University News
WIU Receives U.S. Ed Grant for Illinois International Scholars Initiative
November 4, 2022
MACOMB/MOLINE – Part of Western Illinois University's mission is to empower students to lead dynamic and diverse communities, which is accomplished by providing students with innovative teaching grounded in multidisciplinary, regional and global perspectives. To strengthen the global perspective, the United States Department of Education has awarded a grant totally over $235,549 to WIU for a new initiative.
Directed by WIU Libraries Dean Héctor Maymí-Sugrañes and Political Science Professor Julia Albarracin, the new "WIU Global Citizens: Illinois International Scholars Initiative (IISI)" will forge a partnership with an educational nonprofit to further enhance the institution's undergraduate instruction in international studies and foreign languages.
"A more specific goal is the planning for the establishment of an international studies learning community in cross-regional studies to establish a foundation for the structure of the future IISI on international and cross-regional studies," Sugrañes and Albarracin noted. "The program will also prepare scholars and librarians by increasing their knowledge on the use of the new Library collections related to area studies for teaching and research projects focused on cross-regional studies and for providing services to immigrant, refugees and Limited English Proficiency Populations (LEPs)."
In addition to forging partnerships for the IISI, an Area Studies Research Center and Collections will be initiated within University Libraries, a new Cross-Regional Studies minor will be developed and Study Abroad programs in four continents will be established and new language courses in Mandarin Chinese and Swahili will be created. The new program will also allow for expansion of library and teaching resources. This grant provides funding to develop and plan the WIU Global Citizens initiative during the next two years.
"The IISI curriculum will also serve to enhance the University's community service and civic engagement activities, as well as create new learning communities to further broaden the University's globalization initiatives," Albarracin and Sugrañes added.
Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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