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Table of Contents

• A Note from the Director
• Aggarwal-Blackburn Visiting Scholar Shasha Wu
• New Professional Advisory Board Member
• An International Student's Perspective on the Pandemic
• CIIE Virtual Events Lead to Cross-Country Collaboration
• Fall 2020 CIIE Events

A Note from the Director

I am thrilled to join the center and 51���� — a university clearly devoted to global education. I have the pleasure of keeping former director Dr. Linda Robertson’s legacy alive while also bringing my own unique perspective to the center. Even during this challenging time, there is still space for fresh ideas and creative initiatives that further its mission – to serve as a catalyst for the advancement of international and intercultural education. It is through collaboration with colleagues across campus and with the center’s network of highly regarded international scholars and exchange alumni that the center continues to act as a beacon for the good of global education. I welcome and embrace the challenge of expanding the reach of the center in the years to come.

–Amanda Johnson, Ph.D.

Aggarwal-Blackburn Visiting Scholar

Shasha Wu

Shasha Wu, a visiting scholar from China, is an associate professor at Xi’an International Studies University. She has taught in the School of Education for the past two decades. Her main research areas are critical thinking and cross-cultural communication. Presently, she is doing research with Dr. Joanne Caniglia on the integration of critical thinking within subject matter instruction. Shasha likes to travel and enjoy local food; however, during the pandemic, she has spent her time in Kent taking classes at KSU, cooking, and practicing yoga.

New Professional Advisory Board Member for CIIE

Join us in welcoming , Dean of the School of International Studies at Universidad Espiritu Santo, from Samborondon, Guayaquil, Ecuador. Isidro is our first Latin American board member and will begin his tenure on the board in Spring 2021. Isidro brings to the center a wealth of knowledge in international relations and intercultural communication. He has degrees from the US, Colombia, and Spain and has been a scholar with DAAD in Germany and ITEC in India.

An International Student's Perspective on the Pandemic

Simge Engelkiran, Graduate Assistant to CIIE

I have flashbacks to when I first heard about coronavirus (COVID-19) in January. I thought that it was in Wuhan and that nothing can happen to us here in Ohio. I think it is fair to say that the majority of the people in the USA, including myself, were not worried about how it might affect us. 

However, shortly after we heard that COVID-19 arrived in the States. All of the Aggarwal Blackburn visiting scholars who were going to come to our office from around the world in a few weeks could not come due to the travel ban. Then in mid-March we heard of the Europe travel ban, and 22 European TEA Fulbright visiting scholars who were in our office were forced to cut their visit short and leave the USA to return to their countries. Right after that decision, our school administration decided to have four weeks of remote learning. This was then extended throughout the summer and into Fall 2020 with more than half of the classes remote and only few students choosing to come to campus for face-to-face. Thus, the coronavirus that in January I thought was so far away is right next to us, now more than ever. I live only a few miles from my advisor, and we last met online seven months or so ago. I go to the office once a week and most of my interactions are virtual. As an international student, I did not see some of my family members for a long time and I do not know when I will get a chance to see them again. Uncertainty is difficult and stressful for all of us, but I would like to remind you that we all feel the effects of COVID19. Also, university resources can help us all, so it is particularly important to remember to take advantage of them and to ask for help if needed: we are not alone and we should remember that.

CIIE Virtual Events Lead to Cross-Country Collaboration

Nadina Nicolici, ESL Teacher, "Lorin Sǎlǎgean" Technical High School, Romania
Former Fulbright TEA Scholar at 51����

“Confident Teacher, Well-off Community” is the program sponsored by US Embassy in Romania and coordinated and implemented by “Lorin Sǎlǎgean” Technical College in Drobeta Turnu Severin, Romania.

The program aims to enhance the teaching and learning of English as a foreign language in 17 schools (middle and high schools) for 20 teachers of English as a foreign language, most of them beginners and without vast professional experience, in rural areas in the region, towns and villages which have potential to develop eco-tourism. The program will last for 9 months, and it will cover different topics of interest for the teachers in the target group, such as classroom management, resources and materials, modern and interactive teaching methods and techniques (online and offline) or teaching with technology. One session is dedicated to Media literacy, as the teacher trainer and coordinator of the program, Nadina Carmen Nicolici, studied this topic in 2019 as a Fulbright TEA grantee at KSU. She will collaborate with international teachers from Indonesia, Dewi Susilawati, and Mexico, Xohiktza Avendano , also KSU alumni, who will share their expertise and knowledge on topics related to teaching vocabulary and classroom management. This collaboration is possible as these three teachers met during a virtual panel organized in October on the topic Disruption in Education hosted by CIIE. When the project is over, in June 2021, the 20 Romanian teachers will become members of a Teacher Activity Hub, and they will continue to share ideas, good practices and examples with the others, including the international collaborators.

Fall 2020 CIIE Events

Peace Day Virtual Event

In collaboration with the School of Peace and Conflict Studies and The Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality, CIIE hosted a virtual event featuring Ray Acheson, director of Reaching Critical Will, of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. Ray shared with over 40 participants the century-old work the league does and the promise the UN made 75 years ago to save future generations from war. She discussed our current militarized world order and what it means to peace and security.

October "Disruption in Education" Series of Virtual Events

In October, CIIE hosted a series of virtual events featuring former CIIE international exchange alumni and KSU international students. The first two virtual panels featured former CIIE exchange alumni educators from diverse countries, such as Ghana, Indonesia, the Philippines, Northern Macedonia, to name but a few, discussing the pandemic’s impact on K-12 education. The third virtual panel highlighted KSU international students, Hassan Bin Afzal, Esther Sijuwade, and Sitang (Jamie) Jittapirom, who discussed the challenges of the pandemic in their daily lives in the US. On October 30th, two educators and former CIIE Fulbright grantees, Mirela Fazlic and Aida Saric shared their experiences of growing up in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Bosnia War. The audience watched a short documentary entitled “”