Center for International Education - Annual Report 2023

Annual Report 2023

THE CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION

Letter from the Director

It is my pleasure to introduce the 2022-23 Annual Report of the Center for International Education. It was an extraordinary year:

• Study abroad numbers returned to and surpassed pre-pandemic levels.

• Spring Term Abroad received the most applications to date.

• Our international student population continued to grow by leaps and bounds.

• We set a record for the number and amount of summer grants awarded in 2023.

• The Center supported a robust speaker program and cosponsored numerous events across the campus.

• Our students continue to win prestigious international scholarships such as the Boren, Gilman, and Fulbright.

As we look forward to 2023-24, our numbers continue to be robust as students come to meet with our staff earlier in their careers to plan to study abroad. We anticipate a record number of Spring term courses for 2024 as new faculty join the ranks of those leading students abroad.

All of this exciting news and activity is testament to the fantastic staff of the Center for International Education. Through their efforts, we continue to upgrade and modernize our website so that we can provide up-to-date information and ease of access for scheduling appointments. We worked with the Harte Center to improve our international student orientation program. We implemented a new platform to ease the management of our data for international students and subscribed to a new tax advising program for them.

Of course, our capacity to develop courses abroad, host visiting scholar and speakers, and support summer research and internships is the result not only of our staff efforts but also of the generosity of our benefactors. Thanks to their support, the Center for International Education supported new Spring Term Abroad faculty development trips to Cuba, Australia, Japan, and Italy and organized a pilot summer program in Merida, Mexico.

As you read this, the Fall term will have begun, the leaves will be starting to turn and the days will be getting shorter in Lexington. Mock Convention 2024 will be just a few months away.

Best wishes from Lexington for the coming months,

Mark Rush

Credits:

Writers: Mark Rush, Jillian Murphy, W&L Communications Office

Front Cover: Anna Bosking ’24. Taken while in Chile

Page 15: Prof. Jeff Barnett

Page 18: Prof. Lisa Greer

Inside Back Cover: Prof. Michael Laughy

Back Cover: Spring Term Abroad Faculty and Students

Bill McKibben, Author and Climate Activist, Speaks on the Politics of Climate Change

On 26 September, the Center for International Education hosted a public lecture by Bill McKibben titled “The Climate of Climate: Are We Finally Starting to Move?” The talk was held in the University Chapel under the auspices of the Harry M. Pemberton Endowment and the Bates Fund in Environmental Studies. McKibben’s visit was cosponsored by the Williams School of Commerce, the Office of the Provost, the Environmental Studies Program, and the Department of Politics.

summers (2022) in terms of floods, wildfires, heat waves, and power outages and barely 10 months in advance of the equally devastating summer of 2023.

Third Act is people over the age of 60 — “experienced Americans” — determined to change the world for the better. We muster political and economic power to move Washington and Wall Street in the name of a fairer, more sustainable society and planet. We back up the great work of younger people, and we make good trouble of our own.

McKibben’s talk could not have been timelier. He spoke barely three months after the Supreme Court’s decision in West Virginia v. EPA in which the court reined in the power of the Environmental Protection Agency to take actions to regulate the economy with measures designed to manage climate change. He urged the audience to take action and personal responsibility to manage and address the challenges posed by global warming. The visit came on the heels of one of the most catastrophic northern hemisphere

McKibben co-founded 350.org, the first global grassroots climate campaign, which has organized protests on every continent, including Antarctica, for climate action. He played a leading role in launching the opposition to big oil pipeline projects, such as Keystone XL and the fossil fuel divestment campaign. 350.org has become the biggest anti-corporate campaign in history, with endowments worth more than $40 trillion.

McKibben is the Schumann Distinguished Scholar in Environmental Studies at Middlebury College and the author of numerous books including The End of Nature, one of the earliest and most influential books about climate change. His writing appears regularly in national publications such as The New Yorker and Rolling Stone.

W&L Center for International Education Presents Kim Stanley Robinson

Renowned science fiction writer Kim stanley Robinson was in residence 9-11 November to visit classes, meet with a student reading group, and give a public lecture entitled “Climate Change: Science Fiction is Now Reality” on 10 November in the University Chapel.

The public lecture took the form of a conversation between Robinson and Professor Brian Alexander that drew upon Robinson’s recent novel, Ministry for the Future. The novel, which begins in India during a heatwave that kills thousands, envisions how the world can collaborate on a global level to address climate change. Alexander and Robinson discussed the science behind climate change and the challenges of empowering government to address it effectively and in a timely manner.

Alexander’s inquiries drew upon questions posed by twenty students who participated in a Fall term reading group that he organized with fellow politics professor Mark Rush. Students submitted a series of questions as the group worked through Ministry

for the Future and sent them to Robinson along with critiques and reviews of the book. In commenting on the reviews and questions, Robinson expressed not only that he was impressed by the quality of the students’ insights, but also an appreciation for what he described as their genuine generosity in seeking to critique his analysis of climate change and government. Robinson met with the reading group separately in preparation for his talk and also went on a hike with several reading group participants and Prof. Alexander.

Robinson is a native of California. He attended UCSD from which he received his B.A. and Ph.D. He received his M.A. from Boston University. He has written numerous award-winning novels including the Mars Trilogy, The Martians, and The Years of Rice and Salt. His most recent work is In the High Sierra, an autobiographical novel about growing up and hiking in the Sierra Nevada and a “biography” of the range’s geological development.

Kim Stanley Robinson joined by Professor Brian Alexander

W&L WELCOMES BACK PROF. AYSE ZARAKOL

Our former Politics colleague, ayse ZaraKol returned to camPus for a weeK of class visits and meetings with faculty in November. Ayse is Professor of International Relations at Cambridge University where she is also a fellow at Emmanuel College. She gave a public lecture on her most recent book, Before the West, The Rise and Fall of Eastern World Orders (Cambridge University Press 2022), in which she addresses the development of international relations prior to the treaty of Westphalia. In her discussion, she drew parallels between the world of Genghis Khan, Ibn Battuta, and Marco Polo to the contemporary state of world affairs.

Prof. Zarakol took her B.A. at Middlebury College and her Ph.D. from University of Wisconsin Madison. She was a member of the Politics Department until 2013 when she moved to Cambridge. Her research is at the intersection of historical sociology and international relations, with a focus on East-West relations in the international system, history and future of world orders, conceptualizations of modernity and sovereignty, Turkish politics, and the rise and decline of global powers.

Zarakol serves on the editorial boards of numerous professional journals. Her articles have appeared in journals such as International Organization, International Theory, International Studies Quarterly, European Journal of International Relations, Review of International Studies, Journal of Democracy, and Cooperation and Conflict. Her first book, After Defeat: How the East Learned to Live with the West, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2010.

Kristina Lozinskaya ’22

Among 2024 Class of Schwarzman Scholars

scholars were selected through a highly competitive application process designed to evaluate academic ability, as well as leadership potential and strength of character. The class of 2024 will enroll in August 2023.

Schwarzman Scholars live in Beijing for a year of intensive study, honing leadership skills through a curriculum designed and taught by leading academics from internationally ranked institutions. Beyond the classroom, program participants will gain exposure to a broad network of important relationships through unique internships, mentorship opportunities, high-profile speakers and opportunities to travel throughout China.

In last year’s annual report, we highlighted Kristina Lozinskaya ’22 as a magna cum laude graduate and the recipient of the 2022 Global Learning Leadership Award. This year, we celebrate her selection as a member of the 2024 class of Schwarzman Scholars, a one-year master’s program at China’s Tsinghua University. The Schwarzman Scholars program draws inspiration from the Rhodes Scholarship program at the University of Oxford.

A native of Minsk, Belarus, Kristina double majored in politics and economics and minored in Chinese. After graduation, she became involved in Lexington’s initiative of hosting Ukrainian refugees and worked as the coordinator for the Center for International Education in Fall term, 2023.

Kristina is one of 151 scholars who comprised the 2024 cohort of Schwarzman Scholars chosen from a field of more than 3,000 applicants representing 36 countries and 121 universities worldwide. The

“Kristina is an example of the best kind of journey that our students can take at W&L,” said Brian Alexander, associate professor of politics. “I first met her at the Activities Fair during fall orientation of her first year. She was engaging, intellectually curious and determined to do well. Throughout her four years in college, this has been the same spirit she brought to all her studies, including each class she took in politics. Now, with Schwarzman Scholars, we see the rewards of hard work, a global perspective and an openness to see where the journey leads. Everyone at W&L can be excited to see what’s in store next for her.”

A Johnson Scholar, Lozinskaya was a member of two honor societies and the recipient of the John Warner Public Service Award. She led the International Student Orientation for three consecutive years, helping nearly 100 new international students adjust to life at W&L. At the same time, she facilitated information sessions and corresponded with prospective international students through her work as an assistant in the Office of Admissions. Lozinskaya was also a member of W&L’s Amnesty International chapter, the Leadership Education and Development Program, and the First-Year Orientation Committee, where she helped with communications. She also chaired research on Europe as a part of the Democrats Abroad delegation during Mock Con 2020.

Governor’s Academy Draws upon WLTAs and Center for International Education Work-Study Students!

It’s always wonderful to celebrate our international colleagues—faculty, students and TAs. This year we welcomed back Dani Quiroz our Spanish World Language Teaching Assistant from Buenos Aires for 2020-21 and 2021-22. She stayed on in 2022 to serve on the Spanish faculty of the Virginia Governor’s Language Academy that is overseen by W&L’s Prof. Dick Kuettner, Director of the Global Discovery Laboratories. (For more about Dani, see the profile on her in our 2021-22 Annual Report). She returned in 2023 to rejoin the Governor’s Academy staff. This summer, Dani was joined by Mariama Ba, from

Senegal who is in the middle of a two-year term as our French language teaching assistant.

Karolina Mazur, a native of Poland and one of Center for International Education’s work-study students rounded out the group of Center for International Education “alumni” working at the academies. She was a member of the Governor’s Academy German faculty and taught a bit of Polish on the side. With a grant from the Center for International Education, Karolina spent part of the summer in a healthcare internship in Cordoba, Argentina. Upon her return, she joined the International Student Orientation staff.

I loved returning to Lexington and to the Academies. Teaching these remarkable students who are so passionate about learning languages is an incredible experience. Washington and Lee will always have a piece of my heart. It was wonderful to return to this amazing place where I spent almost two years of my life and see so many incredible people. I am thankful for everyone who made this possible because the experiences I have had here have been incredibly rewarding and life-changing. I look forward to staying connected with this amazing community of language instructors and learners.

Explaining Polish to the American students in German was an interesting, but truly a wonderful experience. I taught a lot of important vocabulary, and we played the quiz “Familiada,” which is the Polish version of Family Feud. The questions I prepared for the game aimed to not only revise vocabulary, but most importantly to me, to teach them about Poland, its culture, traditions, history, and geography. I taught them my favourite Polish folk song “Hej Sokoly.” The three weeks of the academy passed in the blink of an eye. It was an unforgettable experience.

My experience at W&L in 22-23 was just wonderful. The school has such a great language program. The environment was so welcoming! I enjoyed the chance to share my culture and learn also from other cultures. The diversity of the school helped me to integrate easily. Living with the other TAs was also great. Before arriving, I did not imagine that would be so nice because we all came from different countries and cultures. But that made it special and we became like a family. Saying goodbye was so sad!

The governor’s academy was just unique and a lot of fun. The students seized upon the opportunity to participate in this full-immersion program. After the closing ceremony, many students did not want to speak English or leave. We had built a family—something to be proud of.

AniKa maan ’24l was the inaugural reciPient of the James Tyler Dickovick Internship in International Affairs, Global Political Economy, and the Public Interest. Maan received support for her summer placement with the UN Office of Drugs and Crime in Suva, Fiji. During her internship, she worked with Pacific island governments, prosecutors, NGOs, youth, ambassadors, foreign ministers, and regional advisors to analyze corruption and prosecutorial capacity, exploring the politics, challenges, and collaboration it takes to run a legal system.

“The Pacific islands are home to a diverse range of cultures and landscapes and are pivotal intersections of traditional and Western development,” said Maan. “Interning at the UNODC has given me insight into this complicated dynamic and strengthened my confidence to work in development spaces in even the world’s most remote corners.”

The endowment that helped fund Maan’s internship was established by members of the Washington and Lee community in memory of Grigsby Term Professor of Politics J. Tyler Dickovick, who passed away in 2019 after battling Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The fund provides income to support a summer international internship for a W&L student who is interested in intellectual exploration and community service in a developing nation.

“Being afforded the opportunity to intern for the UN in Fiji has been instrumental in providing the postgraduate career clarity I’ve been looking for,” said Maan. “I am exceedingly grateful to the James Tyler Dickovick Internship for affording

ANIKA MAAN IS FIRST RECIPIENT OF JAMES TYLER DICKOVICK INTERNSHIP GRANT

me the opportunity to contribute towards a small slice of meaningful change and development in the Pacific region.”

Maan grew up in Loudoun County, Virginia, and received a Bachelor of Science from George Mason University. During her first year at W&L Law, Maan served as the 1L Representative for the International Law Society, competed on the BLSA Mock Trial Team, and was involved with APALSA, WLSO, BLSA, OutLaw, the Antitrust Consumer Law Society, and the Student Library Advisory Committee.

Working with W&L Law’s Transnational Institute, Prof. Mark Drumbl and former Prof. Speedy Rice, Anika scouted for the internship and then applied directly to the Southeast Asia office. While on site, she conducted an analysis of three separate legal systems in the Pacific: Fiji, Palau, and Kiribati to assess the capacity of each country to prosecute white-collar corruption crimes such as money laundering, embezzlement, abuse of office, etc.. While she was in Fiji, the 51st annual Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat summit took place in Suva. Anika was able to sit in on conversations with the Heads of State of 10 countries, including Australia, Fiji, and New Zealand.

Reflecting on her experience, Maan said “I was surprised by how quickly I took to the local experience in Suva. Also, I got a glimpse into diplomatic interactions in the Pacific, and I was surprised by just how different diplomatic relations are in person versus how they are presented in media and movies!”

Major International Conference at W&L Explores Children Trapped in Violence

In April, the Center for International Education was pleased to collaborate in organizing a major international conference that hosted dozens of scholars from across the globe. The conference explored children ensnared in violent situations, including the “fights” in which they can become involved, such as armed conflict, liberation struggles, criminalized violence, and securing economic and political well-being.

W&L Law professor Mark Drumbl, who helped organize the conference, said one goal was to better understand children’s fights in order to improve reintegration and rehabilitation and to also build a vibrant culture of juvenile rights.

“Having worked in the space for child soldiers for over a decade, I am uplifted by how much work has been done and am enthusiastic about the paths that lie ahead,” said Drumbl. “If the quality and excellence of the newer voices at this conference are any indication of the future, this augurs well for a world in which the challenges of children drawn into violent situations will become addressed in an empathetic, resolute, and innovative fashion.”

The conference ran for three days and included numerous panel discussions, and a poster session

featuring the work of undergraduate students in W&L French professor Mohammed Kamara’s class, “The African Soldier.”

“I learned quite a bit from my colleagues coming from every corner of the globe and engaging the question of the child soldier from a variety of perspectives and disciplines,” said Kamara. “At the end of the conference, I felt my knowledge and appreciation of the child soldier problem—and more generally about the problem of children and violence—have been enriched.”

Kamara added, “I am particularly glad that my students were an integral part of the conference. Their poster presentations brought fresh perspectives to a thorny matter that world-renowned experts had gathered to address.”

Christelle Molima, a visiting scholar at W&L and one of the conference organizers, appreciated that the conference offered the opportunity for senior scholars, junior scholars and even undergraduate students to come together and share their thoughts. The organizers plan to publish an edited collection of work presented at the conference.

“Unexpectedly, this conference created a bridge between scholars inside and outside the United States. I learned much from each presentation, especially those that took a bottom-up approach. They challenged my knowledge and at the same time nourished my own research.”

—Christelle Molima, visiting law scholar and conference co-organizer.

FIRST STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN MERIDA SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Merida , me X ico – i n summer 2023, Washington and Lee University introduced a new internship program in Merida, Mexico, in partnership with the Millsaps Yucatan Institute. Merida is on the northwest corner of the Yucatan peninsula and is known as one of the safest cities in all of North America. The Merida program provides a unique opportunity for students to pursue cultural internships or medical shadowing while immersing in the Spanish language.

The program kicked off in May of this year with Kaylin Jury ’24, who was the first W&L student to intern at the Mayan World Museum of Merida. Soon after, on June 2nd, four undergraduate students, Renna McNair ’25, Kendall Schlueter ’26, Irelyn Michiels ’26, and Joanna Guevara-Hernandez ’26, followed suit.

The June program began with a weekend-long onsite orientation, led by Yucatan Institute staff, Erica Millet and Alee Guzman, and Assistant Director of the Center for International Education, Jillian Murphy. Braving the scorching summer heat, the students spent their first Saturday embarking on a historical tour of Merida, learning about the city’s cultural heritage sites and colonial buildings, many of which were constructed using materials from nearby Mayan ruins. Students also discovered present-day Merida by familiarizing themselves with local stores, restaurants, and the nearby beach.

Work placements began on Monday. Renna McNair ’25 and Kendall Schlueter ’26 shadowed rotations at

the High Specialty Hospital of the Yucatan Peninsula. Renna’s focus was on plastic surgery and oncology, while Kendall gained exposure to a wide array of medical departments, including general surgery, pediatric cardiology, oncology, emergency, and epidemiology. Meanwhile, Irelyn Michiels ’26 and Joanna Guevara-Hernandez ’26 embraced their internships at Centro de Rehabilitación e Inclusión Infantil Teletón (CRIT), a highly regarded childhood rehabilitation center known for its expertise in neuromuscular diseases, cerebral palsy, cancer, and autism. Their responsibilities included observation and curating meaningful activities for the families and siblings of patients who travel from all over Mexico to seek treatment at CRIT. Participants were eligible to earn academic credit as part of a W&L internship course, with some using the opportunity to fulfill requirements for the poverty minor.

Outside of work hours, students visited Uxmal Mayan Ruins, Las Coloradas pink lagoon, a cenote (sacred subterraneous rivers known to the region), and the Kaxil Kiuic Millsaps Biocultural Reserve.

Cindy Irby, Associate Director of International Education and Study Abroad Advisor, pursued the connection with the Millsaps Institute in Merida after hearing about the program through Millsaps College in Mississippi, a fellow member of Associated Colleges of the South. Before the summer program commenced, Mark Rush, Director of the Center, along with Cindy and Jillian, visited Merida to lay the groundwork for the program’s first iteration and hopefully, many more to come.

Two Gunn Scholars on Campus in 2022-23

In a ugust , 2022, w & l welcomed r eine Assoumatine from Togo as the 2022-23 John M. Gunn Scholar. We also welcomed back Ahmad Arman, ’23 our 2021-22 Gunn Scholar. Ahmad came to W&L from the American University of Central Asia in Kyrgyzstan. He had applied for and was awarded the Gunn Scholarship in 2020 as a rising junior. But he was unable to come to the United States that year due to COVID-19. His scholarship was deferred, and he arrived on campus in fall 2021 amidst the uncertainty of an ongoing pandemic, as well as political unrest in his home country, Afghanistan.

“It was a difficult year for me, not at all normal,” Arman said. “I rose above all these challenges, and my experience at W&L made me resilient. I know why I came here and what to do: to learn and serve.” Hunter Swanson, Associate Director of International Education, supervised Arman’s work-study position in the Center for International Education. He noted that Arman’s work ethic and flexibility have allowed the transfer student to make the most of his W&L experience. “He was just extremely adaptable,” Swanson said. “W&L provided him with some great opportunities, and then he used his motivation to truly take advantage of them. That’s what he’s been doing ever since he arrived on campus.”

Swanson and Mark Rush, Director of International Education, got to know Arman through their involvement in his Gunn Scholarship selection process and deferral, as well as his eventual decision to attend W&L full time. Rush, who also served as Ahmad’s academic adviser, celebrated the warmth and support that the university provided for his acceptance as a transfer student and his acclimation to campus life. “His success is really a reflection of the quality of people we work with here and their receptiveness to a good idea,” Rush said.

Ahmad was joined on campus—and in the Center for International Education work-study corps—by Reine Assoumatine, our 2022-23 Gunn Scholar. A native of Togo, Reine came to us from the University of Ghana. “Since the day I arrived at W&L,” she says, “I have been captivated by the campus’ beauty. When friends, family, or anyone asks me how I feel about being here, my usual response is, ‘This place is like paradise!’ I had the opportunity to interact with members of the Lexington community who were eager to learn about my culture. I felt free to express my true self. The highlight of my campus life has been the professors. They were always by my side, offering support and encouraging me to express myself.”

“Visiting W&L was my first experience in the United States, and it couldn’t have been better. The incredible diversity of cultures, languages, and customs in the USA has truly amazed me. The vastness of everything, from the expansive landscapes to the diverse cuisine, made a profound impression on me.” Reine returns to W&L as a member of the class of 2024. She will pursue degrees in Economics and Math. After completing her studies at W&L, she intends to pursue further education at a graduate school.

Established in 2000, the John M. Gunn International Scholarship invites eligible international students of exceptional academic, personal and professional promise to spend one year at W&L to augment the major studies they are engaged with at their home institutions. The scholarship pays the full tuition, room, board and transportation costs for one academic year. Gunn Scholars may come from any academic discipline, but preference is given to students who will focus some of their academic work in the Williams School and are interested in a liberal arts education.

Ahmad Arman

Reine Assoumatine

Certificate of International Immersion 2023

In may, the center for international education awarded the Certificate of International Immersion to nine members of the graduating class. The certificate, which is noted on recipients’ transcripts and in the listing of honors at Commencement recognizes students who show significant commitment to global learning during their time at W&L. Eligible students must have invested more than a 13-week term in a study abroad program while living with native speakers, taking coursework in another language, and participating in community service or an internship. International students who meet these requirements may also include reflections on their time in the U.S. and at W&L as part of their application. W&L’s Center for International Education assists students with finding a variety of paths to living and studying abroad during their time at W&L, including a full term abroad, faculty-led Spring Term Abroad courses, summer programs, international internships, international research opportunities, and service learning.

“Each year, we are ever more impressed by the recipients of the Certificate of International Immersion,” said Mark Rush, Waxberg Professor of Politics and Director of the Center for International Education. “While each recipient has a unique experience and tells a different story about time abroad, they all share and manifest an appreciation for embracing the opportunities provided by global

education. When they return to campus, their energy is clearly transformative as they draw upon their time abroad to promote global education, pursue new research, seek out graduate opportunities abroad, or offer new and different perspectives on life at W&L and the world. It is inspiring to see how the recipients embraced their time abroad and an honor to participate in the process of awarding the Certificates of International Immersion each year.”

The International Education Committee awards the certificate after considering a student’s overall academic record, a submitted essay and a presentation to the committee. “It is really touching to hear students reflect in their presentations on how their experiences abroad helped them understand their own potential and capabilities as they navigated an entirely different culture and educational system,” said Yanhong Zhu, Professor of East Asian Languages and chair of the committee. Cindy Irby, Associate Director of International Education and study abroad advisor, said that W&L was uniquely positioned to make study abroad opportunities possible for this year’s graduating class despite the challenges of the pandemic. She added that the global perspective that these students brought back from their individual experiences was a significant contribution to the campus community. According to Irby, “the word that best describes this year’s class of recipients is ‘resilient’.”

Kit Lombard, Andrea Rojas, Benji Hess, Allie Stankewich, Lily Mott, Finn Conner, Jillian Gallardo, Kaylann Adler, and Eric Evonsion

Andrea Rojas completed a Spring Term Abroad in Bologna, Italy, before spending the following Fall Term studying abroad in Santiago, Chile. During her time in Chile, Rojas interned with the international nonprofit organization Good Neighbors Chile.

After completing a Spring Term Abroad in Spain that examined the multi-religious history of Spanish culture, Eric Evonsion studied abroad in Lisbon, Portugal, for Fall Term 2022. Before and during his academic term in Portugal, Evonsion traveled widely throughout the region and attended “La Vuelta,” a Grand Tour race in the world of international cycling.

Through a Center for International Education grant, Allie Stankewich completed an eight-week public health internship in Jinja, Uganda. She also studied in Nicoya, Costa Rica, during a Spring Term Abroad and stayed an additional week after the conclusion of the course to complete a photo essay project funded through the Bryant S. Kendrick Memorial Outdoors Fund award. Stankewich’s third study abroad experience was a 15-week stay in Arusha, Tanzania, through the American Council’s Flagship Language Initiative, with assistance from the Boren Scholarship.

Benji Hess completed a Fall Term study abroad in 2020 in Athens, Greece, at the International Center for Hellenic and Mediterranean Studies; spent Winter and Spring Term 2021 studying at the New College of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England; and studied abroad again in Rome, Italy, during Fall Term 2021 at the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies. Additionally, he spent the summer of 2022 abroad in Athens, Greece, where he worked on archaeological excavations at the Athenian Agora with the American School for Classical Studies.

Finn Connor studied abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark, from August to December 2021 and then completed a 2022 summer internship in Berlin, Germany, at a refugee services NGO.

Kaylann Adler studied abroad at the University of Sydney in Australia during Fall Term 2022 through the IES Sydney Study Abroad program. As part of her internship, she attended local conferences and talked with community leaders about how to better integrate the region’s growing immigrant and refugee population into the local economy.

Kit Lombard studied Sociology and Politics at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland during Winter Term 2022. Lombard embraced the Scottish traditions of running in all types of weather, exploring the medieval streets of St Andrews, and venturing beyond to the further reaches of the country. Lombard embraced many aspects of Scottish culture, from learning to dance the Ceilidh to group hikes along the coast.

Jillian Gallardo interned for EasyLeapp Tech Corporation in Seville, Spain, during summer 2021; studied abroad at the Instituto Lorenzo d’Medici in Florence, Italy, during Winter Term 2022; and completed an internship with the Community Foundation of Ireland during summer 2022, an experience that also served as her internship for her Poverty and Human Capability Studies minor through the Shepherd Program.

Lily Mott participated in the Mansfield Visiting Student Programme at the University of Oxford in Oxford, England, from October 2021 to June 2022. She then spent the summer of 2022 interning for News Over Audio, an audio journalism company in Dublin, Ireland, where she had completed a virtual internship the prior summer.

Allie Stankewich Receives 2023

Global Learning Leadership Award

In addition to receiving the Certificate of International Immersion, Allie Stankewich is also this year’s recipient of the Global Learning Leadership Prize, awarded annually by the Center for International Education to a student in the undergraduate senior class who has contributed the most to the cultivation of global learning on W&L’s campus. Allies returned to Tanzania in summer 2023 under the auspices of a Boren fellowship to implement a grassroots project on nutrition education through school gardens. For this work, she was also recognized with a United World Colleges Projects for Peace grant. In fall 2023, she will work as an English language teaching assistant in Uganda through the Fulbright program.

World Language Teaching Assistants, 2022-23

At the start of every academic year, W&L welcomes seven new teaching assistants from across the globe. They take classes, engage in cultural activities, assist students with language acquisition, and work closely with our language faculty. W&L also has the pleasure of assisting the TAs with their professional development. As part of their course load, the TAs can take language pedagogy courses with Professor Dick Kuettner, Director of the Global Discovery Laboratories. Dick also arranges for the TAs to attend the annual meeting of the Foreign Language Association of Virginia.

WELCOME BACK KEI!

Kei Yamaguchi served as our Japanese language assistant from 2021-23. We celebrate her return to W&L in 2023-24 as a member of the faculty and an instructor of Japanese. After spending the summer teaching Japanese at the Middlebury Summer Language School, Kei will settle back into Lexington to teach second –and third-year Japanese and a 300-level seminar in advanced Japanese. Welcome back Professor Yamaguchi!

Mariama Ba French | Senegal

Diogo Balduino Portuguese | Brazil

Melisa Moroni Spanish | Argentina

Michael Dietmaier German | Austria

Qiong Wu Chinese | China

Ahmed Abdelaati Arabic | Egypt

Spring Term Abroad 2023

Spring Term Abroad 2023 was a tremendous success. Eighteen faculty program directors took 213 students to 13 countries. Looking forward to 2024—in what could be our biggest spring term abroad ever—we have some 24 courses planned! Watch this space for big updates next year!

PROGRAM DIRECTOR (S) LOCATION COURSE

Michael Laughy

Seth Cantey

Jeff Barnett

Rob Straughan, Elizabeth Oliver

Greece

Morocco

Spain

Denmark

Drew Hess Sweden; Denmark

Linda Hooks

Kristina Roney

Haley W. Sigler

Eric Moffa

Stephanie Sandberg

Jeffrey Rahl

Debra Prager

Janet Ikeda Yuba

UK/France

Italy

Ghana

Greece

Graz, Austria

Japan

Akiko Konishi Austria; Czech Republic

Sascha Goluboff

Shawn Paul Evans

Dublin, Ireland

Sweden

CLAS 287: Landscapes and Monuments of Ancient Greece

POL 287: The Maghreb: History, Culture, and Politics

SPAN 213 :Seville and the Foundations of Spanish Civilization

BUS 191: FY Seminar: International Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability

BUS 390: Social Innovation in Scandinavia

ECON 288/ FREN 285: Exploring European Policy, Business, and Culture

EDUC 235: Educating for Global Citizenship: Policies, Practices, and Purposes in the US and Italy

FILM 251: Creating Field Documentary on Human Rights in Ghana

GEOL 373: Regional Geology of Greece

GERM 305: Traces of Empire

JAPN 100, 115, 265, 365: Japanese Language and Culture Study

MUS 239: Haydn and Mozart: A Musical Tour of Vienna and Prague

SOAN 241: Food, Culture, and Society

THTR 204 :Study Abroad

Swedish Theater

SPAN 213: Seville and the Foundations of Spanish Civilization

Study Abroad and the International Student Population Continue to Grow

In 2022-23, W&L students returned to study abroad in record numbers. Despite the tremendous impact on study abroad between 2020 and 2021, CIE managed to support a small number of students who could study abroad. Then, once COVID abated, our students seized the change to go abroad again. As the map indicates, in 2022-23, we spanned the world and all of the continents (except Antarctica). Cindy Irby works with some 500 students a year to get them abroad to study and participate in summer internships with our study abroad

partner organizations. Between our growing summer placements and our academic-year study abroad numbers, Center for International Education now assists nearly 25% of the student body in securing life-changing international experiences each year.

Meanwhile, our international student numbers continue to grow. Since 2017, the international population has nearly doubled. Currently, students from 56 countries study at Washington and Lee.

Study Abroad Numbers by Year

W&L WELCOMES THE WORLD

C ome from 56 Countries and S ix C ontinents

Our International Students

NATURE VS. NURTURE AT CORAL GARDENS REEF

With suPPort from center for international Education, Earth and Environmental Geoscience, the Summer Research Scholars program, and Environmental Studies, Lisa Greer, Professor of Earth and Environmental Geoscience conducted research in Belize with Asa Tuke ’25, Harris Foad ’25, Kylie Therrien ’25, and Michael Wang ’25.

The project was part of Prof. Greer’s reef monitoring efforts (ongoing since 2011) and began a new 3D photogrammetry project at the Coral Gardens Reef, Belize. The 3D modeling project aims to explore whether the success of Coral Gardens is driven by the environment or by some inherent (likely genetic) properties of the corals that thrive there. The students collected photographic data for live coral quantification and for construction of 3D coral models. They analyzed and photographed some 200 square meters of the reef.

In addition, the project entails transplanting reef samples to determine whether they can survive in new environments. Prof Greer’s team has now transplanted reef samples at 7 locations on Coral Gardens reef and has similar samples at Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve, Mexico Rocks, Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Cay Caulker Marine Reserve, Whipray Caye, and Silk Caye. An added benefit of this project was the opportunity for students to work directly with many Belizean partners, including Kirah Forman Castillo (MarAlliance), Emile Gomez, Brittany Garbutt (Hol Chan Marine Reserve) and Lisa Carne, Victor Faux, Ali Cansino and others from Fragments of Hope ( fragmentsofhope.org/ ). They also worked with Al Curran ’62, Karl Wirth (Macalester College), and Ginny Johnson ’20 on the project.

The summer work was so fruitful that Prof. Greer already submitted two abstracts for the Fall Geological Society of America meeting in Pittsburgh in October, each with all four students as co-authors.

Center for International Education Staff

Mark Rush Director, Waxberg Professor of Politics and Law rushm@wlu.edu

Hunter Swanson

Associate Director and International Student and Scholar Advisor hswanson@wlu.edu

Cindy Irby Associate Director and Study Abroad Advisor

cirby@wlu.edu

Erin Weyen

Jillian Murphy Assistant Director and Study Abroad Coordinator jmurphy@wlu.edu

Coordinator,

Center for International Education eweyen@wlu.edu

The Center for International Education 204 W. Washington St. Lexington, Virginia 24450 go.wlu.edu/global

CLAS 287: Students at the Bronze Age site of Midea, looking out over the Argive Plain.