Push for global Temple gains momentum
October and November loaded with international events
Photo by Ryan S. Brandenberg/Temple University
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Temple University’s rise as an international institution — a trend that began in earnest 41 years ago with the establishment of Temple’s study abroad program in Rome and gathered momentum with the arrival in 2006 of President Ann Weaver Hart, a passionate advocate of internationalization in higher education — is reaching new heights in late October and early November with a convergence of major events and announcements.
Highlights of the trip include President Hart’s presiding over the graduation of the largest class of Chinese legal professionals to earn degrees from Temple’s Master of Laws program in Beijing (Oct. 28); the first Temple University alumni reunion in China (Oct. 28); the signing of a renewal agreement with a branch of the Chinese government partnering with Temple’s innovative Rule of Law programs (Oct. 29); a signing ceremony in Taipei inaugurating a groundbreaking dual-degree program with six Taiwanese universities (Nov. 1); and a gala celebration in Tokyo honoring the 25th anniversary of Temple University’s Japan Campus (Nov. 6). |
Events will continue during International Education Week (Nov. 12–16), a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Education.
Temple goes international: greatest hits • MAKING HISTORY IN ITALY. Temple University Rome, which celebrated its 40th anniversary last year, has grown into one of the largest and longest-standing study abroad programs in Italy, enrolling about 650 students annually from more than 45 different universities (about half are Temple students). • A PRESENCE IN JAPAN. Temple University Japan marks its 25th anniversary this year. With 2,830 students from about 40 countries, TUJ is the oldest and largest foreign university in Japan. A wide variety of undergraduate and graduate degree programs are offered at TUJ's Tokyo campus. • PAYING FOR PASSPORTS. To help Temple students pursue international experiences, President Hart and her husband, Randy, have established a scholarship to support the cost of passport fees for Temple freshman and transfer students who plan to study abroad and are applying for a passport for the first time. • STUDYING ABROAD. The number of Temple students studying abroad has increased dramatically in recent years. In 2006-07, nearly 1,000 Temple students participated in study abroad programs, an 80 percent increase since 2000-01. • TOP RANKINGS. U.S.News ranks the undergraduate international business programs at the Fox School of Business in the Top 10 nationally and graduate programs in the Top 20. International law programs at the Beasley School of Law rank in the U.S.News Top 20. Financial Times ranks Fox's MBA program in the Top 20 worldwide for international experience provided to students and international mobility of graduates. • INTERNATIONAL FACULTY. Temple's faculty members are doing cutting-edge international research and bringing international perspectives to the classroom. A faculty recruitment boom is bringing prominent international experts from the world's leading institutions, including international law expert Peter Spiro and philosopher Carol Gould, director of Temple’s Center for Global Ethics and Politics. • A NEW PROGRAM IN SPAIN. Temple has created a new semester-long study abroad program in Oviedo, in Spain's Asturias region, beginning in spring 2008. It’s the first new universitywide semester-long program in about 20 years, and the first major semester-long program for Temple in the Spanish-speaking world. • A NATIONAL RESOURCE. The Center for International Business Education and Research at the Fox School of Business is one of 31 CIBERs created by the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 to increase and promote the nation's capacity for international understanding and economic enterprise. • SERVING COMMUNITIES ABROAD. Temple University's Office of Community Service runs alternative winter and spring break community service trips in Mexico, Belize and Guatemala, offering opportunities for Temple students to spend their breaks immersed in another culture — and making a difference in local communities. • SUPPORTING CHANGE IN CHINA'S LEGAL SYSTEM. Temple Law's groundbreaking Rule of Law programs in Beijing are introducing American and international legal practices and reasoning to Chinese judges, prosecutors, government officials and other legal professionals. • SPANISH-LANGUAGE IMMERSION IN PHILADELPHIA. Temple's Latin American Spanish Semester is a 15-week, interdisciplinary, on-campus, total language immersion program. A highlight of LASS is a 10-day excursion to Mérida, Mexico. • AN ACTIVIST PRESIDENT. Temple President Ann Weaver Hart is a leading voice in the push to internationalize American higher education. On Nov. 11, she begins a two-year term as the chair of the Commission on International Programs at the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges. |