Where in the world do our International Students come from? We can’t even begin to mention the advantages and benefits of taking classes with people from all over the world. It is like having the globe at your fingertips. Without having to travel, you are able to experience hearing and possibly learning a foreign language, different cultures, and ultimately strive to become a global citizen. Over the past two years, Siena Heights University has witnessed an astounding growth of over 500% in its international student populace. In fall of 2007, 11

international students were enrolled at the institution. In spring of 2009, 65 international students representing over 30 countries called Siena Heights University their academic home. In the current fall semester 70 ESL, graduate and undergraduate international S tudents have been enro l l ed , representing 42 different countries. Our international student population will continue to grow due to the efforts of the International Studies Department to keep up with current world trends and

thus increase the international presence on campus. SHU is pleased to welcome students from: Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, Jamaica, Guatemala, , Togo, Chad, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Cameroon, South Africa, Botswana, Niger, Egypt, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Turkey, France, England, Roman i a , K a z akh s t an , Ch i n a , Philippines, Taiwan, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistán and Canada.

with universities in

England, United Arab

Emirates, China, Bolivia,

Mexico and Ghana.

Students who are

interested in studying

abroad are encouraged

to visit the Study Abroad

Resource Center in Sage

Hall.

W elcome to the

second issue of

Global Gab. Our new

semester begins with

over 70 international

students hailing from

over 40 countries. This

semester we have

added students from

Korea, China, Romania,

Jordan, Tanzania, and

Nigeria. Our

international student

population continues to

grow and we hope that

by Fall of 2010, we will

have 100 international

students attending Siena

Heights University.

In addition to the

growing number of

international students,

SHU is committed to

offering a number of

S t u d y A b r o a d

opportunities and yearly

Study Tours. Currently,

SHU has partnerships

A Note from the Director of International Studies, Dr. Jennifer Hanson

The Global Gab

Volume 1, Issue 2

March, 2010

O F F I C E O F I N T E R N A T I O N A L S T U D I E S Q U A R T E R L Y N E W S L E T T E R

Page 1

-A note from Jennifer Hanson.

-Where do our International Students come from?

-A poem by Maurice Yaming Chi

-From Cologne to Regensburg 2010

-New International Partnerships

-The Mexico Experience: Perspectives in Action

Page 2

-Jamaica service trip 2010 - St. John Bosco Children’s Home

-International Dinner 2010

-Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarships

- Bringing the World Home: by Saleem Peeradina

-Study Abroad Perspective: by Nelli Shmidt

Inside this issue:

General Announcements

The global recession has hit us all.

We have international students

willing to do odd jobs to make some

extra money such as childcare,

housecleaning, pet care, lawn work,

language tutoring, etc. International

students are limited by the type and

amount of work they can do. Contact

the OIS for more information at 517-

264-7030. Helping an international

student can enrich your life and the

life of your family. International

students would welcome the

opportunity to earn some extra

money while also getting to know

more about American culture.

Countries Represented by International Students at Siena Heights

The first group of international students at Siena Heights

“Be There No Hate in the World” is a poem written by

Maurice Yaming Chi in September 2003. With post 9-11

and the Iraqi war in the background, the Poem depicts a

tragic story about two families, American and Iraqi, both

becoming victims of hatred and revenge.

The poem starts with horrific images of 9-11— planes

crashing into the World Trade Center, the fire, the

smoke, the people trapped in despair and jumping to

their deaths, the collapse of the building, and the

thousands of innocent lives extinguished and buried in

the debris……

Maggie and Paul were married for 20 years. Happily

they lived by the Hudson River in New Jersey across

from lower Manhattan. Paul, who was a stock broker in

the World Trade Center, died in the attack. The forever

changed skylines over New York City reminded Maggie

of her loss every time she looked out of her window.

Unable to cope with her grief she sought revenge by

sending her only son into the army. War soon broke out.

US troops quickly took Afghanistan, the Iraq.

Hassan was a successful merchant who lived in Baghdad

with his mother, wife and daughter. Life had been

blessed until the US air raid that claimed his mother’s

life. Hassan vowed revenge and left home. One day his

“Be There No Hate in the World” by Maurice Yaming Chi

house caught fire trapping his wife and daughter inside. A patrolling US

soldier rushed into the flames and brought Hassan’s family to safety. Gasping

for air no one noticed Hassan returning with a rifle. Without hesitation he

gunned down the US soldier. A blood-soaked picture was found in the

soldier’s uniform - a family photo of Maggie, Paul and their son.

At the end the poet questions why God would allow such hatred in the world.

The gravity and misery reflected in human lives are like the darkness of night.

How we long for the dawn!

The author was born in Qingdao, China. He received his higher education in the US and is a computer professional. He and his family live in Wrentham, Massachusetts. yaming@comcast.net

Greater Boston Chinese Culture Association, 437 Cherry St. West Newton, MA 02465 www.gbcca.org 617-332-0377

Chinese American Fine Arts Society, 11 Edinboro St. Boston, MA 02111 617-728-8588

B efore traveling to Toulouse, France to meet up with Rachel Duff

Anderson and the Dominican Study Tour participants last summer, Sr.

Sharon McGuire decided to participate in some Dominican itinerancy. She

flew to Cologne, Germany and enjoyed the hospitality of the Dominican

Friars. After World War II the Bishop of Cologne gave St. Andreas Church to

the Dominican Friars to pastor because St. Albert the Great, OP is buried

beneath the Church in a crypt. St. Albert is recognized as one of the great

minds in German history, and taught St. Thomas Aquinas, OP who wrote the

Summa Theological.

Amityville founded the Newburg Dominicans, and the Newburg Dominicans

sent Sisters to Michigan, fulfilling the prophetic words of their dying Prioress:

“I see a peninsula in the West dotted with white.” It is this itinerancy and

readiness to preach the Gospel in their ministries. The Dominicans of the Holy

Cross Monastery gave Sr. Sharon (as one of their descendents) keys to the

cloister, permitting Sr. Sharon the opportunity to pray and eat with the Sisters.

Only those Dominicans who are descended from this Monastery are so

honored, and so grateful for this opportunity.

Monastic Dominicans in Regensburg

From Cologne to

Regensburg 2010

From Cologne, Sr. Sharon travel by rail to Regensburg, Germany.

Regensburg is located in Bavaria, the southern part of Germany that

maintained autonomy from Prussia in the north. Her specific destination was

the Dominican Monastery of the Holy Cross where Dominican monastic

women have lived since its foundation in 1233, surviving the trials of the

Napoleonic occupation and other historical events. The Adrian Dominicans

claim this monastery as their ancestral roots because in 1853 four German

Sisters left for the United States to teach the children of German immigrants.

They founded the Dominicans now known as Amityville.

Submitted by Sr. Sharon McGuire, OP

Division of Nursing

Siena Heights University

St. Albert's tomb/sarcophagus in St. Andreas church in Cologne

Sr. Elisabeth, the sub-prioress who took me under her wing

Siena Heights University

International Partnership Agreements

Siena Heights University and the American

University in Dubai (AUD) recently signed a

Study Abroad Partnership Agreement which

will enable students from AUD to study at

SHU and those from SHU to study at AUD for

one or more semesters. Both institutions

have agreed to offer reduced tuition costs to

incoming students from the partner university.

The American University in Dubai is a private,

non-sectarian institution of higher learning

founded in 1995. It serves UAE nationals and

international students who seek world-class

career-oriented education. The Mission of The

American University in Dubai is to fulfill the broad

educational needs of a culturally diverse student

body by achieving excellence in teaching and

learning, ultimately resulting in the intellectual,

personal, and professional success of its

graduates and the advancement of society.

The curricula across its degree programs are

skill-based and professionally conditioned. To

the extent relevant to any given discipline, the

University fosters a learning mode which is

collaborative, thus enhancing the student's

ability to work in teams. AUD's degree

programs are supported by appropriate

technology and facilities.

The University community believes it has a

special commitment to support each

individual's goals. To this end, the University

places emphasis on the educational,

professional and personal growth of each

student. Programs, policies and activities,

which have been designed to implement this

philosophy and purpose statement, are

evaluated periodically and changed, as

necessary, to meet the needs of the student

body and the institution.

AUD, as an international institution of higher

education, encourages global understanding

by providing an atmosphere of cultural

diversity and opportunities for an international

education.

AUD boasts a student population of 2,900

representing 85 nationalities.

Programs are offered in Business

Administration, Communication and

Information Sciences, Engineering,

Information Technology, Architecture, Visual

Communication, Interior Design and Middle

Eastern Studies.

For more information on the AUD partnership,

please see Dr. Jennifer Hanson in the Office

of International Studies, Sage Union.

(downloaded from AUD website http://

www.aud.edu/Index.asp, January 11, 2010)

Student Housing

New Student Center building

Student Athletics and Sports

Siena Heights University and Colegio Americano de Torreón in Mexico have signed an agreement enabling students which enables students graduating

from this high school in Mexico to receive scholarships to attend Siena Heights University. This partnership is similar to those which SHU has with

schools districts in Michigan.

Engaging in such partnerships will enable SHU to continue to expand its international student population.

SHU currently has partnerships with high schools in Chile, Bolivia, Colombia, Kenya and Ethiopia. 

High School Partnerships and Scholarship Agreements

SALUDOS DE MÉXICO

Hola from Cuernavaca, Mexico! Kelly Ferguson, Sabin Enerson

and I arrived on January 1st with our program director Nick

Kaplan. We are here and ready for an amazing semester as

part of The Mexico Experience: Perspectives in Action. It is a

semester-long study abroad program in Mexico. After arriving

to Mexico City, we took a two hour bus ride to Cuernavaca. The

City of the Eternal Spring. They served us tiny glass bottles of

Coca-cola and snacks during the ride through the mountains.

Our Mexican host families met us at the bus station and

whisked us away to our homes. All of our families are great;

they are all such wonderful people.

One of the best things we have done so far was not even

planned. We attended a Mexican wedding and reception. As

maestro says, it was “totally unexpected.” He said those are

the best experiences. It was an outdoor reception with

beautiful food and a live Latin band. The reception had many

of the same traditions that we have in the United States:

throwing the bouquet and garter and even dancing The YMCA.

The next day we went to the tiny village of Tepoztlan to visit

the open air market and climb a mountain to see a pyramid.

The climb was grueling, but we were rewarded with an

amazing view of the city and valley below. Men go all the way

to the top of the mountain carrying water and snacks on their

backs to sell to tourists. It made us feel really lazy. The next

day, Monday, we spent back in Cuernavaca exploring the city.

We visited our school, took a placement test and attended our

first history and culture class with Dr. Ross Gandy. He is one

of the most intelligent men I have ever met.

We left for México City on Wednesday; we were very excited to

tour the biggest city in the world. We stayed there for three

days with maestro as we visited the National Plaza, the

National Palace, Cathedral, the Basilica de la Virgin de

Guadalupe, and other important cultural landmarks. We spent

one day at the pyramid of Teotihuacan; we were

able to climb to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun

and the Pyramid of the Moon. The view was

amazing. This was the most incredible place we

have visited thus far. Maestro (Nick Kaplan) has

since returned to Siena, and Kelly, Sabin and I have

started classes. We have field trips planned for the

weekends and we are excited to learn more

Spanish!

¡Viva México!

Andrew Dubay

Editor’s Note: The Mexico Experience: Perspectives in Action is open to all students who have a background in Spanish. For more information, please contact Nick Kaplan 264-7694 mexico@sienaheights.edu The next program begins in January 2011.

The Mexico Experience: Perspectives in Action

OFF TO THE CARRIBEAN St. John Bosco Children’s Home

Frigid temperatures and a January snow turn the thoughts of

several students—along with a few staff and faculty members—to sunny

and warm Jamaica. They are anticipating a service trip to the “Island in

the Sun” from May 13-21. For a full week, these Siena people will be

volunteers at St. John Bosco Boys School near Mandeville.

Run by the Sisters of Mercy, the school is home to 160 orphaned,

delinquent, and abandoned youths, many brought there by the courts. As

in the past, volunteers will be involved in tutoring, various improvement

projects, playing soccer and other games in the yard during the boys’ free

time, and generally making themselves useful.

Currently, the Siena volunteers include Rachel Duff Anderson,

who is organizing the trip, Mercy Sister Pat Schnapp, Lisa Richman,

Bobbi Hill, Jessica Dehn, Alan Marine, Julie Mann, Jessica Singletary and

Kim Stoutenburg.

Judging from previous trips, this service project is certain to be a

“win-win”—with both the boys and the volunteers being enriched by the

lively interaction. Stay tuned for pix and a full report next fall!

For more information about the school and its work please visit http://

boscohome.tripod.com/index.html

Here is a grouping of pictures from last Fall’s International Dinner

We look forward to seeing you at next year’s International Dinner, Fall 2010

H ere are some famous writers western readers have

never heard of:

R. K. Narayan, Anita Desai, Kamla Das, Nissim Ezekiel, Mahasweta

Devi, Sadat Hassan Monto (South Asia);

Fadwa Tukan, Etel Adnan, Mahmoud Darwish (Middle East);

Sembene Ousmane, Nawal El Saadawi, Assia Djebar (Africa);

Gabrielle Mistral, Julia de Borgos, Rosario Castellanos (Latin

America).

Some of these writers write in English but the majority of them write

in their native tongues. These languages go back centuries and

contain a living tradition of literary works with millions of readers.

The unavailability of translations only partially explains the lack of

transmission of these works to western readers.

Before “World Literature” made its debut as an academic

discipline in the mid-80s, there was Comparative Literature which

predictably brought within its purview the languages and

literatures of the continent. Today, while university departments

have opened their curriculum to the non-western world, many of

these literatures still remain in relative obscurity. Somehow, a

writer from Viet Nam, or Korea, or Palestine, or S. Africa, or Cuba

never enjoys the attention or authority granted to writers from

Germany, France, Britain, the old Russia and Eastern Europe.

BRINGING THE WORLD HOME by Saleem Peeradina

It takes a Nobel prize or other honors or a position on the best-seller list

for some of these writers to be noticed only to fall back into yesterday’s

news or into the lap of specialists. So, Orhan Pamuk is much widely

known than his illustrious compatriot Nazim Hikmet; Naipaul, Marquez,

and Derek Walcott are more visible than Aime Cesaire or Posario Ferre.

As well, marketing savvy and media channels and devices ensure that

today’s “product” is rapidly disseminated to a global readership as

opposed to the old days when the process of promoting a book was

much slower.

The “world” contains over 225 countries in which over 6000 languages

are spoken. Potentially, hundreds of cultural traditions, past and present,

are pressing for recognition. The attempt to “read” the world is an

invitation to locate ourselves within the context of these imaginative

writings while being embedded in our particular place and time. It is an

encounter with the unfamiliar, the strange, and the different which

eventually may turn out to mirror ourselves.

At Siena Heights, World Literature is offered in three parts over three

semesters starting with the ancient world and moving through

successive epochs to the present.

What makes it particularly exciting teaching this class at this time is the

growing presence of international students on our campus. Members of

the class in the current Non-western World Literature course have the

opportunity to use international students as live resources to get

information on local histories, economics, politics, food, movies, music,

dance, fashion, religious practices: an added bonus to textual and

academic study.

W hen people start thinking about their future life, they make important decisions:

in their opinion, this will further help them to achieve their goals, and improve

their knowledge for a better life. During my last year of school, I began to think

about what I want in my life and how to accomplish it. After much debating with myself and my family,

I finally decided to study abroad. Now, I believe it was the best decision. In my opinion, studying abroad

is the best way to improve oneself.

F ti E li h k it t h t i ki biliti

“Studying abroad

gave me a lot of

l bl d

STUDY ABROAD PERSPECTIVE by Nelli Shmidt

The purpose o f the Ambassadorial Scholarships program is to further international understanding and friendly relations among people of different countries and geographical areas.

The program sponsors several types of scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students as well as for qua l i f ied pro fess iona ls pursuing vocational studies.

A m b a s s a d o r i a l Scholarships, The Rotary Foundation's oldest and best-known program, was founded in 1947. Since then, nearly 38,000 men and women from about 100 nations have studied abroad under its auspices. Today it is the world's largest privately f u n d e d i n t e r n a t i o n a l scholarships program. Nearly 800 scholarships were awarded for study in 2005-06. Through grants totaling approx imate ly US$500 million, recipients from about 70 countries studied in more t h a n 7 0 n a t i o n s . "The Rotary Foundation does some terrific things, not the least of which is the Ambassadorial Scholarships program." — Michael R. Whiteman, international programs director, University o f I d a h o

While abroad, scholars serve as goodwill ambassadors to the host country and give presentations about their homelands to Rotary clubs and other groups. Upon returning home, scholars share with Rotarians and others the experiences that l e d t o a g r e a t e r understanding of their host c o u n t r y . Generous contributions from R o t a r i a n s w o r l d w i d e represent a continued faith that today’s Ambassadorial Scholars will be tomorrow's community and world leaders. Interested persons can find application forms here: http://www.rotary.org/en/S t u d e n t s A n d Y o u t h /E d u c a t i o n a l P r o g r a m s /AmbassadorialScholarships/Pages/Howtoapply.aspx

Rotary Club offers Ambassadorial Scholarships

Study Abroad

Scholarship

Opportunities!

The Office of International Studies hopes that you have enjoyed Issue 2

of Global Gab. Our next issue will be produced Fall 2010. Submissions

are welcome. Faculty, students, staff and community members are

encouraged to submit. We welcome stories, photographs, artwork,

poetry and any and all things international. Perhaps you have had an

experience with an international student you would like to share. Did you

travel abroad this past summer and would like to share your

thoughts? Is there a project in your classroom that involves international

students? Send us your submissions. Deadline for the Fall issue is

September 30, 2010. Early submissions are encouraged.

Department of International Studies

Jennifer B. Hanson Director of International Studies

Juan D. Freitez

International Marketing and Media/Newsletter Editor

Daniel Morris Coordinator of International Admissions

Fatmy Abed

Coordinator of International Students

Office of International Studies Quarterly Newsletter

Department of International Studies Siena Heights University 1247 E. Siena Heights Dr.

Adrian, MI 49221

Phone: 517-264-7001 Email: international@sienaheights.edu

For Inquiries in languages other than English call 517-264-7030

For me as a non-native English speaker, it was a great chance to improve my speaking abilities.

There is nothing better than learning language in the society that speaks this particular language whether

it is English, Spanish, or Chinese. Conversing with local people is very useful to improve listening and

speaking skills. It also gave me a chance to discover a new culture, its history, customs, lifestyle, and

way of thinking. International experience also gives you a chance of obtaining better positions in your

future career. Foreign language skills and knowledge of foreign traditions are important when working

with foreigners. During my first year of college and knowing three different languages, I had an

opportunity to work in an international company such as Apple which was a great experience for me.

Living abroad allows me to learn what the world is like. Being away from my family and home

challenged me to become a more responsible, self-confident and purposeful person. I learned how to take

care of myself and find a solution when problems appear. Studying abroad gave me a lot of valuable and

irreplaceable knowledge that I would never get staying at home and being under my parents’ care and

control.

Therefore, I would highly recommend all students to study abroad. This experience will make one’s life

full of unforgettable events and priceless experience.

valuable and

irreplaceable

knowledge that I

would never get

staying at home”

Volume 1, Issue 2 Page 2