|
|
SUNY Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs Mitch Leventhal will be the keynote speaker at the fall conference of the Western New York and Northwestern Pennsylvania Chapter of the Fulbright Association to be held Friday, Oct. 15, at SUNY Fredonia.
“Global outreach through Fulbright programs” is the theme of the convention to be conducted in the Horizon Room of the Williams Center. College students, along with faculty, staff, administrators and teachers from area high schools, are invited to attend the conference to learn all about the Fulbright, one of the largest international education programs in the United States.
Dr. Ted Schwalbe, coordinator of International Learning and Fulbright campus representative, called bringing Leventhal at the conference a “real coup” for the local Fulbright chapter and the SUNY Fredonia campus. “He’s relatively new on the job and is also interested in meeting with people on our campus. That, combined with the opportunity to meet with an organization very interested in international endeavors made it a good opportunity for him, and a fortunate one for us.”
Prior to joining SUNY in 2009, Leventhal was vice provost for International Affairs at the University of Cincinnati. At SUNY, he is responsible for developing and coordinating the university’s system-wide global academic strategy and operations, as well as representing SUNY’s global interests at a center to be developed in Manhattan.
Conference attendees will learn about short- and long-term Fulbright grant opportunities available in more than 130 countries for faculty and students and obtain advice on how to select a country and prepare a competitive grant application. Members of the Fulbright association and Fulbright alumni will also join the conference to share their overseas experiences and answer audience questions.
Dr. Cheryl Drout, professor of Psychology at SUNY Fredonia, will address the traditional Fulbright program for faculty teaching and research; Dr. Laila Denoyia, an independent consultant based in Fredonia, will discuss the Fulbright Specialist program for faculty and some professionals; Dr. Shannon Risk, a History professor at Niagara University, will explain the United States Student program that encompasses English teaching, research and graduate work. Each speaker will also share personal experiences in their respective programs.
The conference begins with a complimentary lunch at 12:30 p.m., following by presentations and breakout sessions from 1 to 3 p.m. The newly formed Steel Pan Quartet, led by visiting Fulbright teacher Angela Gay Magnus, from Jamaica, will perform during lunch.
“I’m very proud of Fredonia’s level of interest in the Fulbright and the support from the administration for the Fulbright program,” Schwalbe said. Conferences, held each fall and spring semester, are rotated among member universities in New York and Pennsylvania.
