November 29, 2012
International Educator of the Year award reception
The office of international programs invites the campus community to the International Educator Award Reception honoring:
- The 2012 International Educator of the Year
- The Innovative Educator of the Year
Both awards will be presented at 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 29, in the Hemisphere Room of Hale Library. The public is invited to the reception honoring our awardees.
Marcellus Caldas, assistant professor of geography, will be recognized as the International Educator of the Year, and the government of Ecuador will accept the Innovative Educator of the Year. Provost April Mason will present the awards at the ceremony.
The Educator of the Year award recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to advancing international education at Kansas State University. One faculty, staff, administrator or other member of the K-State community is selected and honored for their major contributions and sustained commitment to advancing international education at K-State.
Caldas will be presented with a plaque recognizing his accomplishments as well as a $1,000 honorarium presented by Provost April Mason.
Caldas earned his master's degree in agricultural economics at Federal University of Vicosa, Brazil, his Doctorate of Science in applied economics, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and his Doctorate of Philosophy in geography at Michigan State University
He was also a postdoctorate fellow at the Center for International Development, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
Caldas has worked tirelessly to improve international education and scholarship during his five years at Kansas State University, while at the same time working to put together the strongest possible research, teaching and service portfolio for his upcoming tenure and promotion decision. He has unbounded enthusiasm for international programs and his hard work is evident in generating opportunities for K-State students to learn more about the world outside our borders.
The second award will be presented to the government of Ecuador, recognizing our Go Teacher Program, which assists teachers from Ecuador to become more proficient in English while learning how to teach English as a second language to students in their country.
Rodrigo Torres, from the Secretariat of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation of Ecuador, and Jean Michel Mosquera, Ecuador Ministry of Education, are on campus this week visiting with K-State faculty and staff to assess the Go Teacher program as well as discuss future collaborations.
The Go Teacher program, a partnership between Kansas State University, Ecuador’s Ministry of Education and SENESCYT, Ecuador’s governing body of higher education, brought more than 80 teachers to the Manhattan campus this summer and an additional 59 this fall. More will be welcomed this January.
The program is funded by the government of Ecuador to improve English language proficiency among Ecuadorean teachers and increase their teaching effectiveness. It is expected to extend over a three-year period, with Ecuador’s government setting aside $10 million in funding for each year of the program.
K-State is in a unique position to work with the government of Ecuador to train their teachers to excel in teaching English in the classroom. With the coordination of the Division of Continuing Education, the English language program in the office of international programs, English as a second language program in the College of Education and the Center for Intercultural and Multilingual Advocacy, these students will not only improve their spoken English, but will model good teaching techniques in classrooms throughout Ecuador. This program exemplifies what is possible when there is a strong team effort by our university to be passionate and committed to opening doors with another country.