On June 4-7, 2015, the Title VI Center for International Business Education (CIBE) at Georgia State University (GSU) and the MSI Consortium of eleven CIBEs hosted the "Faculty Development in International Business: Globalization Workshops". The globalization workshops are designed to help U.S. business faculty bring international content and context into the classroom and to expand their global knowledge and skills.

Over 75 faculty members, workshop leaders, and special guests from the United States and abroad participated in this year's event. GSU-CIBE was especially proud to offer 28 Faculty Fellowship Awards in 2015 to help defray participation costs for faculty from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), two-year colleges and institutions, and those with little or no professional development funds.

Since 1992, the Globalization Workshops have trained over 1,000 faculty members from around the United States and other countries. Each workshop is led by one or two world-class educators who incorporate international business content, pedagogy, and resources for teaching in their courses. GSU-CIBE is already planning for next year's workshops, to be held June 2-5, 2016.

This July, sixteen K-12 teachers from the United States traveled to China with the Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program. The program provides short-term study and travel seminars abroad for U.S. educators in the social sciences and humanities for the purpose of improving their understanding and knowledge of the people and cultures of other countries.

This summer's seminar group traveled to China for four weeks, participating in educational lectures and activities specifically designed for the program and touring cultural sites. The K-12 teachers learned about China's educational system first-hand through visits to China's Ministry of Education, Beijing's Dandelion School and Nong Jia Nu School, Tsinghua University, Chongqing's Tongliang Middle School, and the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, where they visited with educators, students, government officials, and public policy experts.

Participants also learned about Chinese history, arts, religion, and traditional medicine through visits to Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Qin Terra Cotta Warriors, Banpo Neolithic village, Beijing's Dashanzi Art District, the Great Mosque, Jing'an Temple, and the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Now that they have returned to the United States, the teachers will use their summer experience in China to develop new, cross-cultural curricula for their classrooms. They will share what they have learned with their own students, other teachers in their school districts, and colleagues throughout the country.

Clemencia Spizzirri, whose passion for helping students and families stems from her own childhood in Ecuador, is Iowa's 2015 Teacher of the Year. Spizzirri teaches Spanish at Merrill Middle School in Des Moines Public Schools, where she is known for helping needy children and families understand the power of a high-quality education.

ED's International and Foreign Language Education Office recently interviewed Ms. Spizzirri about her work helping students gain skills for success in the globalized society of the 21st century:

Dr. Timothy Duvall of IFLE's Advanced Training and Research Division participated this summer in the panel review for the U.S. Department of State's Title VIII Program for the Study of Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union, administered by the Bureau of Intelligence and Research. Following Tim’s assistance in the grant application review and selection process, IFLE’s Senior Director, Lenore Yaffee Garcia, represented the department at the public meeting that convened on August 4 to recommend grant recipients for the FY 2014 competition. The meeting included opening statements by the Chair and members of the committee, and, within the committee, discussion of grant agreements with national organizations with an interest and expertise in conducting research and training concerning the countries of Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union.

The IFLE team is hard at work to award fiscal year (FY) 2015 new and continuation grants worth over $70 million under the Title VI and Fulbright-Hays programs. Grants will be used to support institutions of higher education, K-16 teachers and administrators, and, dissertation research scholars. Funded projects will focus on international and area studies, world languages, international business, language assessment, cultural experiences, and research abroad, while incorporating activities to meet IFLE's competitive preference priorities to broaden access to foreign language and international education opportunities at Minority-Serving Institutions, community colleges, and teacher preparation programs. Keep an eye out for a more detailed update in September!

The IFLE Grantee Showcase Webinar Series is a monthly opportunity to hear about the exemplary practices and stories of IFLE grantees, ask questions, communicate, and collaborate, all from the comfort of your own computer and phone.

IFLE has already hosted two webinars this summer, featuring innovative grantee work like the University of Washington's Task Force Program and Everett Community College's Japanese Fluency for Undergrads Program. If you missed these sessions, you can view the webinars here!

The next IFLE Grantee Showcase Webinar will take place Monday, August 31 at 4:00pm (EDT). The team at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill will present on "Broadening Access to International Education for Students from Minority Backgrounds". Space is limited. REGISTER HERE to save your spot!

This June, Gary Thomas was appointed Director of IFLE's International Studies Division, which administers the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad, Group Projects Abroad, and Seminars Abroad grants in addition to the Title VI Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program.

Gary has worked at the U.S. Department of Education since 2000, most recently as a Senior Program Manager for the Office of Postsecondary Education’s (OPE) Fund for the Improvement’s First in the World program that pioneers the Department’s new higher education evidence-based innovative projects. Previously, Gary served as a Senior Policy Advisor in Higher Education Programs, where he managed the allocation of Minority-Serving Intuitions higher education grant funds. Prior to his OPE service, he worked as a Program Analyst for the Department’s Federal Student Aid Division, where he drafted statutory and regulatory amendments for Federal Student Loan programs and assisted in negotiated rulemaking and the revision of  program regulations. Before coming to the Federal government, Gary served as a higher education policy analyst for the Maryland General Assembly. In this capacity, he reviewed the budgetary, personnel, and administrative practices of University System of Maryland institutions against the parameters of state regulations to ensure fiscal responsibility. He has been a fellow in the Department’s Excellence in Government and Executive Leadership programs. Gary was selected for the President’s Management Council Interagency Rotation Program, where he served as the President of the Department of Interior (DOI) University. In DOI, Gary oversaw the delivery of high-quality training programs provided to Federal employees. 

As an undergraduate, Gary studied political science and French and he completed a French language and international studies program at the L’Universite Laval, in Quebec City, Canada. Gary also holds a Master’s degree in public administration. Gary has volunteered for the Youth for Understanding Program, served as a member of the National Academies’ Fellowship Roundtable, and he is a member of the World Affairs Council.

IFLE is on Twitter with the latest from the world of international and foreign language education. Follow us @GoGlobalED and tell your friends! We'll see you in the Twittersphere!

We want to hear from you! Do you have suggestions for webinar topics? Ideas for things to include in future newsletters? Send them to Carla White at carla.white@ed.gov.