A tale of two immigration issues
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| Senator Kit Bond met with numerous international campus leaders last month to discuss his amendment to the new federal immigration bill. Senator Bond wants to make sure that science and technology remain strong academic fields in Missouri. |
Immigration has been an important part of U.S. history since the nation was founded. At the University of Missouri - Columbia, two different immigration issues were examined this month in order to keep Missouri ahead of the curve in terms of scientific achievement and social change.
Celebrating Africa Days highlights African culture through food, festivals and fashion
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| Food is a critical part of a country's cultural identity. People who attended Celebrating Africa Week events had numerous opportunities to sample cuisine from various African nations. |
Africa is one of the most culturally diverse continents on earth, but traditional news and information outlets in the U.S. seldom paint that picture. Celebrating Africa Week gave the community a chance to experience what African culture really is.
International Students Career Services helps all MU students become more internationally savvy
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| Handy Williamson, vice provost of International Programs, had an opportunity to meet with the International Students Career Services staff during their open house in March. The staff has numerous opportunities to work directly with students seeking assistance as well as with other offices that are dealing with international career services issues across campus. |
International Students Career Services held an open house in March to commemorate the opening of the new facility in the basement of the Student Success Center. The ISCS staff recently held an etiquette dinner and will hold other similar events throughout the year.
Friendship Associations of Chinese Scholars and Students came together in Chicago to collaborate
Peng Zhuang, president of the University of Missouri - Columbia chapter of the Friendship Association of Chinese Scholars and Students, attended a conference of other FACSSs in Chicago. Through his attendance, MU has the opportunity to collaborate with other such organizations across the Midwest.
New programs with Columbia's sister city of Suncheon is taking international education to the city
Suncheon, South Korea, is one of Columbia's five sister cities. A meeting between Columbia and Seunchon officials has rekindled some of the efforts to bring these two cities together.
Missouri Students Association approves bill on transportation for arriving international students
In order to improve hospitality towards incoming international students, the Missouri Students Association passed legislation arranging transportation from major airports to Columbia. Before such legislation existed, this last leg of the trip to the University of Missouri - Columbia was a cause of anxiety for these new students.
Thai New Year celebrated at Songkran festival
Songkran is a celebration of the Thai New Year that involves cleansing away old woes and welcoming new blessings. Christine Chan, volunteer at the Asian Affairs Center, was on hand to capture the program.
See related link posted here with permission from the Asian Affairs Center staff
Missouri International Student Council celebrates its second annual banquet
The Missouri International Student Council celebrated its second annual banquet on April 20 at the Memorial Union. Members from the international campus community were on hand to partake in the evenings festivities.
IPFD Profile: David Currey
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| David Currey is the Director of International Students and Scholars Services at the University of Missouri - Columbia. |
Each month, the IPFD Newsletter will profile one member of the IPFD team. Through this monthly feature, we hope to both inform our readers about our staff and what they do. This month, we'd like you to meet David Currey, Director of International Students and Scholars Services.
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The only truth about life is that it must undergo change. It is easy to forget this little fact because we rely on consistency to guide our daily lives. We look to the predictability of routines as a source of comfort, yet even the repeated processes vary slightly from one cycle to the next. There is nothing more natural than change, and the IPFD office is experiencing just that.
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Faculty Developments
Bruce Bartholow, Ph.D. '00 and assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, conducted a study that links alcohol consumption to the expression of racial bias.
Robert Benfer, professor in the Department of Anthropology, discovered the earliest known astronomical alignments and sculptures to date in the Temple of the Fox in Buena Vista, Peru.
Paul Bolls, assistant professor at the School of Journalism, completed a study showing that fear-based ads affect children more strongly than adults.
Scott Cairns, professor in the Department of English, was awarded a 2006 Guggenheim Fellowship Award. Cairns plans to use the fellowship to produce another volume of poetry based on the hesychast tradition on Mount Athos in Greece.
Glen T. Cameron, professor in the School of Journalism, and Mugur Gena, doctoral candidate, completed a study on why scientific developments are covered more sparsely in various news media outlets.
Phillip Dale, professor for the School of Health Professions, completed a study that shows genes are a large factor in determining whether a child will enjoy reading.
A. Cooper Drury, assistant professor in the Department of Political Science, completed a study on how democratic nations sanction each other and how the U.S. relates to such activities.
Stephen Easton, associate professor in the School of Law; Joan Hermsen, associate professor in the Department of Sociology; William Kerwin, associate professor in the Department of English; Paul Miceli, professor in the Department of Physics; and Tom Phillips, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, were awarded 2006 Kemper Awards. The Kemper Awards are one of the highest teaching honors awarded at the University of Missouri - Columbia.
Michael Finke, assistant professor of personal finance planning at the College of Human Environmental Sciences, completed a study showing that more low-income families are purchasing homes using adjustable rate mortgages. This trend could lead to many of these home buyers being unable to pay for their investment in the long run.
Colleen Galambos, professor and director of the School of Social Work, developed a diagnostic rating system to identify people's awareness on the housing situation for the working poor. This test is called the Poverty and Housing Scale.
Robert Hall, J.D. '97 and associate vice provost for the Office of Research, was appointed to the position of fellow for the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. Hall received the fellowship for his work in the field of forensic entomology.
Brick Johnstone, professor at the School of Health Professions, was appointed to a three-year term on the Missouri Division of Medical Services Medical and Technical Advisory Committee.
Debra Parker-Oliver, M.S.W. '85, Ph.D. '00 and assistant professor in the School of Social Work, was awarded a grant by the National Institute of Health to create a project analyzing how cancer patients' families can be more involved in hospice care.
Craig Palmer, assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology, completed a study showing that traditional stories are influential in determining a person's social behavior.
Jenice Prather-Kinsey, associate professor in the Department of Accountancy, was accepted to attend the Summer Institute for Higher Education Administration at Bryn Mawr College.
Marilyn Rantz, professor in the School of Nursing, was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Gerontological Nursing Association.
Cindy Russell, assistant professor in the School of Nursing, is conducting a study to identify the medication-taking habits of kidney transplant patients. By using a microchip in the cap of a patient's prescription container, Russell will be able to collect accurate information on how often patients take their medication and can develop an appropriate protocol to make sure that they consistently take the correct dosage.
Laura Schopp, M.A. '91, Ph.D. '95 and manager of the Wellness Program, and Stephanie Reid-Arndt, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Health Psychology, authored a report with Brick Johnstone on the positive effects of telehealth training. Their study finds that such training increases clinicians' knowledge and confidence when treating patients with Traumatic Brain Injury.
Tom Thomas, professor of nutritional sciences, was awarded a $1.2 million grant from the National Institute of Health to study how changes in lifestyle relate to various diseases. Thomas hypothesizes that physical activity after a period of weight loss could offset the detriments of weight gain.
Daniel Turban, professor of management in the School of Business, was awarded a Governor's Award for Teaching Excellence.
Announcements
U.S. Student Fulbright Program Information Session
The International Center will host an information session on Fulbright opportunities for U.S. Students on May 5 at 10:00 a.m. in N112 Memorial Union. Come learn about the opportunities available to recent B.A. and B.S. graduates in over 140 countries. The deadline to submit application materials is Sept. 22.
For additional information, visit the International Center's Fulbright Information site.
IATS training
Give yourself the gift of IT training. Information Access Technology Services have a number of training courses and helpful materials available to make your next great multimedia project even better.
For more information, visit the IATS site.
Letter from the Editor
Dear Reader,
I was sitting in my office the other day trying to organize the stories that would appear in the April issue of the IPFD Newsletter when something struck me. Every month, we share a number of the international occurrences that affect the University of Missouri - Columbia with you, but what you read here is only the tiniest sampling of what goes on at MU. Don't take my word for it; look at the evidence.
Visit any of the IPFD line offices web sites, and check their calendars. Some months have an activity happening every day. Numerous cultural associations host festivals, workshops, conferences, forums, exhibits and other educational activities on a weekly basis. Campus-wide cultural diversity education initiatives fill the weekly MU Info e-mail. Student groups expand the scope of their duties by engaging in international activities. Even the city of Columbia is in on the action. How can one person cover all those goings on? Unfortunately, he or she can't, and that is what I wanted to address with you.
Every international program at MU and in the community has intrinsic value. Whether it teaches our students to be more global in their studies, trains faculty to collaborate with colleagues around the world or enriches the lives of the citizens of Columbia, such a program is helping MU retain and expand its focus as a world-class institution of higher education. Just because an event is featured here doesn't mean it is more important than one that doesn't. Believe me, we wish we could cover everything, and if life sciences continues to develop as it has on campus, I might be able to get enough clones to do just that.
Until next month...
Events
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Do you have news we should cover?
The Office of the Vice Provost for International Programs and Faculty Development would like to hear from you. IPFD welcomes any newsletter submissions, stories or announcements that highlight MU's international initiatives, faculty development and/or disability access issues. To place a submission or request more information contact Alex Rico at ricoam@missouri.edu or at (573) 882-8731.