Kansas State University

Education Abroad thanks faculty, staff for internationalizing K-State classrooms

Submitted by Brent Holliday

Education Abroad recognizes and thanks the K-State faculty and staff who put forth tremendous effort to internationalize their classrooms with an education abroad experience.

During the 2021-22 academic year, 41 faculty and staff proposed faculty-led education abroad courses that included international study tours. In collaboration with Education Abroad, these programs were developed in nearly every college at K-State. Though some programs were canceled due to COVID-19, each faculty member still worked tirelessly to incorporate an international experience into their course and encouraged students to explore their fields from an international perspective. Increasing student opportunities for learning abroad is a key element in the K-State 2025 Internationalization Strategic Action Plan, so we would like to take the time to recognize the faculty and staff moving K-State toward reaching those benchmarks.

College of Agriculture

• Andrew Barkley, Mary Ellen Barkley — International Food and Agribusiness Study Tour of Germany, summer.
• Gaea Hock — Agricultural Education in Czech Republic and Germany, summer. 
• Nathan Nelson — Agronomy International Study Tour, Ecuador, spring break. 
• Ryan Sharp, Jessica Fefer — Protected Area Management in Costa Rica, summer. 

College of Architecture, Planning, & Design

• Gary Coates — Italian Studies Program, fall semester. 
• Blake Belanger, Vibhavari Jani, Adulsak "Otto" Chanyakorn — Italian Studies Program, spring semester. 

College of Arts and Sciences

• Rebecca Bender — Spanish Culture and Civilization, Spain, summer. 
• Gary Brase — Cross-Cultural Psychology, KSU in Italy, summer. 
• Necia Chronister — KSU in Berlin and Leipzig — Germany, summer. 
• Melinda Cro — Italian for Travelers, KSU in Italy, summer. 
• Slawomir Dobrzanski — Musical Journey to the Land of Chopin, Poland, summer. 
• Douglas Dow — History of Italian Art and Architecture, KSU in Italy, summer. 
• Jesse Nippert, Emily Wedel — Savanna Ecology in South Africa, summer. 
• Andrew Smith — Photography and Digital Storytelling Abroad, KSU in Italy, summer. 
• Martha Smith-Caldas, Elizabeth Dodd — Biology and Creative Writing in Costa Rica, summer. 
• Laura Valentin-Rivera — Spanish and Culture in Mexico, summer. 

College of Business Administration

• Swinder Janda, Bente Janda — International Business in Munich and Rome, spring break. 
• Terry Mason, Amy Hageman, Sarah Mason — Accounting International Experience, Ireland, summer. 
• Dan Minick, Brandon Savage — Operations and Supply Chain Management in Germany and Netherlands, summer. 

College of Education

• Alex Becnel, Jessica Lane — Multicultural Counseling in Italy, summer. 

College of Engineering

• Kelly Beikmann, Dan Andresen — Computer Science Professional Seminar in Prague, spring break. 
• Placidus Amama — Engineering in Italy, KSU in Italy, summer. 

College of Health and Human Sciences

• Betsy Barrett, Pat Pesci — Food & Wine of Italy, KSU in Italy, summer. 
• Cristina Milostan — Food & Wine of Italy, KSU in Italy, summer.
• Cristina Milostan, Joe Milostan — Wine Studies in Spain and France, spring break.
• Linda Yarrow, Kathleen Hoss-Cruz — Guatemala International Experience, summer. 

College of Veterinary Medicine

• Walter Renberg — International Veterinary Study Tour, Belgium, summer. 

Staley School of Leadership

• Andy Wefald — Culture and Context in Leadership, KSU in Italy, summer. 

Additional thanks to the following K-State faculty and staff who also played a significant role in the development of these education abroad programs:

• College of Agriculture: Dan Moser.
• College of Architecture, Planning, & Design: Katrina Lewis, Katie Kingery-Page, Becky O'Donnell.
• College of Arts and Sciences: Scott Tanona, Melinda Cro.
• College of Health and Human Sciences: Shawna Jordan.

Thank you to those campus units who have a role in collaborating with Education Abroad on the development of faculty-led programs, including Office of Student Financial Assistance, Lafene Health Center, Office of General Counsel, Division of Financial Services and Global Campus.

If you are interested in developing a faculty-led education abroad opportunity for your students, please contact abroad@k-state.edu.