Udo Fluck Joins International Programs

When Udo Fluck taught his first UM course in global competence in 2004 he had a total enrollment of 10 students. The need to accommodate the challenge of today’s changing workforce, which demands international and global knowledge and skills in college graduates made his courses popular among students. With demand increasing, Fluck developed and taught a variety of courses over the years in the Department of Geography, the School of Business Administration, the Davidson Honors College, and UM’s Summer Film Institute. This past academic year, Fluck taught over 600 students!

His courses have been invaluable to students planning foreign study or international humanitarian service, and enhance the competitiveness of

students preparing for careers in international commerce or diplomacy. Last month Fluck joined International Programs, where he will play a leading role in the development and implementation of the new International and Global Studies major. He will continue to teach courses in the new major through the Department of Anthropology in the years to come.

Parallel to his teaching Fluck has been heading the office of Multicultural Learning Solutions (MLS), which provides professional cultural and global competence training at UM. During the past years, Fluck has developed over 130 diverse MLS workshops and seminars. MLS, a unique, hybrid, interactive and award-winning instructional approach to multicultural learning, is utilized to train individuals to become more internationally minded and competent in today’s global world. MLS, now integrated in the International Programs, will continue to contribute to greater cross-cultural understanding on campus and in the greater community.

Fluck’s work represents a major contribution to the internationalization efforts of The University of Montana, and has been recognized through the receipt of over 10 teaching and faculty awards in recent years, including the Nancy Borgmann Diversity Award and an Outstanding Teaching Award from the School of Business Administration at UM. For five years, Fluck has also been the recipient of the Faculty Appreciation Award for Teaching and Mentorship, and the 2008 Special Recognition Award by UM’s Office of the Vice-President for Student Affairs.

Fluck was born, raised, and received his primary education in Germany. He holds a Ph.D. and two Master’s degrees from The University of Montana with an emphasis in multicultural education and instructional media technology. During the past decade, Fluck has worked as a curriculum developer, faculty member, and cross-cultural researcher in Germany and the United States. Since the mid-90s, he has been the author, co-author and presenter of numerous research studies and presenter at national and international conferences. He is a published author, with research studies in numerous peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Global Business and the Journal of Teaching in International Business.

Udo Fluck (Photo by Todd Goodrich)

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