University News
Form International Studies Committee
September 30, 2003
MACOMB, IL – Western Illinois University Provost Joseph Rallo has established the Provost’s Committee for International Studies to coordinate campus international programs through development of a strategic plan.
According to an evaluation by Dr. Steven J. Sacco, co-director of the Center for International Business Education and Research at San Diego State University, Western Illinois University would be in the top 20 institutions in study abroad enrollment if Western coordinated how participant numbers were calculated in existing WIU programs. The report by Sacco, a Western alum, strongly supports the creation of a single strategic plan for International Studies at Western and notes that there are “very few concrete programs on campus for the large number of grants that WIU has garnered.”
Sacco recommended a 12-15 month timeline of activities leading to the creation of a Center for International Studies and the hire of a full time academic director to lead these initiatives for the campus.
The first step was recently taken with the creation of the ProvostÂ’s Committee for International Studies chaired by Dr. Tom Tomlinson, professor of law enforcement administration and past president of WesternÂ’s Faculty Senate. The committee will function as the single campus-coordinating group for International Studies and will report directly to the Provost as it implements the planning steps recommended in SaccoÂ’s report. The committee has already started its review of how international activities on campus are currently organized, staffed and funded to develop an organizational plan for the new Center.
“One of the things which attracted me to Western was its superb reputation for grant activity in the international studies community. The proposed Center will coordinate academic programs, grants and contracts, as well as support activities on behalf of the students, faculty and staff of the University,” Rallo said. “Our goal is to create one of the best university International Studies programs in the Midwest.”
Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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