Postcards from Our OFE Summer

Summer is often a time for stepping away from the daily routine, but that doesn’t mean the learning stops. This summer, our office members traveled across the globe and our own state, engaging in unique professional development opportunities, teaching, and even a little bit of fun. From leading classes in Seoul to collaborating with international colleagues in Nice, we’ve returned with fresh perspectives and new ideas to bring to our work and our students this fall. Read on to discover what our team was up to!

Diane Chapman – Executive Director and Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Development

Three years in the planning process, my colleagues and I were finally able to see the first International Summer Program in Global Teaching and Learning come to life. The week-long program in Nice, France involved 8 faculty members from NC State and 8 faculty members from Université Côte d’Azur who worked collaboratively to design projects in global learning.  The week was one of the most inspirational experiences I have had in faculty development as I watched the collaborations evolve over the course of the week.  In addition, I was able to meet with the leadership of Fulbright France in Paris and reconnect with a colleague from my Fulbright International Education Administrators trip.

Kyle Miskell – Director of External Faculty Recognition

I had the opportunity to participate in a study abroad program to Japan, which included an internship on designing and teaching study abroad experiences. As part of the trip, I met with our partners in the Fulbright Japan office to discuss areas of opportunities. 

Study abroad and Fulbright are two great opportunities for faculty interested in pursuing international exchange and engagement. Building off of the trip, I am exploring how each program intertwines – whether study abroad is a good precursor for a Fulbright, as well

as if faculty set up study abroad programs following their Fulbright experience. There is a lot of synergy in terms of strengthening and sustaining international engagement at NC State.

Highlights included Naoshima Island, Kurashiki, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trail, and the National Film Archive. One activity I very much enjoyed was attending a baseball game of the Yakult Swallows in Tokyo. 

Jonathan Holloway – Leadership Program Manager

As NC State’s liaison to the ACC Academic Leaders Network (ALN), my summer always includes the second of three yearly ACC ALN conferences with our NC State ALN Fellows. This year’s trip was to the University of Miami, where our fellows built on the work they and their faculty colleagues from across the Atlantic Coast Conference began in March at Wake Forest by focusing on topics including mindful leadership, coaching conversations, and leading through change. They heard from experienced leaders, including Donna Shalala and Jim Larrañaga, and continued to work in cross-institutional communities of practice to think deeply about current issues facing higher education. It is always very interesting to visit other universities, see their campuses, and learn a bit about how they operate, and Miami was no exception. I was able to tour their Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, where a powerful wind/wave tank is used to model and better understand the effects of hurricanes, get a behind-the-scenes look at their athletics facilities, and hear about their student housing and learning communities.

Maria Gallardo-Williams – Associate Director of Faculty Development

This summer I had the opportunity to travel to France to help lead the International Summer Program in Global Teaching & Learning. I spent a week teaching in a beautiful castle in Nice, where faculty members from NC State and from Université Côte d’Azur focused on innovative teaching globalization practices. It was a truly unforgettable experience, filled with cross-cultural collaboration, inspiring conversations, and delicious French pastries!

Back home, it was a busy summer, too! Our SPARK program (Building your Network) had record enrollment and engagement, and I had the chance to attend and present at the Digital Learning Administration Conference in Jekyll Island, Georgia. I also spent a lot of time with our SoTL Institute participants, who are truly engaged in the research they will conduct in the Fall. 

Carlos Goller – Faculty Fellow

A summer of pausing, recalibrating, watching, and learning with others. This summer, I reflected on what I wanted to do & improve. I was fortunate to attend conferences (ASM Microbe, The Allen Institute Open Science in Undergraduate Education, SABER East, SABER, BIOME, and ASMCUE Summer), present with friends, and listen. I watched presentations and learned about resources others are using and creating. Encouraged by the ideas and energy of presenters and amazing friends, I am eager to try new approaches this fall. I want to learn about teamwork issues and explore improvements to how we assign group assignments, utilizing tools and reflective exercises. I want to intentionally highlight the interdisciplinary nature of discovery beyond the life sciences and the need for career readiness that includes training in communication and ethical reasoning—excited to share and learn with fall students!

Sue Carson – TH!NK Faculty Fellow

I had the incredible opportunity to go to Seoul for 5 weeks to teach a course (K-Outbreak) at the Hanyang University International Summer School (HISS). This was my first time visiting Korea, or anywhere in Asia, and it has been a great experience. 26 students from NC State arrived a week early for the HISS program, and I traveled with them and University Honors Program Associate Director, Ken Johnson, to a variety of regions within South Korea. My class was composed of some of these students, along with other international students in the HISS program. We had the honor of a guest visit from an esteemed member of the KDCA (Korean CDC), Dr. Chaeshin Chu. I’ve learned first hand from him about the factors that helped South Korea deal with the COVID pandemic. I also was honored by being invited to deliver the faculty address during the program’s closing ceremony. Outside of teaching and interacting with students, I was able to eat a lot of bingsu and to make many local Korean friends through swing dancing, who I will miss until I am able to return.

Catherine Mainland – Faculty Fellow

I taught my first hybrid summer course this year (ENG 266 American Literature II), so I was able to reimagine my syllabus in ways that would lean into metacognition and critical thinking in online discussion boards that would also complement the work we did in the classroom. It was great to be able to put all my OFE training to work, as I focused my thinking about what the learning outcomes needed to be, how best to scaffold the skills the students were developing, how to fold in discussions about learning and processing modes, etc. I also facilitated our department’s Vacation Ideation meeting, in which my colleagues from all of our various discipline groups have the opportunity to talk through their creative and research projects that are at a whole range of different stages (from the potential idea to the mostly written project that has hit a wall).

Megan Lupek – Faculty Fellow

This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to participate in the Global Engagement Institute in Nice, France. As part of a cohort of eight faculty from across campus, we explored innovative approaches to global teaching and learning through workshops, discussions, and collaboration with colleagues at Université Côte d’Azur. The experience was both professionally enriching and personally inspiring—deepening my understanding of intercultural pedagogy and sparking new ideas for COIL and blended international learning experiences. Beyond the amazing professional development opportunity, I was also able to spend a few personal days in Nice and the surrounding area. I especially enjoyed exploring the village of Eze, which dates back to the middle ages and participating in a market tour and cooking class where I learned how to make some classic Niçoise dishes. 

My other summer adventures have included: a farm stay with my family, enjoying our bountiful garden, mentoring two undergraduate research students, catching up with friends, and celebrating my son’s 4th birthday. 

Stacy Supak – Faculty Fellow

This summer included a mix of travel, family time, and continued work on several ongoing projects. I took a long-awaited trip with my sons to visit family and friends in Las Vegas, Southern and Northern California, and Seattle—including a family reunion in Monterey, CA. Exploring the tidepools at low tide was a highlight!

Professionally, I continued work on two grant-funded initiatives with the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources that support effective state park management. One project focuses on improving visitation estimates by integrating mobile tracking data with traditional vehicle count data, which have historically been the sole metric used. The second project, Strive for Access, is a statewide effort to map outdoor recreation opportunities and identify gaps in park access to advance recreation equity across North Carolina.

Sunanda Dillon – Administrative Support Specialist 

This summer, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Germany, which was without a doubt one of the most enriching experiences of my life. I am truly grateful for every moment of this incredible opportunity. Augsburg, Germany proved to be a delightful fusion of ancient history and contemporary life. Daily life there offered breathtaking scenery, fantastic food, and incredibly welcoming, inquisitive locals who made every encounter a true cultural exchange.

 Our learning extended beyond fascinating excursions to Dachau, Nuremberg, and Munich; the program forged remarkable connections and networking opportunities among students from America, Germany, Serbia, Ukraine, and Australia.  I truly enjoyed getting to know my peers and the strong sense of community that formed amongst the educators and students. The open exchange of perspectives and the respect we had for one another created a powerful feeling of hope and cultivated a safe space for authentic expression.