Five faculty members who engage in activities that enhance the international aspects of academic activity at NDSU recently were named recipients of the Lorraine Elvrum Murphy Endowment award.
The endowment supports and enhances internationalization at NDSU by providing funding in the form of scholarships for NDSU international students and international travel and research awards for NDSU faculty. Murphy grew up in Fargo and is an ardent supporter of internationalization efforts.
Faculty recipients are Sreekala Bajwa, chair of agricultural and biosystems engineering; Adam Goldwyn, assistant professor of English; Cecilia Kang, assistant professor of clarinet; and Kim Overton and Anita Welch, assistant professors of education.
Bajwa used the funding to participate in the Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture conference in the United Arab Emirates. She participated in round table discussions focused on addressing the global challenges of food and water. She also networked with representatives from many research institutions and universities and shared information on NDSU and her department.
Goldwyn will use the endowment for a preliminary trip to Greece to facilitate planning for joint projects between NDSU and the Aristotle University of Thessalonike. The project is expected to lead to live-streamed lectures and faculty and student trips and exchanges between the universities.
Kang will use the funding to serve as a faculty artist at the Grumo Music Festival in Italy this summer. There, she will collaborate with esteemed international musicians in concerts and master class settings. She also is interested in developing international partnerships and opportunities for the NDSU music community.
Welch will use the funding to meet representatives from several universities to further strengthen current relationships and to develop new partnerships at the International Conference on New Horizons in Education in Paris. Partnerships with these institutions will provide opportunities for our students and faculty to participate in study abroad programs and collaborate with faculty on research in countries that are in the process of reforming their educational systems.
Overton used the travel award to supplement travel to Scotland in preparation for an education study tour in May. She also conducted a supervision visit of a student teacher in Spain.
The awards are administered at the discretion of the Office of International Programs within the Division of Equity, Diversity and Global Outreach. Five separate awards of $1,000 each are given annually to faculty who are engaged in global activities.
Award recipients will be recognized during the Green and Golden Globes Diversity Awards scheduled for Wednesday, April 30, at 3 p.m. in the Memorial Union Great Plains Ballroom.
NDSU is recognized as one of the nation's top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.