GROW II Advisory Committee Meeting
Dec. 7, 2005
Laurel Jeris’ home
Present: Phyllis Cunningham, Deb Pierce, Sharon Howard, Catherine Raymond, Sabiha Daudi, Meena
Razvi, Murali Krishnamurthi, Rick Orem, Jorge Jeria, Jaya Gajanayake, Nalika Diyadawa, Stanley
Gajanayake, Lina Ong, Laurel & David Jeris
(Prior to the meeting at Laurel’s house, members participated in a brief house warming ceremony following
the Sri Lankan traditional formalities. Sri Lankan refreshments were served at the end of the ceremony. The
event was considered also as a celebration of the holiday season and as an opportunity to show appreciation
for the valuable contributions by the members.
Soon after the conclusion of the ceremony at 11:00 a.m. A. C meeting started, chaired by Phyllis
Cunningham.
Phyllis invited the AC members to reflect on the impact and the meaning of their involvement in the Sri
Lanka Project in their professional life. She encouraged the members to talk about their work in the Sri
Lanka project and how it is permeating their classroom teaching. Below are the ideas shared:
 Phyllis: Involvement in the Sri Lanka project is a critical ingredient in the internationalization of the
curriculum because we bring to our classrooms knowledge about Sri Lanka and its culture. In the
same manner, the U.S. graduate students who are directly involved with the project leaders and also
through their own involvement in the project have gained valuable knowledge and cultural
perspectives to be informed citizens of a global community. This is a very participatory project and
has taught us the importance of participation at all levels and how to do it. Also, this kind of model,
to a certain degree, enables dissipating the hegemonic control of the U.S.
 Deb: At NIU, we bring NIU’s expertise to the world through ITO’s programs (such as the SL
project) and those involved in ITO’s programs bring back perspectives of the world to NIU’s
classrooms. It is a two-way involvement. When compared with the experience I had at one of my
former universities, ITO administered Sri Lanka project involved faculty and staff at different levels
and does not favor the involvement of only the top administrators. This is a unique aspect of the
program.
 Laurel: My students are eager to learn about the SL project and inquisitive about the styles of
involvement through an internationally-focused project such as this. They are keen to learn from
faculty involvement in projects abroad, specifically its position with personal/family agendas, and
international experience, new insights and learning we bring back to the classrooms.
 Meena: At the beginning I was not sure of the rationale for my involvement in the project, but my
discussions with Jaya & Laurel have changed my perception about my role in the project. The
project heavily influenced my professional path. My dissertation focus was impacted by concepts
and principles of the Sri Lanka project. I consider myself in the right place at the right time.
 Phyllis: The Sri Lanka Project is a key event in our careers, which we must proudly write about.
NIU faculty traveled to Sri Lanka to share their expertise with the community, esp. with grassroots
women. NIU faculty empowered the women to become active participants in government, taught the
ordinary citizens participatory decision-making processes. There is now a template to make women
participate in democratic process & civil society. The only issue in the project is that it involved
only a few students.
 Laurel: Most of CAHE faculty members have years of experience working in foreign countries and
this makes our department very special. Also having students from other countries have an impact in
the classroom. International students change the direction of learning. It is important to have nonU.S. perspectives in our classes.
 Jaya: From my teaching experience, I can say that students are very much interested in learning
about the Sri Lanka Project. They have heard about the project from other faculty members such as
Laurel and are enthusiastic in knowing more about the project. Students like this learning from the
“lived” international experience of the faculty. Students believe that in order for them to be citizens
of a global village, learning from faculty members who have “lived” international experience is
important. This was revealed during a needs assessment in my class, last spring.
 Sabiha: The more I hear about the Sri Lanka project, the more I am inspired to infuse my teaching
with international perspectives by constantly citing the Sri Lanka project in my teaching. I used the
distance learning mode presented by the Vice chancellor of the Open University (a partner
organization in the project) as an example in my class. Sri Lanka Project adds an international
dimension to the classroom teaching.
 Catherine: I teach Southeast Asian art and understanding Buddhism and Hinduism through such art.
My travel to Sri Lanka and India to study their art has enriched my teaching. I always share with my
students the experiences/knowledge I have gained from my fieldwork/research in Sri Lanka and
Southeast Asia.
 Rick: “In the beginning, I didn’t know much about Sri Lanka and about grassroots women’s
empowerment.” I was a learner. Participation in the SL project enhanced my knowledge and
impacted my professional development. The Faculty Panel Discussion during the International
Education Week was a laudable activity because it made students (in the audience) aware of what we
are doing.
 Jaya: The experience students have received from their experience with the project though limited is
a deeper one. For an example- Agnes Convey (Laurel’s student) did a major part of the curriculum
development work when the Sri Lanka group was here and that was inspirational work. She did an
outstanding job of guiding the group in developing the curriculum.
Reflections for future:
Members reflected on the future directions as a next step. Below are some of the ideas presented:
 Jaya: In the next project proposal it may be a good idea to include a study abroad component in Sri
Lanka. Our Model Villages will offer rich learning opportunities for the students.
 Rick: For such a study abroad component, students can be recruited from other universities as well,
universities that are interested in international development, grassroots development.
 Deb: The Fulbright projects abroad are a funding source to be considered. These are projects
funded by the Dept. of Education. Need to check whether applicants must be U.S. citizens….
 Jaya: If students need more information about GROW I and GROW II, they can get the information
by visiting two websites of the two projects. The total project processes, even the project reports and
AC minutes and CAG minutes are in the websites.
Meeting concluded at noon followed by an “American Lunch “, hosted by David and Laurel Jeris.