DATE: February 26, 2009
CONTACT:
Julie McGaha, 864-656-2062
mcgaha@clemson.edu
CONTACT:
Bill Fisk, 864-656-5119
bill252@clemson.edu
WRITER:
Hannah Sykes, 864-656-2061
hsykes@clemson.edu
International teachers come to Clemson for leadership program
CLEMSON — Clemson University is hosting 14 teachers from 11 countries around the world for the spring semester as part of the International Leaders in Education Program, a professional and academic exchange program funded by the U.S. Department of State.
The visiting secondary education teachers are taking classes on Clemson’s campus and will complete an internship with a U.S. partner teacher at Daniel High School. Upon their return home, they will serve as leaders to other teachers in their home countries.
They also participate in cultural activities on campus, including the Clemson Language Partner Program and the Provost’s political seminar “President Obama?” every Wednesday night in the Strom Thurmond Institute.
All of the teachers were nominated and approved by the departments of education in their home countries, as well as the home and U.S. embassies in their home countries.
The program is funded by a $129,000 Department of State grant administered through the International Research and Exchange Board, a nonprofit organization that promotes global education and training.
Clemson was one of five schools chosen to participate in the competitive program. Along with Clemson, Kent State University, University of Minnesota, University of Northern Kentucky and Montana State University will host 78 international teachers this semester.
Julie McGaha, a clinical faculty member in Clemson’s Eugene T. Moore School of Education and co-director of the program (along with Bill Fisk), said they plan to reapply for the grant after the teachers leave Clemson in May.
“We would like to see this program become a permanent part of the School of Education,” McGaha said. “We are also working with the teachers and administration at Daniel High School to development a project where the U.S. partner teachers' classes can communicate with their international fellows' classes when they return.”
The visiting teachers are Lucilene Figueiredo of Brazil, Raafat Haroun and Walid Darwish of Egypt, Chandrani Ghosh and Swapna Dhar of India, Muhammad Rauf of Indonesia, Lama’a Al-qrainat of Jordan, Sanaa El Lawand of Lebanon, Rajeswari Hari Krishnan of Malaysia, Maylandi Galicia of the Philippines, Ngor Ngom of Senegal, Victor Fekefeke of South Africa and Mercedes Perleche of Venezuela.
END