Advancing Understanding
Featured Foreign Born Women Faculty in US Academic Institutions
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Betcy Jose
This study explores the experiences of foreign-born women (female and female-identifying) faculty at a university in the US state of Colorado. It is not uncommon that U.S. universities fail to fully understand the challenges and barriers faced by foreign-born faculty. The plight of foriegn-born women faculty is even less understood. Consequently, these faculty may not receive the kind of support nor appreciation they need to perform effectively their full spectrum of responsibilities and duties. Additionally, without an adequate understanding of these faculty’s unique assets, universities may fail to fully capitalize on their strengths. This incomplete comprehension of these faculty members’ experiences and advantages can create situations that negatively impact faculty performance encompassing research, teaching and service, and career wholistically. By shedding light on this under-examined issue area, this study aims to sensitize U.S. universities to the unique challenges and strengths related to their foreign-born women faculty members in the hopes of helping them thrive in mutually beneficial ways. Utilizing an exploratory study conducted at a university in Colorado, this study is comprised of focus group meetings with a self-selected cohort of foreign-born women faculty. The data provide insights on what challenges this group faces and what policies might help address those challenges.
Public Officials' Role as Civic Educators: Local Government Managers Facilitating Understanding Through Civic Engagement View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Miriam Porter
Civic engagement has become more important today in helping people adapt to the complexities of a rapidly changing world and mitigating the negative attitudes toward government. This study, which focused on city managers in Minnesota, explored local government manager’s role in helping citizens understand a broad spectrum of issues in their communities. The study’s conclusion demonstrate that local government managers see themselves as civic educators covering a broad spectrum of issues, educational foci and educational methods. This gives them numerous opportunities for engagement with local government stakeholders in various settings. The nature of the work, as well as the political tone in local government, has led to the need to adopt this role to facilitate others to participate in the decision making process in an informed manner. The manager’s primary focus is with the elected officials. One recommendation of this study is that teaching methods and strategies should be considered for graduate level education in public administration to better prepare local government managers for their career.
Intercultural Practicum: Graduate Students as Reflective Knowledge Professionals
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Spyridoula Giaki, Eugenia Arvanitis
This study explores the practicum component of the Inter-University Master’s Programme of University Patras and University of Nicosia "Intercultural Education and Mediation", focusing on the role of graduate students as reflective and socially engaged professionals. Grounded in a pedagogical framework that integrates theory, practice, and critical reflection, the practicum empowers students to design and implement differentiated teaching interventions and intercultural mediation initiatives within diverse educational and social contexts. Through a structured process of 750 hours, students engage in five core stages: observation, instructional design (via the CGScholar platform), collaborative participation in teaching or organizational activities, supervised autonomous interventions, and final dissemination of their outcomes. Tools such as Learning by Design, SWOT analysis, the DIEP reflective model, peer review, and World Café discussions scaffold their development into active agents of inclusion and transformation. The practicum highlights the transition from knowledge consumers to knowledge creators and intercultural mediators, positioning students as educators capable of responding effectively to the challenges of diversity in formal, non-formal, and informal learning environments. This paper emphasizes the value of reflective practice as a catalyst for personal and professional growth, and as a key competency in promoting social justice through education.
