A new chapter in the affiliation between Fredonia and Aleksander Xhuvani University has been written with a recent faculty exchange. Dr. Vilma Tafani continued research that she began at the Fredonia campus during the 2001-2002 academic year, while Distinguished Service Professor Ted Schwalbe returned to her school, located in Elbasan, Albania, to work with students and faculty.
Both professors witnessed significant changes at their respective host institutions and communities, compared to earlier visits.
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| Seated at a castle overlooking the Albanian city of Elbasan are Maksi Tafani, husband of Fulbright recipient Dr. Vilma Tafani, and Dr. Ted Schwalbe, of Fredonia. |
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| The stone structure at the left is part of a castle in an older section of Elbasan. |
“I’ve seen tremendous changes in Albania over the years,” remarked Dr. Schwalbe, whose first visit the southeastern European country was in 1995. “The economy is better; there is more development, more machinery in the fields, better cars on the road. You see more small businesses that are established.”
Exploring communication and media was how Schwalbe spent his time in classrooms with students. “One of the things they were really interested in, and I gave several presentations on, were public speaking skills. I actually got to listen to some of the presentations they were doing in class and critique their presentations,” he said.
During his four-week stay that began in mid-May, Schwalbe met a newly elected member of Albania’s Parliament and renewed ties with well-known Albanian journalist and television host Adi Krasta, who studied at Fredonia in 1995. “I also became friends with a number of Peace Corps workers there, learned a lot about the Peace Corps. I have a tremendous respect for what they are doing,” Schwalbe said.
Students in Schwalbe’s courses at Fredonia are always beneficiaries of his overseas adventures, which include other visits to Albania as well as individual Fulbright experiences in Bulgaria, Hungary, Swaziland and Namibia.
“I always bring back to my classes at Fredonia my international experiences. In some case it’s directly related, in other cases it is peripheral to the actual material that we’re talking about in class,” Schwalbe explained. In his upcoming Mass Media and Society course, Schwalbe will be able to compare/contrast coverage of politics and Parliamentary elections in Albania, as well as explore how Albanian media covered that country’s 2017 elections.
Albania is a parliamentary democracy. Citizens vote for members of the Parliament, who in turn designate the country’s prime minister.
Continuing research, both on and off campus, into recent methodologies of English language teaching and learning was the focus of Dr. Tafani’s return visit to Fredonia during the summer months. She is in the process of writing a book on learning and teaching methodologies that combines her research and teaching experiences in Albania with updated material from Fredonia that addresses interactive methods and student-centered approaches.
“The Reed Library staff and faculty in the College of Education, especially Dr. Kate Mahoney and Dr. KimMarie Cole, have been a great help, providing me with the most recent materials, and a lot of insights from their precious experience in the field,” Tafani explained. She praised reference librarian Cynthia Yochym for her considerable research assistance.
Tafani was also able to begin gathering materials for another book, to consist of two parts, related to her Fredonia experiences. The first part will be devoted to links between Aleksander Xhuvani University and Fredonia, starting in the 1990s, while the second part will examine to the preservation of Albanian culture by Albanian-Americans she has met in Jamestown, N.Y., through American-Albanian James (Lou) Elias. The Albanian-American community in Jamestown was formed in the late 19th century.
“I am always fascinated how well they have preserved the Albanian traditions, the old language, the characteristic food,” Tafani observed.
During her campus stay, Tafani received assistance from several College of Education faculty members, learned about the community of Fredonia and visited numerous attractions, including the Dunkirk air show, Chautauqua County Fair, Niagara Falls, Buffalo city landmarks, the Amish community in Cherry Creek, and Bemus Point and Chautauqua Institution. She also met Terry Brown, vice president for Academic Affairs and provost; Cindy Bird, chair of the Department of Language, Learning and Leadership; Naomi Baldwin, director, Office of International Education; and Erin Willis, assistant director, Study Abroad and Exchange programs.
“I enjoyed talking to them, and always the focus was on how to improve the cooperation between the two institutions through sharing a lot of experiences,” she said.
“I sincerely admit that Fredonia has always been an inspiration for me, especially in my professional development and research,” said Tafani, who also came to Fredonia as a Fulbright recipient in the 2001-2002 academic year.
She identified the addition of several major buildings (Science Center, Rockefeller Studio Complex, University Commons and University Village townhouses) since her last visit. Tafani also noted dramatic growth of the TESOL program.
Upon her return to Albania, Tafani will promote her Fredonia experience to colleagues and students and the exchange of faculty and students and also continue working on her new book.
Schwalbe believes the relationship between Fredonia and Albania that goes back informally to 1990 has been reborn, pointing to Tafani’s second Fredonia visit and anticipated trips to Aleksander Xhuvani University by administrators and faculty. English professor Iclal Vanvesenbeeck spent the 2016 fall semester at Aleksander Xhuvani University on a Fulbright assignment. Mr. Elias initially worked with Fredonia to establish the relationship.
A memorandum of agreement, signed last May by President Virginia Horvath and Skender Topi, rector of Aleksander Xhuvani University, formalizes faculty exchanges and professional development programs between the institutions.
