FLORIDA GULF

COAST

UNIVERSITY

INTERNATIONAL

SERVICES

—————————

Volume 7, Issue 1 Spring 2017

International Accents Connect with the World

.

“Be the change that you wish to

see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi

——————-—

Developing a global perspective means to broaden your understanding of diverse cul-tures, social and economic backgrounds, religions, faith and values. It also means to understand the different economic, social and political forces that shape a society. To adopt such perspective, we need to adopt the skillset that will allow for cross-cultural exchanges. In International Services, we believe in the importance of broadening your global perspectives. The office organ-izes several events throughout the year to expand the community’s worldwide under-

standing. Indeed, with globalization it has become crucial to understand what is going on in the world and the consequences glob-al influences will have on the future.

A global nest

At FGCU, there are 200 international stu-dents currently studying; and historically have represented over 100 countries. Stu-dents have the opportunity of becoming an Eagle I Ambassador or joining our Interna-tional Organization to expand their world-wide knowledge.

Benefits of a Global Perspective by Charlotte Bingham

Closer look at the International Services Office

Study Abroad

Check FGCU study abroad website for weekly information session dates

This summer faculty led study abroad programs will travel to Ireland, Hunga-ry, Scotland, Ghana, and Bahamas.

New FGCU Partnership announced with Harlaxton College in England, one hour from London. You won’t be-lieve this place!

Fulbright application for students opens on March 30th.

129 students went on faculty led pro-grams in 2016

45 students participated in an inde-pendent semester or summer program abroad in 2016

International Student &

Scholar Highlights

FGCU currently has 190 students from 60 countries, and welcomed 62 new students for this academic year; and added 3 new countries: Barbados, Ko-sovo and Paraguay.

FGCU is also host to 6 exchange visi-tor scholars for research

Eagle “I” Ambassador Update

This fall we had 20 new Eagle I Am-bassadors! These unique students pro-vide the opportunity for our interna-tional students to experience American culture through friendships and cross-cultural exchanges. The program also facilitates global awareness and learn-ing.

Contact us

239-590-7925

or

international-services@fgcu.

edu

www.fgcu.edu/

international

Reed Hall 122

History of FGCU, 20 Years And Counting

1996

1997

1998

1999

2005

2007

2009

2016

Groundwork, planning

Granted authorization by the US Immigration Service to enroll its first 7 international students. The first admitted international student was from

Sweden. The development of a potential international exchange partner-ship with Universidad Autonóma de Campeche, Mexico, began in 1996

and was soon followed by partnerships with Harz University of Applied Sciences, in Germany and Dijon-Burgundy School of Business in France.

First FGCU student studied abroad in Thailand.

First FGCU employee was awarded the prestigious Fulbright grant

Applied for and granted authorization from the US Department of State to host foreign national

exchange scholars, (researchers, experts, collabo-rate).

FGCU became a host institution for the Fulbright Language Teaching As-

sistant program, with teachers from Jordan to teach Arabic and China to

teach Mandarin

First scholarship FGCU offers to students for study abroad estab-

lished by St. Andrews Society of Naples for study abroad

First FGCU Students Fulbright award recipients, spring 2016.

Pursuing higher education initiatives with Cuba, and new partnership

with Harlaxton College in England

Page 2 Connect with the World

“Education is

the passport to

the future, for

tomorrow be-

longs to those

who prepare for

it today.”

Malcolm X

Highlights on Eagle I Ambassador Program and International Organization

The Eagle International Ambassador Program, more commonly referred to as the Eagle I Ambas-sador program, connects FGCU international stu-dents, or “eaglets” as we like to call them, with American students, or Eagle I Ambassadors. The Eagle I Program provides multiple benefits, such as: facilitate the expansion of cultural awareness and global learning, enhance empathy and respect among all students and promote the development

of cross-cultural communication skills. It is a one-

year commitment supporting their eaglet in their transition to living and learning at FGCU and within the United States. They participate with in-ternational students in activities far beyond the classroom, as well as monthly group outings. This semester our scheduled events related to environ-mental awareness, leadership development, com-munity service and the history and culture of our region. In addition to this program, we have an Interna-tional Organization. The purpose of the Interna-tional Club is to promote cultural education and provide a home-base environment for all incoming International Students and Scholars. We plan vari-ous events and activities for the club’s members, as well for the FGCU community. The International Club is for anyone interested in travel, language, and people from diverse traditions. The club isn’t just for International students, as it welcomes do-mestic students too! The club brings each individu-al a chance to meet someone from a different world perspective and also helps to broaden their own international experience. We invite you to come and check us out! Befriend us on Facebook at FGCU Intl Srvs for more infor-

mation.

Page 3 International Accents

Calendar of Spring 2017 Activities

January

Thursday 1/5- Friday 1/6 Mandatory International Student Orientation

Friday 1/13 Welcome to America-Eagle’s Landing at Northlake Village – 5:30pm to 8PM

Friday 1/27 ECHO Tour 10AM-12PM+ Service Learning opportunity 1-4PM

February

Saturday 2/11 Eagle Ropes Challenge Course 9-4PM

Saturday 2/25 Tour the Naples Botanical Gardens, 9AM-12PM

March

Friday 3/11 Bowling Night or Ice Skating Night or

Mini Golf

Friday 3/24 Deadline to Apply to become an Eagle

I Ambassador for the 2017-2018 year

April

4/5-4/7 International Celebration Week

Saturday 4/8 Ding Darling Wildlife refuge visit in

Sanibel Island 9-12PM (+ Beach afternoon)

Friday 4/21 Vester Field Research Station 9-12PM

(+ Beach afternoon)

Friday 4/28 Farewell Potluck Party- Eagle’s Land-

ing -5:30-8PM

Check out our International Celebration Week

agenda at https://fgcu.collegiatelink.net/

organization/International/calendar/

details/1275933

The International Services Office held its 20th annual International Recep-tion, on September 16th in the Cohen Center ballroom.

FGCU highlighted its international education initiatives and its commitment

to offering an educational experience with global perspec-tives. Remarks by university officials and student leaders and

cultural performances were given, followed by a reception. This event was an opportunity to become acquainted with FGCU students and scholars from other countries and FGCU

students who have studied abroad.

A sampling of international food was provided including a beautiful cake in honor of FGCU’s 20th anniversary.

Thieldens Elneus, the Student Body President welcomed our first student from Barbados. Amongst the wonderful perform-ers were Claire Gorman and Catherine Gorman’s Celtic danc-

ers who received a standing ovation. Our U.S. State Sponsored exchange students from Tunisia and Paki-

stan presented their home country with some interest-ing facts.

The ceremony concluded with Azul, the surprise guest,

presenting FGCU’s 20th anniversary cake, followed by a raffle with contributions from the Bower School of

Music & the Arts (concert performances vouchers), the Resort & Hospitality Management program (spa certifi-cate), the Alumni Association (FGCU wine) and the

Marketing department (gift bag items).

20th Annual International Reception

Connect with the World Page

Photo credit: Brad Young

4

My name is Sonia Messa-

oudi, I am an exchange

student from Tunisia and

I am majoring in business

management. During my

first semester at FGCU, I

was nominated by the

Hult Prize Foundation to

be the Campus Director

of the school. The Hult

Prize is the world's larg-

est student competition

for social good and it is a

partnership between the

Hult International School

and the Clinton Founda-

tion. Each year, President

Clinton releases a topic

and chosen Campus Di-

rectors promote the

event at their academic

institutions. A local com-

petition at each school

around the world is fol-

lowed by a regional com-

petition in London, Du-

bai, Shanghai, Boston and

San Francisco. Finalists

from these regions par-

ticipate in the Global Fi-

nals in the fall, an event

hosted by the Clinton

Global Initiative and the

finalist in the world is

awarded US $ 1,000,000.

This year's issue was

about immigration, "Can

we build sustainable so-

cial enterprises that re-

store the rights and digni-

ty of 10 million refugees

by 2020?". I promoted

the event on campus and

succeeded to have teams

sign up and participate.

The local event took

place on December 4,

2016 at the Emergent

Technologies Institute

and appointed judges se-

lected a winner from all

the groups. The winning

team has been working

tirelessly on their idea

( an open source comput-

er that creates a wifi

hotspot allowing devices

connected to the net-

work communicate and

share files) in order to

prepare for the regional

competition in March.

their academic studies,

Global UGRAD-Pakistan

and Tunisia fellows per-

form community service

and explore American

traditions through the

unique Cultural Passport

to America program.

While interacting with

Americans in the commu-

nity and on campus, the

fellows develop a more

well-rounded perception

of American culture. In

turn, they will share their

new understanding of the

U.S. with friends, family

This academic year,

FGCU welcomed 6 inter-

national students from

Tunisia and Pakistan as

part of the U.S. Depart-

ment of State’s Global

Undergraduate Exchange

Programs in Pakistan &

Tunisia. The programs

are sponsored by the Bu-

reau of Educational and

Cultural Affairs of the

Department of State and

are administered by the

International Research

and Exchange Board

(IREX). In addition to

and others in their com-

munities back home. As a

Global UGRAD-Pakistan

or Tunisia fellow, the stu-

dent are be required to

participate in cultural ac-

tivities throughout the

community. This is de-

signed to help them gain

in-depth exposure to sev-

eral key American values,

and the students will be

expected to explore arts

and music, holiday cele-

brations, sports and lei-

sure, community life, daily

life, and local pride.

Featured Student: Sonia Messaoudi

U.S. State Department Sponsored Exchange Programs

"Empowering

business minds

to pursue

purpose."

-Ahmad Ashkar,

CEO and

Founder of The

Hult Prize

Page 5 International Accents

“Hello! My name is Amy Nguyen and I am a second year student ma-joring in Resort and Hospitality Management with a minor in French. I have a passion for meeting new and inspir-ing people, learning new languages, and traveling! When I saw the oppor-tunity to become an Ea-gle I Ambassador, I im-mediately jumped on it. This program is perfect for me because it allows me to live my passion

every single day. My favorite thing about be-ing an Eagle I Ambassa-dor is definitely the peo-ple that I have the op-portunity to meet. There are so many unique and amazing people from around the world and the FGCU community that I have met through this program that I am so grateful and thankful for. These are people that I have made count-less memories with - making my college expe-

rience so much better. My advice that I would give to others would be to just do it! Whether that be studying abroad and being an Interna-tional student or simply becoming an Eagle I Ambassador, I encour-age everyone to live their best life and follow their dreams and pas-sion. This program has indefinitely changed my life and I hope that it does the same for oth-ers.”

da with my Bachelor’s in Sociology, and am working on my Master’s in Public Administration at FGCU. I was brought up in Paris, France and moved to the United States over 6 years ago. My responsibilities in-clude organizing events throughout the year with for objective broadening the community’s global perspectives. I am in

My name is Charlotte Bingham and I am the International Services Coordinator. I began this position in August 2016 and have worked in Higher Education for the past four years with-in diverse departments including Advising, Ad-missions & Registrar and Financial Aid. I graduated from the Uni-versity of Central Flori-

charge of the Eagle I Ambassador Program and am the advisor to the International Organ-ization. I assist incoming students with their visas, and work closely with our sponsored students. My other tasks include maintaining our social media page and creating our Newsletter.

An Eagle I Ambassador’s reflection on the program

Newest Staff member

Meet our Peer Study Abroad Advisor

experience. I learned a lot about myself and other cultures. As a study abroad peer advi-sor at FGCU, I help oth-ers find the perfect study abroad program for themselves and also help students re-adjust to coming back to FGCU. Working at the Interna-tional Services office has

been an absolute delight. The staff is very welcom-ing and truly make you feel at home. I can't wait for what this next semes-ter has in store!"

Hi! My name is Zoe. I'm a second year Biology major at FGCU. I origi-nally studied abroad be-cause my best friend asked me to come to Barcelona, and it was the best decision I have ever made. Living in a different country with people from all over the world was an invaluable

Page 6 International Accents

Hello, my name is Sissi Jensen, and I am the President of the Interna-tional Club. I was more than eager to join and contribute to the Interna-tional Club as both mem-ber and officer, because of my own multicultural background as both Dan-ish and Cuban, and due to my involvement as an

Eagle I Ambassador. I believe that an interna-tional mindset and a mind open to travel, is an ex-ceptional one - capable of bringing persons of every kind together. My goal as your President is to pro-vide all FGCU students with an amazing club ex-perience that sheds light on various cultures and

perspectives in the pro-cess!

A Club Officer’s perspective on the International Organization

Dr. John McIntyre earned his PhD in Eng-lish Literature from McGill University. He is currently Associate Pro-fessor in the Department of English Literature at the University of Prince Edward Island in Char-lottetown, Prince Ed-ward Island, Canada where he teaches cours-es in 20th and 21st cen-tury American literature and culture. He has published numerous scholarly articles on

James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, Joseph Conrad, and F. Scott Fitzger-ald. He is the co-editor of *Rereading the New Criticism,* which exam-ines one of the formative schools of literary criti-cism in 20th-century America. He is current-ly co-editing a volume of essays entitled *Modernism and the Anthropocene,* which focuses on the intersec-tions between literary

modernism and the nat-ural environment. At FGCU he is researching the place of the early 20th-century cartoonist Jay "Ding" Darling within the broader American environmen-talist movement. While here, he is also exploring the role of environmen-tal education and en-gagement within Arts and Humanities under-graduate programs.

Visiting Exchange Scholar from Canada– Dr. John McIntyre

Page 7 International Accents

An International Student’s experience at FGCU

Hi, my name is Marco Del Grosso, Law student at the University of Macerata. I

come from a small city up in the Abruzzo’s hills called Chieti, on the Italian east

coast; two hours from Rome. It is a beautiful place, especially considering the fact

that my city is 15 minutes away from the Adriatic Sea and is 15 minutes away from

the Majella Mountain. Regarding the cuisine, the traditional cuisine, my grandma’s,

my mom’s one… What to say? Just incredible. Of course, Olive Garden is not even

close to it; actually, I wouldn’t say it is Italian cuisine. Everything is amazing in my

Country, my beautiful Country, but as we know all that glitters isn’t gold…This is

why many years ago I decided to study abroad to Hong Kong, Wisconsin, and now

here. Why did I do this? To compensate for the lack of opportunities my Country

doesn’t offer. I have a desire to get the most out of these experiences. I have a dream,

to be able to use this knowledge to help my Native community grow.

“Tolerance, inter-cultural

dialogue and respect for

diversity are more essen-

tial than ever in a world

where peoples are becom-

ing more and more close-

ly interconnected.”

― Kofi Annan

Dr. Kimberly Jack-

son, Chair of Lan-

guage and Litera-

ture Department

hosts exchange visi-

tor Dr. John

McIntyre.

Leading study abroad trips is one of my favorite things about my job. Watching stu-

dents explore and discover a foreign country, culture, and language, usually for the

first time, is an absolute joy for me. Having studied and worked abroad when

I was an undergraduate and after college, I know how exciting, rewarding,

and often life-changing the whole experience can be. I’ve heard so many col-

lege graduates say that studying abroad was one of the best things they did in

college (and that they wished they had time to do it again)!

In 2015 and 2016, I designed and led study abroad trips to Germany and

Austria. I wanted students to see and experience as much as possible, so

each three week trip had a packed itinerary and included a variety of sites

and locations. We toured big cities (Vienna, Berlin, and Munich), medium

sized cities (Würzburg and Leipzig), beautiful and charming towns (Salzburg

and the medieval Rothenburg ob der Tauber), and even awesome alpine des-

tinations (Berchtesgaden), which the students quickly fell in love with!

My study abroad trips are designed to give students a broad introduction to

areas of knowledge in the Humanities and History in Germany and Austria,

and therefore the itineraries also provided a variety of activities. We take

historical walking tours with local guides; visit all kinds of museums (art, history,

music, technology); tour palaces, castles, and fortresses; attend concerts, operas

and plays; do some light hiking in the Alps and up church steeples; and even ride

bikes around former imperial gardens. To practice their German and also gain some

valuable cultural insights, students are required to speak with people in each loca-

tion we visit. All in all, they were very memorable experiences, for the students and

for the faculty as well!

FGCU Faculty-Led Study Abroad

Thomas Stefaniuk, PhD, Assistant Professor of German

Page

Dr. Stefaniuk with

co-leader Dr. Fiona

Tolhurst

at the Schönbrunn

Palace in Vienna,

May 2015

FGCU students at Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany,

May 2015 FGCU students at the Brandenburg Gate

in Berlin, Germany, June 2016

Connect with the World 8

My name is Evelyn Philistin, and I am a senior from Naples, Florida majoring

in Criminal Justice. I chose to participate in the study abroad trip to Cape

Coast, Ghana because of the experience that I knew I would gain from it.

One of my goals, before I graduated from FGCU, was to study abroad so

once an opportunity like traveling to Ghana came, I took it! The Ghana trip

was about 2-3 weeks long and was led by Dr. Bruster, a professor in the

social work department and Dr. Downes, a professor in the nursing depart-ment. With 14 students in our group, we were split into two concentra-

tions; social welfare and nursing, but your major did not have to align with

the concentrations in order to participate. We went through a provider,

ProWorld Ghana, led by Shawn Dillard that took care of everything from our homestays, ser-

vice sites, and excursions. In order to gain a richer and independent experience, we all stayed at

different homestays which were a few miles apart from each other. I was placed at Mama Joyce's

house with three other FGCU students. Our homestays were probably the most rewarding

memory of our trip because it's where we bonded with our families and learned about the Gha-

naian lifestyle. One of the great things that I loved about this trip was that we were able to ac-

quire hands-on experience that we might not have been able to get from another organization.

For instance, while the social welfare group participated in activities such as inspecting daycare

centers, surveying school children, and meeting with community leaders on, the nursing students

assisted with X-rays, ultrasounds, and vaccinations, and even performing vital signs on Chiefs of

a Ghanaian village! On the weekends, we were able

to explore Ghana a little more by taking on drum-

ming and dance lessons, visiting their national park,

dining at hotspots, and learned some history after

visiting one of the last standing slave castles. One of

my favorite days is when we visited the Cape Coast

School for the Deaf and Blind and watched their

dance troupe beautifully perform. If there's one thing

that I learned in Ghana, it's that happiness can be

found anywhere and that it doesn't take much to

radiate positivity. Many of the individuals that I met

did not have much, but they made the best out of what they had and looked to the connections

with one another and the environment than materialistic things for joy. In Ghana, wealth was

measured by smiles not monetary value.

What my Study Abroad Experience taught me

Page 9 International Accents

“In Ghana,

wealth was

measured by

smiles not

monetary

value.” Evelyn

Philistin

Connect with the World Page

“Oh the places you’ll go”- Dr. Seuss

FGCU student Edouane Jules,

majoring in Biology, studying

abroad in Paris for the sum-

mer

FGCU faculty led study abroad program to Austria

and Germany , with Dr. Tom Stefaniuk and Dr.

Honor’s College Director Dr. Clay Motley

visits Harlaxton Manor, FGCU’s new

partner school near London

FGCU faculty led study abroad by Dr. Phil

Allman and Dr. Alison Elgart. Marine

conservation program in Ghana, with a

leatherback turtle

10

“The real voyage of discovery

consists not in seeking new

landscapes, but in having new

eyes.”

― Marcel Proust