Student Program competi-

tion.

For more than 60 years, the federal government-sponsored Fulbright U.S. Student Program has provided future American leaders with an

unparalleled opportunity to study, conduct research, and teach in other countries. Fulbright grants aim to increase mutual understanding

among nations through educational and cultural exchange while serving as a catalyst for long-term leadership development.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards over 1,500 grants annually and currently operates in more than 140 countries worldwide.

Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships are now available to over 50 countries. Fulbright grants provide funding for round-trip travel,

maintenance for one academic year, health and accident coverage, and may also provide full or partial tuition.

Applicants to the Fulbright U.S. Student Program must be U.S. citizens at the time of application and hold a bachelor’s degree or the

equivalent by the beginning of the grant. In the creative and performing arts, four years of professional training and/or experience meets

this basic eligibility requirement. Professional applicants lacking a degree but with an extensive professional study and/or experience in

the field in which they wish to pursue a project may also be considered. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program does not require applicants to

be currently enrolled in a college or university. Applications from young professionals interested in an international experience are also

encouraged.

For more information, interested individuals should visit the Fulbright U.S. Student Program website at www.us.fulbrightonline.org. Students currently enrolled at CCSU should contact their campus Fulbright Program Advisor Lisa Marie Bigelow for more information. Ap-plications must be submitted electronically to bigelow@ccsu.edu by the campus closing date of September 24, 2010. For the national deadline, applications must be submitted electronically by October 18, 2010.

Center for International Education

Henry Barnard Hall, Room 123

1615 Stanley Street

New Britain, CT 06050 USA

Phone: 860-832-2040

Fax: 860-832-2047

CIE FULL-TIME STAFF

CONTACT INFO AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Dr. Nancy Birch-Wagner, Director

(832-2050 / wagnernab@ccsu.edu)

University internationalization initiatives, overall Center plan-

ning, management, budget, staffing, and reporting

Ms. Lisa Marie Bigelow, Associate Director

(832-2042 / bigelow@ccsu.edu)

Course Abroad Program administration, bilateral partnership

negotiations and renewals, CCSU employment-based immigra-

tion, Special Initiatives, and CIE webmaster

Ms. Christie L. Ward, Associate Director, CIE and Coordinator,

IELP (832-2703 / wardc@ccsu.edu)

Curriculum design, instructor hiring and supervision, student

testing and placement, marketing and student recruitment for

the Intensive English Language Program

Ms. Toyin Ayeni, Coordinator, International Student and

Scholar Services (832-2052 / ayeni_olu@ccsu.edu)

Immigration advising, programming, and orientation for F-1 and

J-1 international students

Ms. Nancy Weissmann, International Education Coordinator

(832-2217 / weissmannn@ccsu.edu)

Marketing, recruitment, placement and administration of study

abroad programs

Ms. Carol Lummis, Secretary II, CIE

(832-2040 / lummiscaj@ccsu.edu)

Ms. Carmetta Williams, Secretary II, IELP

(832-3376 / williamsc@ccsu.edu)

CENTRAL CONNECTICUT

STATE UNIVERSITY

WWW.CCSU.EDU/CIE

Comments or questions about the CIE Newsletter? Contact the co-editors:

Lisa Marie Bigelow (bigelow@ccsu.edu)

Christie Ward (wardc@ccsu.edu)

Center for International Education

Central Connecticut State University

Henry Barnard Hall, Room 123

1615 Stanley Street

New Britain, CT 06050 USA

Visit us on the web!

www.ccsu.edu/cie

www.ccsu.edu/studyabroad

www.ccsu.edu/coursesabroad

2010 COURSE ABROAD PROGRAMS

CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSITY Center for International Education

Access the full 2010 Course Abroad Catalog by clicking on the

cover below or call us at (860) 832-2040 to request a copy by mail.

Where in the world will you go?