AT A GLANCE

WHAT: Public forum, called by the UC Davis International Advisory Committee

WHO: Meredith McQuaid, associate vice president and dean of International Programs, University of Minnesota system

WHEN: 1:30-3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24

WHERE: King Lounge, Memorial Union

INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE

The committee, as appointed by Ralph J. Hexter, provost and executive vice chancellor:

Co-chair: Jeannette Money, associate professor, Department of Political Science (co-chair)

Co-chair: Cary Trexler, associate professor, School of Education, and College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Ruth Uy Asmundson, mayor emerita, city of Davis

Sharada Balachandran-Orihuela, doctoral candidate, Department of English

Leopoldo Bernucci, professor, Department of Spanish and Classics

Lora Jo Bossio, associate vice chancellor, Student Affairs

Fadi Fathallah, professor, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering

Jacquelyn Gervay Hague, professor, Department of Chemistry

Douglas Gross, senior lecturer, Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy

James Hill, associate dean, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Charles “Chip” Lesher, professor, Department of Geology

Winston Ko, dean, Division of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, College of Letters and Science

Vallerye Mosquera, doctoral candidate, Department of Human and Community Development

Rajiv Narayan, ASUCD

Christopher Reynolds, professor, Department of Music

Charles Walker, professor, Department of History

Li Zhang, professor, Department of Anthropology.

UC Davis’ International Advisory Committee is inviting the campus community to a public forum next week with Meredith McQuaid, president and chair of NAFSA: Association of International Educators.

The forum is scheduled from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24, in King Lounge in the Memorial Union.

Apart from leading the association (which uses the acronym NAFSA, for the association's original name: National Association of Foreign Student Advisers), McQuaid serves as associate vice president and dean of International Programs at the University of Minnesota, promoting the global dimensions of teaching, research and engagement across all UM colleges and campuses.

In addition, she has administrative oversight of the Global Programs and Strategy Alliance, which includes International Student and Scholar Services, the Learning Abroad Center, the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition, and the China Center.

Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter established the International Advisory Committee last year with the primary goal of recommending an overarching strategy for international engagement.

The provost’s office noted the following facts about the university’s international character:

• UC Davis enjoys active relationships with global partners and provides international educational experiences for many students.
• Faculty collaborate with colleagues around the world.
• UC Davis is one of the top five U.S. campuses in the number of international scholars visiting in a given year. Increasing numbers of students from abroad seek to study here, and this will certainly increase as we intensify our international marketing and recruiting efforts.

“As we prepare to undertake such steps and to commit the resources required to be successful, we must articulate our goals clearly, but that is only part of what is needed,” states a provost’s paper outlining the committee’s charge.

“It is time for a thorough stocktaking of our international assets and, even more importantly, the development of a clear vision of our aspirations in the global arena. We need a comprehensive strategy for international engagement.”

The charging document credits University Outreach and International Programs, under the leadership of Vice Provost William Lacy, in the success of bringing students and scholars from other nations to UC Davis, and in fostering international experiences for many of our own students.

“The major questions before us are these: How do we build on our success and take international engagement to the next level? How will ‘internationalization’ find its unique expression at UC Davis, and what will it look like?

“An international experience is becoming an absolutely critical component of the education of students who will be asked to compete in a global market and to be citizens of an increasingly globalized world.

“How quickly could we reach the point where we can realistically expect virtually every graduate of UC Davis to have had an international experience of some sort during his or her time here, as the chancellor has suggested?”

More about Meredith McQuaid

McQuaid’s experience with international education began early on.

As an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota, she was one of the first U.S. students to study Mandarin in China after the country opened to the West.

After graduation (Bachelor of Arts in linguistics), she spent two years teaching English in Japan and then took a trip around the world by motorcycle before enrolling at the UM Law School.

With her degree in hand, she joined Popham, Haik, Schnobrick & Kaufman in Minneapolis as an associate attorney, working in immigration and civil litigation.

She then embarked on a 14-year career at the UM Law School, where she served as associate dean of Administration and International Programs (1995-2005) and director of International and Graduate Programs (1994-2006).

She holds an adjunct faculty position and teaches “Introduction to American Law” and “Legal Research and Writing for Foreign Lawyers.”

In 2006, she received UM’s Award for Global Engagement, given to faculty and staff members in recognition of outstanding contributions to global education and international programs.

 

 

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