Welcome to the Fall 2010 edition of the SPC Center for International Programs e-newsletter! Learn how the college’s international programs are growing, especially Study Abroad and faculty exchanges. The importance of International Education has never been greater, and today, more than ever, it is critical for our students to learn to complement their academic and career learning with the international skills that allow them to understand and work with people from other countries. The Center for International Programs is designed to expose students to significant international and global knowledge and understanding. We are particularly proud of our study abroad faculty-lead programs, as it reflects one of the goals of the College’s mission to “Contribute to the international education of students by providing opportunities that encourage global awareness and perspectives.” These and other SPC initiatives help students to graduate globally enriched and positioned to become leaders in multicultural and multidisciplinary environments. Whether you are a domestic student, an international student or a visitor to this page, I invite you to explore various opportunities offered through the Center for International Programs at St. Petersburg College. Center for International Programs Site visit paves way for future projects in Ireland
During the November visit, Liebert worked closely with NWRC professors Susan McGrory and Eleanor Keanie on curriculum. Within minutes, it was apparent that these faculty members shared a similar passion for teaching and concern for their students. “It was a rich experience to work closely with these faculty members and to meet others at NWRC like Mr. Willie O’Donnell, who oversees Student Services and who personally introduced me to the neighborhood,” said Liebert. In addition to working out the details for the May 2010 Discover Ireland trip, which maxed out with 22 students this summer and left many on a waiting list for next year, the visit set the stage for future collaboration. NWRC is planning a summer program for its students in 2011. Faculty exchange opportunities also are being explored. The Center for International Programs was busy this summer preparing students for Summer 2010 Study Abroad trips. Enrollment in study abroad programs has doubled in one year for the five faculty-led trips to various countries including the Discover Ireland trip featured above. Italy, World Religion Learn more about Italy | View image gallery Italy, Music The trip was unique because it included voice students who performed in two churches while in Rome. The remainder of the students enrolled in Humanities courses for credit. Professor Marilyn Michael planned the trip and worked with all the students before their departure. Learn more about Italy | View image gallery Ecuador, Spanish language immersion Learn more about Ecuador | View image gallery. Washington, D.C., International Relations and American Government View American Dream blog | View image gallery Visit the study abroad website for details on our 2011 programs later this fall. Study Abroad Scholarship Fund helps students travel the world The gift of a new culture is a great opportunity for a student. Give the opportunity for a student to study abroad and experience a new culture. Most of our students come back with a better understanding of and appreciation for life. These experiences stay with them forever and shape their futures. Credit card donations Send a check or money order to: St. Petersburg College Foundation Inc. Please include a note that you are contributing to the Study Abroad Scholarship.
Chinese delegation visits Tarpon Springs Campus
Pictured left, the delegation shares gifts with SPC Tarpon Springs Provost Conferlete Carney and Lynn Whitelaw, Director of the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art. The delegation was especially interested in learning about the 18 students from Sichuan Province who visited SPC in January 2009. Chinese delegation soaks up Tarpon Springs culture Renowned Russian opera singer gives master class to students In December 2009, Vladimir Gerts, renowned Russian opera singer stopped by the college’s Music Center to perform with a group of traveling Balalaika players. The group was visiting Washington D.C. when the college called and asked if they could stop by and visit with students. Gerts also taught a master class to some of the college’s voice students. “It was an unbelievable opportunity that students won’t forget,” said SPC Coordinator of Vocal Studies and Opera, Marilyn Michael. The students enjoyed a special performance afterwards, where they joined in with the Balalaika players and together they created a music show.
Rising stars of the Bolshoi Theater visit SPC
The Palladium performance drew an audience that included Russian Holocaust survivors. The performance brought the audience to its feet. After a few busy days, they returned to the Russian Cultural Center in Washington, D.C.
Local Lithuanians and SPC students attended the show. Sodzius has performed at festivals and competitions throughout Europe, and celebrates its 29th anniversary this concert season. Pictured left, Greta Urmoniene sings a solo piece during the concert.
Guatemala faculty members visit SPC Dean Kachler and Stephany Orozco from Galileo University in Guatemala visited SPC in November 2009 for a week. Kachler teaches communication classes and spent time with SPC Instructor Linda Johnston shadowing various communication courses on the St. Petersburg/Gibbs and Clearwater campuses. He was impressed with the caliber of SPC’s faculty and how each instructor uses different methods to teach the same core content. Orozco, who works in the Corporate Professional Development department at the university, spent several days with SPC’s Corporate Training Director, Jim Connolly. She was able to see the variety of programs offered and research some online class ideas that SPC could offer Galileo University.SPC professors teach in Jamaica
In partnership with the Sandals Foundation and the Jamaica ministries of Health and Education, SuperKids pairs volunteers in the United States with rural schools in Jamaica. Volunteers work with teachers and students in literacy, art, music, computer and physical education programs in an effort to improve the country's 40 percent literacy rate. Because many of the children live in poverty, limited access to books and school supplies is common. While most tourists who travel to this area spend their days relaxing in the sun, Gauweiler and Kelly woke up at 6:30 a.m. every weekday to board a bus for the one-and-a-half hour trip to two local schools. (Gauweiler is pictured here with some of the Jamaican students). They collaborated with local teachers and administrators working with students in grades 1–5 on reading and writing skills. They also delivered books and school supplies to the schools. Most of the books were donated through a Kappa Delta Pi book drive held on SPC's Tarpon Springs, Clearwater, and St. Petersburg/Gibbs campuses. Kappa Delta Pi is the College of Education's honor society. Both education professors returned with a renewed energy for teaching and new information to share with their students. They reported that one of the most rewarding experiences was the joy of teaching children a different way of learning. Students participated in active learning strategies such as reader's theater, making an “alphabet tree” and integrating music with the curriculum. “I don't think I could come here just for vacation," said Gauweiler. “I'd want to go back and work with the children in the schools!” “This was an inspirational experience for me on many levels,” said Kelly, a Jamaican native. “I had an opportunity to work with students in the early grades and I was able give back to my country of origin.” SPC professor teaches English in Lithuania
The Summer Language Institute (SLI), hosted by LCC International University, is located in the port city of Klaipeda, the third largest city in Lithuania.
Wolter was one of 40 volunteer teachers who came from Lithuania, Canada and the United States to teach 300 secondary and adult students in this summer’s program. The curriculum integrated reading, speaking, writing, listening and grammar skills. Marilyn Michael and Jonathan Steele represent SPC in Orenburg, Russia
Michael performed two solos by Richard Strauss (sung in German) and two duets by Tchaikovsky and Cui (sung in Russian) with the lead soloist of the group as part of the main event for the celebration, receiving an enthusiastic standing ovation for her performance. Pictured left, Dr. Natalya Yankina Vladislavovna, Dr. Marilyn Michael and Elena Boguslavskaya after the Divertissement Ensemble’s 15th anniversary celebration performance. They were warmly greeted at Orenburg State University (OSU) by Rector Dr. Vladimir Kovalevskiy; Karchaeva Balajan Mahtievna, Prorector for International Students Affairs; Dr. Sergey Letuta, Prorector for Scientific Research; and Dr. Natalya Yankina Vladislavovna, Director of International Connections office, who worked with SPC's Center for International Programs to coordinate the visit. They visited the OSU Museum for a question-and-answer session with musicians from the Philharmonic Society. Later, they attended a foreign language class for students majoring in English. They were asked to judge the students’ presentation of English songs followed by a discussion of different instructional techniques and types of music that are popular among people of different age groups in the U.S. They also visited the OSU Student Center where Michael presented a master class in voice for several Orenburg students and their instructors, Svetlana and Alexander Zhabin. Many other students, parents and instructors also attended this class, which included a performance by a select chamber vocal ensemble of their music instructors. Yankina Vladislovovna and her staff at the OSU International Studies office graciously provided opportunities to visit several museums and enjoy the rich cultural diversity of the beautiful city of Orenburg. Japanese Technology Education professors visit College of Education Dr. Thomas Loveland from the Clearwater Campus College of Education hosted two Japanese Technology Education professors during the last week of March, 2010. Professor Kazuhiro Sumi from Saga National University and Dr. Toshikazu Yamamoto from Saitama National University were at St. Petersburg College to observe Dr. Loveland’s student teachers in classroom settings, present an interesting lecture on green energy, and to develop a transnational curriculum research study to be presented at an international conference next year. On March 26, the professors visited Technology Education classrooms at Bayonet Middle School in Pasco County, and East Lake High School and Safety Harbor Middle School in Pinellas County. They also visited NASA and the Florida Aquarium. Dr. Yamamoto’s March 30 lecture on green energy introduced a new (patented) curriculum kit on the Peltier Effect: generating electricity from temperature differences in the ocean. After his lecture, Dr. Yamamoto presented the curriculum kit to Dr. Loveland as a gift to use during his teaching of Energy and Power Systems. The eight attending Technology Education students really enjoyed the experience of this lecture and subsequent demonstrations of unusual technologies. The event was capped by a teaching demonstration on origami by Professor Sumi’s nine-year-old daughter, Haruka. They visited Sunlake High School and Rushe Middle School in Pasco County before meeting International Programs Director, Violetta Sweet, Frank Jurkovic, Center for International Programs Representative and Dean Sally Naylor of the College of Education for lunch. The afternoon was spent on the Clearwater Campus developing ideas for the research study.
International students attend leadership course
The event brought students and advisors together to work on leadership and team-building activities in a challenging atmosphere. Mohamed Ata (pictured left) takes a ride down the zip line after completing the ropes course successfully. The course helped many of the students overcome fears and build confidence. International Student Services video launched
This new promotional video was created by SPC’s in-house video services team, using international student and ESL instructor testimonials. “International students are very selective of where they go to school and this video helps them hear about some of the college’s benefits directly from current international students,” said AnnaMaria Murphy, International Student Services Representative. Pictured above, international student Ariunbold Bayarsaikhan (“AB”) gets wired up for an interview with SPC Video Services Specialist, Anna Faiola. SPC international students travel to Tallahassee
The day began with a tour of the Florida Senate Chamber, followed by a pizza lunch on the portico outside the Senate office building where they heard from members of the Pinellas County Legislative delegation. Many of the legislators and staff joined the group for lunch. A formal question-and-answer meeting followed before the lawmakers had to return to their duties. Questions ranged from green energy to bills that would help students. After lunch, the group conducted a mock session in the Florida House of Representatives Chamber led by the Clerk of the House, Bob Ward. The students introduced, debated, amended and voted on issues they created for this session. Afterward, the group traveled to the 22nd floor of the Capitol where they took in the spectacular view of the surrounding area. The students then broke into groups to tour the historic grounds of the Florida Capitol Complex, the Florida Museum of History and the Florida Supreme Court. After this excitement they had a chance to enjoy a relaxing dinner before returning to SPC. The students prepared thank you cards for the representatives responsible for making this spectacular day happen. How St. Petersburg College affects me
I always wanted to come here and now I am a part of SPC. SPC has several campuses for different fields; I am here at Gibbs campus because it is where I wanted to be. There are flexible schedules which fit everyone’s busy lives like mine. The teachers are really helpful and they help me whenever I have any questions or need special assistance. I am not from this country; I am originally from Bangladesh, but studying at SPC is really helping me decide where I want to be in the future. SPC offers hundreds of different classes. I personally love the class sizes because they are small and wherever I need help, the professors individually will help me with my problems. To get my A.A. degree, all the classes are available at the same campus and that helps me a lot. I can take classes which fit my schedule and when it’s convenient for me to take them. Plus, if I want to take any other classes for extra knowledge, I have that option, which is great for students from other countries. While attending SPC, I have made some wonderful friends. I have friends from different countries from around the world. I care about them all. As long as I have been here, I have gotten to know them all very well. All my friends are trustworthy and they trust me as well. Meeting them has changed my life because now they are a part of my life. I can share anything with them, I can talk to them about anything and I know I have their full support. Friends are really important in my life and I have plenty of them at SPC. So, as you see, coming to SPC has changed my life. I have good classes; I have made wonderful friends; I have really helpful teachers and I enjoy a flexible class schedule. I do not regret one bit that I am attending SPC. If someone wants to come to SPC it is not a bad choice at all. It is a good place to start college studies and I know that from personal experience. Mahfooza Hossain
SPC items assists Haiti through education
Dollars for Haiti is a college wide initiative proposed by students and supported by the college family to provide assistance to Haitian refugees here in the Tampa Bay area. SPC assisted Help brings Hope to Haiti founder Patricia Eddy by donating 20 used laptops to their organization, for schools and hospitals in Haiti. SPC continues to reach out and explore partnerships that can be established to provide online training for nurses in Haiti. SPC used computers educates Colombia A shipment of 200 computers was donated to the Colombian American Chamber of Commerce of Barranquilla, Colombia to help improve education for students in the area of technology. The computers will be distributed to various public schools within the Barranquilla region. International Education Week Many were interested in traveling abroad and visited SPC’s Study Abroad booth to learn about the trips available. Visit the International Education Week Web page for details on the 2010 event. Center for International Programs team:
For more information e-mail or call 727-341-4735. |
Tim Wolter, Humanities Instructor, St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus, recently returned from Lithuania where he spent his second summer teaching English to students from Belarus, Latvia, Poland and Lithuania. 
