The International Education Workshop (IEW) will create three new degrees: Associates in Science focusing on International Business, Associates in Arts for International Studies focusing on Humanities, and lastly, Associates in Arts for International Studies focusing on Sciences.
These degrees will open up opportunities to the college by further unifying interlocking departments, and establishing an easier, more free-flowing curriculum for students looking to transfer into communications or sciences, as well as opening the gate to foreign exchange programs and international field trips.
English professor Kristine Oliveira expressed her excitement about the program, citing that not only will it give the college more notoriety but also allow for more students to pursue fields that they might be interested in.
Oliveira is the IEW’s faculty lead, overseeing the program in its entirety, but also helping to internationalize the curriculum currently taught at AVC. Her hope is that more culture can be brought in through the efforts of the cooperating departments of, Language Arts, History, Sciences, and college counselors.
“So far we have 15 faculty members pledging their assistance,” says Oliveira, “each of them has a project they are working on; some have more than one.”
IEW has been plotted in three chronological tiers: short term, mid-term, and long term. Short term objectives are hoped for within the next year. Mid-term goals are anticipated as being one to two years. And long term goals are anything beyond that point.
The International Education program has set its short term objectives as having established their three degree programs, coordinating with college faculty to support the required classes and to gain aid from other educational institutes, and possibly send student overseas on field trips and short term study agendas.
Mid- to Long Term plans are grouped together in an overall hopeful stage that is interchangeable between full-time foreign exchange programs and having an on-site international studies representative, and in the extended term, an associated department.
Communication students have praised the idea thus far and have expressed an overall interest in the program.
Communication students have praised the idea thus far and have expressed an overall interest in the program.
“It is a great idea for interpreters,” touts a communication major named Jessie, whose aspirations include working for the United Nations or with a United States embassy. As a sophomore, her time at AVC is nearly over, but she hopes the program helps future students make their way into her major.
Science majors and English students have agreed, indicating that while the program will be in full swing after their departure from AVC’s grounds, they believe that the next influx of overseas hopefuls have a bright path ahead of them.
For more information, join the “Int'l Ed Workgroup” found in the Groups section of MyAVC at www.avc.edu.
-Nick Nahin
