PD Day Session: An open meeting of the Center for International Understanding
Organizing Committee.
On August 26, 2009 during Professional Development week, the new Center for
International Understanding held an open meeting of the Center’s “Organizing
Committee” to let the College community know about the Center’s long-term goals
and to develop plans for the 2008-2009 academic year. We had an excellent turnout
of about forty faculty and administrators; the first step of the meeting was a round
of introductions so that those new to our international activities could meet everyone
in the room who have been involved in various projects. We welcomed Christine
Talbot and Kristen Starr from Institutional Advancement, for example, who will be
working on grants and fundraising and Linda Hansell who has worked to send
abroad high school students who attend the College.
Since January of 2007, Fay Beauchamp, Professor of English, and Sharon
Thompson, Associate Academic Vice President, worked to establish this
International Center with a description including an official Mission Statement,
Goals and Objectives, and a history of past accomplishments at the College. The
Center was accepted by the Deans Council and by President Curtis in November
2007. Each of those who attended the PD Session received a copy of the official
Center description; many of those attending had seen earlier drafts.
We then had a round of reports from faculty involved in study-abroad or faculty
development activities over the summer of 2008. John Joyce presented a gorgeous
PowerPoint collage accompanied by music giving an overview of the 2008 Istanbul
Workshop funded by Turkish American Friendship Society- U. S., Turkish
Coalition of America and the Institute of Turkish Studies. Five Community College
of Philadelphia students, John Joyce, and Professor Cynthia Giddle were fully
funded to travel to Turkey in May of 2008 as part of a program that began with
extra preparatory sessions for the students in March 2008. The students have
completed formal evaluations and were all enthusiastically positive about the
experience. For the Oct. 13 PD Day Cindy and John and three of the students will
present an extended description of the program.
Christopher DiCapua, Chair of the Foreign Language Department and directly in
charge of Study-Abroad programs, then gave a report on the Argentina program of
Spring 2008 with Maria Louisa Ortega who also attended the PD meeting.
Seventeen Community College students attended the Argentina program focused on
the learning of Spanish and including homestays. Chris then reported that for 2009
a similar Spanish language program is being planned for Costa Rico in conjunction
with CAPA, a nationwide organization that supplies facilities, classes and support
personnel. The College also plans to continue its successful Merida program in
March 2009.
Faculty at the College have been developing plans for programs in Belize because of
Anthropology Professor Stan Walling’s ongoing archeological program there
analyzing Mayan sites, some newly discovered. Margaret Stephens, who teaches
Cultural Geography, and John Braxton, who teaches Biology, described plans for a
program in Belize featuring two three-credit courses on environmental studies.
Stan Walling mentioned his plans to again bring our students to Belize to take part
in the archeological dig.
Two other faculty briefly mentioned their participation in summer faculty
development programs: Carol Stein, who attended an India Summer Institute,
organized by the National Endowment of the Humanities and the Community
College Humanities Association. Suzanne Lang had traveled to China on a studytour organized by the Asian Studies Development Program, and we encouraged the
morning participants to come to her related PD session that afternoon.
Other announcements made by Fay Beauchamp included:
 The application process for Student-Faculty International Fellowship
Program;
 The development of a one-credit course “Interdisciplinary Studies 120:
Introduction to a Study-Abroad Site”;

Title VI B grant planning with the Division of Business and Technology;
 The International Center’s Inauguration with speakers planned for
December of 2008 or January 2009, with a related Pathways Issue devoted to
international topics;
 Information re Asian Studies Development Program National Conference, to
be hosted by Community College of Philadelphia, March 5-8, 2009 at the
College.
It is very important that faculty, staff, and administrators have access to
information regarding these many activities – the continuing support by those who
attended the meeting is essential to our past and future success. To list those who
attended and their past accomplishments would take a separate report, but it was
wonderful to have this gathering!
Respectfully submitted,
Fay Beauchamp as
Director, Center for International Understanding
(Fay is also a teacher of English and Humanities courses.)