Two SOE Faculty to Lead GIEU Programs in Summer 2013

The Global Intercultural Experience for Undergraduates (GIEU) program offers study abroad opportunities for students on the University of Michigan campuses. 2012 is the first year that University of Michigan-Dearborn faculty were eligible to propose programs, and 2013 will be the first year in which UM-Dearborn students will be eligible to participate. Students from all three UM campuses are eligible to apply for any of the available program options.

The GIEU steering group in Ann Arbor received 60 proposals from faculty on the three campuses for study abroad programs and chose 10 to support. Four UM-Dearborn faculty were awarded support for three of the 10 selected programs, and two of the selected programs involve SOE faculty.

Martha Adler, SOE associate professor, and Monica Porter, Director of the Office of International Affairs, will lead “Summer Literacy Program: Children of the Dump.” This study group will work in a three-week summer literacy program serving high- poverty youth in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. This program will both address the needs of children living in dire poverty in Mexico and provide university students with a culturally immersive educative experience. The literacy program is sponsored by The Children of the Dump, a community organization that was founded in 1998. Through private donations, the organization feeds more than 2,300 children daily, operates nine day care centers and an after-school program for grades 3 through 6. The goal of the Children of the Dump is to ensure education through grade nine and to educate the children of Puerto Vallarta in the skills necessary to rise above poverty.

Stein Brunvand, SOE associate professor, will lead “Teaching Across Borders: Establishing a Virtual Tutoring Program in Johannesburg, South Africa.” This study group will lay the foundation for implementing a virtual tutoring program to provide academic support to students in Alexandra Township. This program will help address deficiencies in the educational experiences of K-12 students living in South Africa while at the same time provide our university students with a culturally immersive experience where they can engage in authentic face-to-face and online instructional activities with children in need of academic assistance.

Please join me in thanking these SOE faculty and the other leaders of GIEU programs for providing such wonderful opportunities for UM-Dearborn students and other undergraduates in the UM family.