Newsletter of the UAHuntsville Office of International Programs and Services

GLOBALPERSPECTIVES
Participants on the Study of the United States Institute for Azerbaijani Student Leaders visit the Huntsville Islamic Center

November 2011
Programs in 2011 2011 has been an exciting and busy year for the OIPS. See an overview of the programs conducted and recent campus and community initiatives. Page 2 OIPS in Numbers Discover the OIPS at a glance - statistics on visitors, students, and scholarships in 2011. Page 2 A Hosts Perspective Hear from David and Olga Lee, new members of the OIPS host family community. The Lees have hosted for three programs this year and recently visited two Open World program alumni in Moldova. Page 3 Alumni Spotlight Cristina Poleacovschi, a former U.S. government-sponsored exchange student, has been honored by the U.S. Department of State and the PEO Sisterhood. Page 3

Volume 4 . Issue 1
From Our Ambassadors Five UAH students who participated in this summers SUSI program describe what being a part of SUSI meant to them. Page 3 Citizen Diplomat Award OIPS Director, Dr. John Pottenger, has been named 2011 Citizen Diplomat of the Year by the International Services Council of Alabama. Page 4

Directors Note John R. Pottenger, Ph.D.

Greetings! In this issue of Global Perspectives, we present glimpses into the lives, events, and accomplishments of selected international students, visiting groups, and community supporters who have contributed to the projects of the OIPS in its responsibility to advance the universitys mission in the global arena. Currently, the 550 inter national students at UAHuntsville come from nearly 80 countries. They contribute in crucial and countless ways to the intellectual and cultural environment of the university. The OIPS assists these students in acclimating to their new surroundings at UAHuntsville and the community. Over the year s, many of the international students have been sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, or their home countries. The OIPS partners with select agencies to bring these students to campus. Since the inception of these partnerships, by the end of this academic year, nearly 200 sponsored students representing 45 countries will have studied at UAHuntsville. This years sponsored students represent the countries of Chile, Montenegro, Myanmar, Nicaragua, and Pakistan. In addition to providing services for international students, the OIPS also conducted programs with participants from ve continents. Educators, government ofcials, and medical professionals from Kenya to China, from Tajikistan to Moldova, from Azerbaijan to Brazil, just to name a few countries of origin participated in p ro f e s s i o n a l d eve l o p m e n t p ro g r a m s conducted on campus, in the community, in the state, or across the country. Provost Vistasp Karbhari, Vice-President for Research John Horack, Vice-President of Diversity Delois Smith, and the deans and many faculty members of the colleges of Business, Liberal Arts, Nursing, and Science

contributed in very substantial ways to the success of these programs. During the spring 2012 semester, we will have 16 high school teachers from Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Morocco, Senegal, and South Africa enrolling in academic courses, participating in local school internships, and attending workshops. We invite you to contact us to nd out how you may contribute to the success of international students as well as participate in exciting international programs at UAHuntsville!

International Programs in 2011

ILEP Community Connections Study of the US Institute STAR

OIPS in Numbers

2011
Program Visitors

55
From January through May, fteen international secondary school teachers called UAH and Huntsville home as they completed UAHs second International Leaders in Education Program (ILEP). The teachers hailed from eight countries in Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia. I L E P i s a n i n t e n s i ve professional development program designed to further develop participants expertise in their teaching disciplines, enhance their teaching and leadership skills, and increase their knowledge of the United States. In addition to enjoying numerous cultural activities, the teachers audited university courses, interned in local middle and high schools, and wrote two professional development training modules.
ILEP is a sponsored program of the U.S. Department of State and the nonprot organization IREX.

For three weeks in March and April, the OIPS, in partnership with the UAH College of Nursing, conducted the Community Connections Program (CCP) for ten medical professionals and healthcare educators from Tajikistan. Dean Fay Raines and Dr. Pam ONeal designed a program that focused on public health education and management. The program gave participants the opportunity to observe the American healthcare system rsthand and to learn current bestp r a c t i c e s i n h e a l t h c a re delivery and education. Delegates were exposed to a cadre of professional leaders and practitioners, as well as to the exceptional facilities at UAH, the numerous medical providers in Huntsville, the UAB School of Medicine in Birmingham, and the Center fo r D i s e a s e C o n t ro l i n Atlanta.
CCP is a sponsored program of the U.S. Agency for International Development and World Learning.

During the six-week Study of the United States Institute (SUSI), twenty-three college students from Azerbaijan examined issues of civic engagement, race, gender, and immigration in the US. The students spent the summer strengthening their English skills, participating in academic seminars, engaging in service learning activities, attending cultural events, and enjoying time with local friendship families. The participants also developed four action research projects, on topics from volunteerism to election transparency. In addition, six UAH students acted as cultural and academic ambassadors for the participants (see Charger Perspectives on page 3). SUSI concluded with a seven-day study tour from Selma to the United States/ Mexico border on the Tohono O'odham Indian reservation and to Washington, D.C.
SUSI is a sponsored program of the U.S. Department of State and IREX.

Since 1999, the OIPS has annually administered the Success Through Academic Research (STAR) Project: The Independent Study Scholarship Program for Alabama teachers. By awarding scholarships of up to $4,000, the STAR Project provides Alabama teachers (K-12) with an opportunity to engage in an independent study program to enhance their understanding of the classroom subjects they teach. During the 2010-11 academic year, the OIPS sent nine teachers from ve school systems across Alabama to study in locations across the United States and abroad. Topics of study included research on life in the rainforests of Peru, literary explorations of Acadian culture in Nova Scotia, and an archaeological excavation in the ancient city of Tiberias, Israel.
STAR is a sponsored program of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education.

International Students
(US government sponsored)

14
Chinese Exchange Students
(with the College of Business)

32
American Teachers Sent Abroad
(STAR Program)

9
Countries
(of visitors and students)

22
Continents
(of visitors and students)

In addition to the programs above, the OIPS has been active in many initiatives on the UAHuntsville campus and in the North Alabama community. The OIPS continued to act as the campus logistical coordinator to assist Dean Caron St. John and Dr. Yeqing Bao with the College of Business Administrations Chinese student exchange programs with Hohai and Tsinghua universities, assisted a Fulbright visiting scholar from Tajikistan in the Department of Chemistry, partnered with the International Services Council of Alabama to host the Global Perspectives Institute speaker series, co-sponsored the second annual International Festival of North Alabama, and conducted an Open World program for six information technology entrepreneurs from Moldova (see A Hosts Perspective on page 3 for more information on Open World).

From left to right: Matt Lee, Vitali Esanu, Olga Lee, Victor Tihai

Charger Perspectives SUSI Student Ambassadors

How did participating in SUSI increase your understanding of another culture?
Ethan Shutt Learning about another culture has always been fascinating to me. We learn about each others similarities, such as technology and communications. We also learn about stark differences between our cultures. Listening to the rationale behind the customs is enlightening and intriguing. The more different the cultures are, the more I get the privilege to learn. Araseli Ramirez [SUSI] increased my knowledge of the Azerbaijani culture by interacting with students from there and experiencing different things such as food, music, dances, etc. It was an awesome experience! Lauren Richter The personalities, the senses of humor, and the social dynamics are all so much like American college students, that spending time with the participants didn't feel very different from hanging out with my friends. I don't think I would have gotten to see the parallels between our cultures had I not been an ambassador. Sharrian Taylor I learned, from my colleagues from Azerbaijan, that the United States has a huge and powerful impact, not only economically but socially also, on a great portion of the world ... My colleagues from Azerbaijan knew famous U.S. songs and musicians, and wanted to be like the U.S. very much socially. Keaton Aldrup As a SUSI ambassador, I had the opportunity to experience another culture in academic, formal, personal, and campus settings. I believe the wide variety of activities provided by the program plus spending a lot of personal time with the members of another culture allowed me to get to know the SUSI participants, develop lifelong friendships, and to learn about their customs, differences, and similarities.

A Hosts Perspective By: Olga Lee, OIPS Host

The Lee family hosted Victor and Vitali for the Open World program from March 18-26, 2011. The program brought six IT businessmen from Moldova to explore the topic of accountable governance and private sector development. Open World was the first OIPS program in which the Lees had ever participated. Very surprisingly, our first delegation to host was from my home country and where I lived until just last year The Republic of Moldova. Reading Victors and Vitalis bios, our two expected guests, I had a feeling that we must know each other from our social or professional life in Moldova. Since both of them are IT specialists, I decided to search their profiles on Facebook. Sure enough, both had active profiles, and we had more than fifty friends in common! Our family was very excited to meet them. Our time together in Huntsville was as exciting and rewarding as our expectations. Victor and Vitali turned out to be very sociable, agreeable, and intelligent people, and the time we spent together passed too quickly. We enjoyed endless conversations about life in Moldova and America; discussions about mutual professional interests; pleasant promenades in the parks; introducing them to margaritas and southern dinners; trips to baseball games, museums and other Alabama attractions. When it came time for them to leave it was difficult to accept that our time together had come to an end. We agreed to stay in touch and promised to meet with them the next time our family visited Moldova. Since their departure we have followed each other on Facebook and have exchanged news from time to time. While preparing for our trip to Moldova in October this year, we informed both Victor and Vitali of our travel plans. We decided we should all get together soon after our arrival. On a rainy, fall Sunday, we met at a small French caf in downtown Chisinau [the capital of Moldova]. In the hours that followed, we updated each other and talked about the professional achievements of Victor and Vitali since returning

...

from the United States, their future plans, our families, the spring tornados in Alabama, world news, and on and on. The time passed quickly. Sure enough they remembered and spoke fondly of our time spent together in Huntsville and even complained about their inability to find a good margarita in Moldova! While the big people were busy talking, the children, Vitalis son Mihai and our son Matt, enjoyed playing DS games together. Mihai (who is 5 years old) took our picture before we departed! It was a special day during our trip back to Moldova. We will surely continue to stay in contact with both Victor and Vitali. All three of the delegations we have hosted have become a part of our lives. We remain in touch with all of them and enjoy sharing with them our achievements and learning about their latest news and happy moments!

Alumni Spotlight:

Christina Poleacovschi
Congratulations to Cristina Poleacovschi for receiving the Named Ventura Neale Inter national Peace Scholarship award, sponsored by the P.E.O. Sisterhood.The OIPS hosted Cristina in 2008-09 as an undergraduate exchange student on the U.S. Department of State-sponsored UGRAD program. Upon returning home to Moldova, she organized community service initiatives in Moldova, and was named the U.S. Department of State Alumni Member of the Month in April 2010 for her community leadership and involvement. In fall 2010, Cristina returned to UAHuntsville, where she is currently pursuing a MS in Chemical Engineering. After completing her degree, she hopes to use her training to strengthen Moldova's infrastructure and economy, decrease emissions, and reduce dependence on foreign fuels. Cristina, we are proud of you, and we are glad you have chosen UAHuntsville as your home away from home!

CONTACT


PHONE 256.824.6055 FAX 256.824.6142

THE OIPS

OIPS Staff (from left to right): Kathleen Sobai, Julie Chamberlain, Tammy Thornton, Anita Rathz, Dr. John Pottenger

2011 Citizen Diplomat of the Year: John Pottenger

On October 12, OIPS Director Dr. John Pottenger was named the 2011 Citizen Diplomat of the Year by the Inter national Services Council of Alabama. The award honors an Alabama citizen who has demonstrated leadership and an outstanding dedication to promoting citizen diplomacy, and whose activities have increased mutual understanding, strengthened ties, promoted international cooperation, and developed peaceful relations between people of the United States and another country or countries. U n d e r D r. P o t t e n g e r s direction, the OIPS mission has expanded to every corner of the globe, but one of the greatest legacies of his tenure has been - and continues to be - his humanity. He takes on the role of instructor, mentor, and friend (and occasionally even surrogate father) for the international students and visitors who pass through the OIPS. In testament to this generosity of spirit, over thirty OIPS alumni contributed t o D r. P o t t e n g e r s a w a r d nomination, and his influence is evident in the endorsement from SUSI alumna Linara Aliyeva: [Dr. Pottenger] clearly proves how one can be a profoundly knowledgeable, caring, attentive and friendly teacher, honorable representative of his country and culture! Dr. Pottenger, due to his outstanding personality, made usrepresentatives of other culturesrespect and love Americans! Happy for myself that Iknow such a personality and lucky for you that you have such a teacher who will influence and teach the future generation of America! Congratulations, Dr. Pottenger, and thank you on behalf of the OIPS staff and all of the students, educators, and professionals both here and abroad who have benefited from your vision and dedication!

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GLOBALPERSPECTIVES

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