Letter from Vice Chancellor and Provost Michele Wheatly

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:

As part of Syracuse University’s commitment to educate students to be prepared to live and work in a globalized world, and in response to a recommendation of the Academic Strategic Plan Working Group on Enhancing Internationalization, I have created a Syracuse University Internationalization Council. The Internationalization Council (IC), which will operate under the auspices of the Office of the Provost, is charged with furthering an international orientation to the programs and priorities of the University as a whole.

In addition to furthering a key recommendation of the strategic plan, the IC also aligns with our institutional vision statement: “Syracuse University aspires to be a pre-eminent and inclusive student-focused research university, preparing engaged citizens, scholars and leaders for participation in a changing global society.”

The Universitywide group, which reports to me, is charged with furthering comprehensive internationalization by providing advice, information, feedback and support on key topics and initiatives, such as pedagogy and curriculum; study abroad; international student recruitment, support, and integration; regional studies programs; research collaborations; and MOU’s and other agreements.

The IC is composed of representatives from all of the schools and colleges, as well as representatives from the Division of Enrollment and the Student Experience, Research, and the undergraduate and graduate student bodies. As the group identifies topics that it wants to pursue, it will create task forces composed of multiple constituencies from the campus to provide in-depth, comprehensive knowledge.

Associate Provost for International Education Margaret Himley and Provost Faculty Fellow for Internationalization Mehrzad Boroujerdi will co-chair the council. Appointees serving on the council are:

• Michael Speaks, Dean, School of Architecture
• Paul Fitzgerald, Professor and Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
• Joanna Masingila, Dean, School of Education
• Can Isik, Professor and Senior Associate Dean, Engineering and Computer Science
• Kathy Allen, Assistant Dean, iSchool
• Aviva Abramovsky, Professor and Associate Dean, College of Law
• Ravi Dharwadkar, Professor, Whitman School of Management
• Devashish Mitra, Professor, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
• Hub Brown, Professor, Newhouse School of Public Communications
• Diane Murphy, Dean, Falk College
• Lucinda Havenhand, Associate Dean, College of Visual and Performing Arts
• Peter Vanable, Interim Dean of Graduate School/Vice President for Research
• Deb McGraw, Interim Director of English Language Institute, University College
• M. Dolan Evanovich, Senior Vice President for Enrollment and the Student Experience
• Anjani Ladhar, Student Association representative
• Peta Long, GSO representative

Ex Officio:

• Candace Campbell Jackson, Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff
• Michele Wheatly, Vice Chancellor and Provost

The group will meet monthly, and for this academic year it is charged with the following goals:

• Enhance and expand institutional mechanisms to better cultivate, welcome, support, and value the contributions of our international student community; facilitate crosscultural interaction; and advance cultural understanding.
• Facilitate distinctive global learning experiences—on campus and abroad—that expand our students’ capacity to live, work, and thrive in a deeply interconnected world.
• Facilitate international research collaborations, partnerships, and joint/dual degree programs.

This exciting new initiative provides an important opportunity for us to further advance global engagement as a core value of the Syracuse University experience. I am grateful to all who have agreed to serve on the council, and I look forward to working together with them and with all of you as we strive to further distinguish Syracuse as a place where international scholarship and global learning experiences flourish.

Sincerely,

Michele G. Wheatly
Vice Chancellor and Provost