The University of Missouri Celebrates Global Engagement

Columbia, MO, May 01, 2013 --(PR.com)-- At the recent International Engagement Awards ceremony, the University of Missouri (MU) celebrated faculty, staff, and students that have made significant contributions to internationalizing the University of Missouri.

The award ceremony, which took place in Monsanto Auditorium in the Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, was attended by over 100 people.

This year’s winners are:
Student Awardee: John R. Criswell II, Doctoral Candidate in Education Leadership and Policy Analysis, College of Education, University of Missouri

John joined the Navy at 17 – to see the world. He did just that. In six years of service, he traveled and lived in places such as Scotland, Naples, Pompeii, and Morocco. He returned to Missouri to pursue higher education. While here, he learned that, with international students, staff and faculty, you don’t really need to travel to encounter the richness of cultural diversity. As a doctoral student, he devotes much attention to international students. His research seeks to better measure the international dimensions of campus climate. His dissertation examines how faculty members accommodate the needs and abilities of international students in the classroom. He is currently studying Mandarin, and he hopes one day to live and teach in China.

Staff Awardee: Michael Burden, Senior Information Specialist, Office of the Dean, College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, University of Missouri

Mike is a graduate of the School of Journalism. In his current position, he is developing multimedia content to promote research, teaching and public service for CAFNR. However, he came to Mizzou as a Peace Corps veteran and a Peace Corps Fellow. Serving in Mongolia, Mike taught English and helped to build the country’s equivalent to Big Brothers, Big Sisters organization. At Mizzou, he served as the campus Peace Corps recruiter, and he co-taught a course in the School of Journalism called “When East meets West” to enhance cultural intelligence. Mike is also responsible for the Third Goal Peace Corps Film Festival on campus.

Scholar Awardee: Jere Gilles, Associate Professor, Department of Rural Sociology, College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, University of Missouri

Professor Gilles has a distinguished record of service at MU. He’s lead research projects and technical assistance projects in Africa, Latin America and Asia. Throughout his career, Jere has been dedicated to international scholarship. As a young man, he left Montana to direct enroll in a French university – so he could learn the language. He later used that French as he served in the Peace Corps in Africa. At Missouri he’s mentored many American and international students interested in economic development, the sociology of natural resources, climate change mitigation, and agricultural innovation, to name a few issues. After working in Francophone countries for many years, Jere decided to learn Spanish. He studied Spanish, so that he is now able to live, work and lecture fluently in Spanish speaking regions.

The annual international engagement awards are an important component of MU’s commitment to preparing MU students for a global marketplace and for recognizing faculty, staff, and students that are on the cutting edge globally.