Mitchell, FitzGerald discuss study abroad mobility at international conference
Dr. James Mitchell, associate professor and chairman of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, and Erin FitzGerald, director of international programs, traveled to Mexico this week to participate in Partners of the Americas’ first higher education partnership conference, “Internationalization in the Americas.”
Mitchell and FitzGerald discussed increasing study abroad mobility through partnerships and grants. Their presentation focused on the cross-campus collaboration and curricular innovation sparked by their winning application to the “100,000 Strong in the Americas” grant competition, which funded the development of the minor in Spanish for the health and services professions and its associated immersion and community engagement program in the Dominican Republic.
Their panel presentation was chaired by Mark Farmer, director of higher education policy for NAFSA: Association of International Educators, who sought Mitchell and FitzGerald’s assistance in sharing an institution’s experience of the grant’s impact.
“In addition to sharing our experience, we had the opportunity to meet with existing and potential institutional exchange partners in Mexico and Central and South America, expanding opportunities for language minors and majors, but also for other students who wish to study abroad in the region,” Mitchell said.
Partners of the Americas is a non-governmental organization focused on development in the Americas across all sectors. The group seeks to provide a place for educational institutions from the Americas to connect and partner to increase bilateral mobility and deepen institutional collaborations.
