Valpo wins international education award

Wed, February 27, 2008 |

Valparaiso University has won the prestigious Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization, recognizing it as a model for other institutions of higher education in preparing graduates with strong cross-cultural skills and global awareness.

Valparaiso is one of five institutions in the United States to be recognized this year by NAFSA: Association of International Educators with the award. The University’s efforts in promoting international education will be featured in “Internationalizing the Campus 2008: Profiles of Success at Colleges and Universities,” to be published by NAFSA this fall. Valparaiso and the four other awardees also will be recognized at the NAFSA annual conference in Washington, D.C.

Named for the late Senator Paul Simon, (D–Ill.), the award recognizes outstanding and innovative efforts in campus internationalization. Sen. Simon was a strong supporter of international education, advocating for exchanges through his position on various Senate committees. His leadership was especially evident in his robust support for the creation of the National Security Education Program, which addresses critical national security deficiencies in language and cultural expertise, and in his vision of a national program to greatly expand Americans’ knowledge of the world, which was the inspiration behind the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act currently pending in Congress.

NAFSA’s annual “Internationalizing the Campus” report recognizes institutions that are leaders in the growing effort across higher education to better prepare students for a global economy and an interconnected world.

Dr. Hugh McGuigan, director of international studies, said the University has a long history of emphasizing a global outlook.

“Valparaiso is committed to incorporating international education throughout the student experience,” Dr. McGuigan said. “From studying at one of 13 international study programs, to interacting with students from more than 50 countries studying on campus, to attending a wide variety of cultural events, every student gains a broader understanding of how he or she is connected to the rest of the world during their time here.”

The University’s programs in China studies became even stronger this year with the Feb. 13 opening of a Confucius Institute on campus. Valparaiso is the first faith-based university in the United States selected to host a Confucius Institute, a non-profit institute established and funded by the Chinese government to promote cultural, business, educational, artistic and government exchanges between China and northern Indiana.

Valparaiso students and faculty – along with the public at large – will be able to take advantage of Chinese language courses, attend workshops presented by visiting Chinese scholars and business people, enroll in classes exploring Chinese traditions and arts, and other programs sponsored by the Confucius Institute.

Valparaiso supports Study Centers in China, England, Germany and Mexico which host approximately 200 students annually. Undergraduate programs are offered in Chinese and Japanese Studies, International Economics and Cultural Affairs, International Service, International Business and several languages, as well as graduate programs in Chinese Studies and International Commerce and Policy.

NAFSA also selected Valparaiso as a spotlight institution in last year’s annual report on campus internationalization, and the University becomes only the second institution to win the Simon Award after being featured in NAFSA’s report the previous year.

More information about international study at Valparaiso is available on the Web.

With nearly 10,000 members, NAFSA is the world’s largest professional association dedicated to international education.