Contact: Gisgie D�vila Gendreau, MSU, (517) 432-0924, gendrea3@msu.edu; Thomas Phillips, Asia Society, (212) 935-4655, comptwp@aol.com; or Christopher J. Williams, Goldman Sachs, (212) 357-5296, christopher.j.williams@gs.com
11/16/2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. � Michigan State University�s innovative international resources and training for current and future K-12 teachers have earned the university the Goldman Sachs Foundation�s prestigious Prize for Excellence in International Education.
The annual prize, which includes a $25,000 award in each of five categories, was announced today.
�This award is tremendous recognition for the College of Education and all of the units under the dean for International Studies and Programs that work with K-12 teachers and schools,� said Jack Schwille, assistant dean for international studies in education. �For more than 20 years, we've been different from other universities and schools of education in doing everything we could to integrate an international dimension into all the research, teaching and service in education, throughout the college and throughout MSU.
�Receiving the award is a big step in validating this approach and an indication of how well that integrated approach has been working.�
In its application, MSU highlighted more than 25 internationally focused centers, institutes, offices and programs; 1,000 current faculty involved in international scholarship, teaching and overseas work in more than 120 countries; more than 190 study abroad programs in more than 60 countries on all continents; and more than 3,200 international students on campus.
MSU international initiatives recognized by the award include:
- LATTICE � Linking All Types of Teachers to International and Cross-Cultural Education. This partnership between MSU and 14 Michigan school districts links international students and Michigan teachers to heighten teachers� awareness, sensitivity and understanding of global issues. Groups of 25 teachers and administrators meet with 20 international students eight times a year to provide professional development, give teachers international perspectives that will influence their teaching, and offer the students a chance to become acquainted with and be more involved in American schools.
Contact: Sally McClintock, LATTICE, (517) 332-6668, sallyma@comcast.net
For more information:www.latticeworld.org
- Original Web-based materials for K-12 educators and students nationally, sponsored by MSU�s International Studies and Programs and developed by the African Studies Center, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and Asian Studies Center:
- Exploring Africa, an interactive secondary schools curriculum that focuses on Africa through the social studies and humanities, and also includes facts about 53 African countries and current news about the region.
- LASER, Latin American Schools and Educational Resources, a resource for middle- and high-school students and teachers interested in learning about Latin America and the Caribbean.
- Windows on Asia, a resource for K-12 teachers interested in bringing Asia into the classroom, including country fact sheets, curriculum modules and links to Asian newspapers.
Contact: Jay Rodman, International Studies and Programs, (517) 432-139 or rodman@msu.edu
For more information: www.isp.msu.edu
- A nationally recognized five-year teacher-preparation program that infuses international content into the student experience � from a required undergraduate course on issues of diversity and equity which draws onAfrica, Asia, Latin America and Europe to study abroad and pre-teaching programs throughout the world. For example, in the summer following their bachelor�s degrees, teacher-preparation students have the opportunity to teach for 4 � 6 weeks in public schools of countries such as South Africa and Australia.
Contact: Jack Schwille, International Studies in Education, (517) 355-9627 or jschwill@msu.edu
For more information: www.educ.msu.edu
- Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad programs to take Michigan K-12 teachers and other educators to developing countries. In return for travel grants, participating educators develop teaching and curriculum resources for Michigan schools. In the last five years, Michigan teachers have traveled to South Africa, Mexico, Nepal and Vietnam. Among other things, the teachers have learned about major MSU projects for environmental education and community development in Vietnam.
Contact: Anne Schneller, International Studies in Education, (517) 355-5522 or annes@msu.edu; or Jay Rodman (see above)
For more information: www.educ.msu.edu
- A teacher-preparation program that infuses international content into the student experience � from a required undergraduate course that explores Africa, Asia, Latin American and Europe to study abroad and pre-teaching programs in Thailand, France and England. These programs provide among the widest selection of overseas study experiences of any U.S. teacher training program.
Contact: Jack Schwille, International Studies in Education, (517) 355-9627 or jschwill@msu.edu
For more information: www.coe.msu.edu
This year�s winners of the awards program, sponsored by The Goldman Sachs Foundation and Asia Society, will be honored at a ceremony Tuesday, coinciding with International Education Week (IEW). Among those presenting the awards in Washington, D.C., will be former Michigan Gov. John Engler. For a list of MSU events celebrating IEW, visit www.isp.msu.edu/iew/
�At MSU, we are deeply committed and proud of our involvement in international education across the university,� said MSU President Peter McPherson. �This award recognizes MSU�s core function of advancing knowledge and transforming lives around the world.�
The Goldman Sachs Foundation and Asia Society created the Prizes for Excellence in International Education in June 2003. The purpose of the prize program is to identify and recognize the best of the growing number of innovative examples of international education for K-12 students and teachers in the United States and those who are working to replicate these models.