Spring 2014 - The University of Texas at Tyler

THE UNIVERSITY OF
TEXAS AT TYLER
HIGHLIGHTS FROM
THIS ISSUE:
IELI
1
SPRING 2014
FACULTY-LED
PROGRAMS
1
3RD ANNUAL
PASSPORT DAY
2
PREVIEW DAY
2
VISITING
DELEGATIONS
2
VISITING
CHINESE
PROFESSOR
3
UT TYLER
FELLOWSHIP
RECIPIENT
3
INTERNATIONAL
PARTNERSHIPS
3
SPRING 2014
I N T E R N A T I O NA L
P R O GR A M S
N E W S L E T T E R
2 MAY 2014
INTENSIVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE INSTITUTE
The Intensive English Language Institute (IELI) kicked off its first semester this
spring with students from Brazil, China, Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico, Pakistan,
Saudi Arabia, and South Korea. The institute aims to assist non-native English
speakers to improve their language and culture skills as well as prepare for
university matriculation. The implementation of this semester follows a successful
pilot program that was offered to both UT Tyler students and community members
representing Argentina, Brazil, El Salvador, Japan, Mexico and South Korea during
the Fall 2013 semester. Please advise all interested students to email
ieli@uttyler.edu for more information about the upcoming Super Intensive
Summer Session: 9 June—25 July 2014. Join us in our worldwide recruitment
efforts for the IELI! www.uttyler.edu/oip/IELI
FAC ULT Y-LED PROGRAMS
The University of Texas at Tyler Office of International Programs assists faculty to
provide students with opportunities to participate in travel/study programs. Six
Faculty-Led programs during the Spring/Summer 2014 semesters take
students to a variety of locations to study, enjoy foreign cultures, and gain
valuable educational experiences:

6-16 March, Dr. Martin Slann, Israel and Palestine

7-13 March, Dr. Jeffrey Emge, Paris

12-21 May, Dr. Kathleen Everling, collaborative trip with Tyler Junior College, Costa Rica

26 May-27 July (4 Sessions), Dr. Thomas Guderjan, Belize, Maya Research Program

8-17 June, Dr. Wes Hickey, Belize for Educators

13 July-2 August, Dr. Gregory Utley, Spanish Immersion in Costa Rica
Students and faculty members preparing to travel abroad should visit www.uttyler.edu/oip to ensure they
have completed all necessary paperwork, and should contact oip@uttyler.edu with any questions.
The Office of International Programs and the International Studies and Intercultural Affairs Committee
(ISIAC) invite faculty proposals for international travel study courses for the 2014-2015 academic year.
For more information, go to www.uttyler.edu/oip. Under Faculty Resources from the left hand navigation bar, select: Forms Required for
International Travel. Send completed forms to oip@uttyler.edu. New exciting news from Study Abroad: UT Tyler is now working with the
University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC) to offer quality study abroad programs to our students in more than 25 countries!
Visit http://www.uttyler.edu/oip/study-abroad/travelstudy.php to learn more! Study Abroad Scholarships are available!
Photo contributed by Todd Martinez
Friends of UT Tyler 2014 Destination: Maya Research Program in Blue Creek, Belize! www.mayaresearchprogram.org
Photo contributed by Todd Martinez from Spring Travel/Study program in Israel
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS NEWSLETTER
SPRING 2014
3R D ANNUAL PA SS POR T DAY
Over 40 UT Tyler students, faculty, staff and community members attended
the third annual Passport Day, co-hosted by UT Tyler Office of International
Programs and the U.S. Post Office in Tyler. The event was held on Saturday,
1 February 2014 from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. in the University Center
Theater. Plan to attend the next Passport Day scheduled to occur during the
Fall 2014 semester to ensure you are prepared in advance for travel
opportunities you may encounter!
View the OIP Calendar of Events at http://www.uttyler.edu/oip/calendar.php
P R E V I E W DAY
UT Tyler Spring 2014 Preview Day, organized by the Office of Admissions took place on
Saturday, 5 April. Prospective students and their parents visited UT Tyler campus to learn more
about degree offerings, housing options and student life activities. The Office of International
Programs visited with parents and students at their booth about the international student
population on campus, exciting new options for studying abroad, and the Intensive English
Language Institute. Lunch was catered by the MET and served alongside the sounds of the
Jazz Patriots Combo directed by Micah Bell.
UT TYLER
FAMILY
OUTREACH
PROGRAM
FAMOUS ON YOUTUBE
Congratulations to Dr. Stephen Bushart and Dr. David Strong! Our
students have mentioned you by name as some of their favorite UT
Tyler professors! To see the full student interviews please visit the OIP
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/uttyleroip
SOUTH KOREAN FULBRIGHT SCHOLARS
ON CAMPUS
Help make our students feel
at home! If your family would
like to invite a student to have dinner
or spend some quality time in your
home, please contact our office with
your ideas at oip@uttyler.edu.
From 3-16 February, four elementary and middle school teachers
from South Korea visited the University of Texas at Tyler during their Fulbright American Studies Program,
sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The Fulbright Scholars arrived on
campus following a month spent in Austin attending an intensive English language program at the Texas
International Education Consortium (TIEC). The teachers lived with families from our own UT Tyler
Community that graciously volunteered to host the scholars in their homes. They networked with teachers
at Hubbard and Stewart Middle Schools as well as working one-on-one with educators at the Innovation
Academy Charter School. During their stay they also ventured to Dallas for a few days to attend the 7th
Annual Texas STEM Conference, along with the Innovation Academy teachers. The remainder of the time
the scholars attended classes on UT Tyler campus, visited the Herrington Patriot Center, toured the library,
and took trips to Camp Tyler and the Discovery Science Place.
COLOMBIA DELEGATION
A delegation from the Universidad Católica de Pereira in Colombia
visited campus on Monday, 7 April. Escorted by Dr. Teresa Kennedy, Rector
Father Álvaro Eduardo Betancur Jiménez and Claudia María Castaño Rodas
visited with OIP international advisors, toured the UT Tyler campus, and met
with deans and faculty members from the colleges of Education and
Psychology, Engineering and Computer Science, Arts and Sciences, and
Business and Technology. The delegation ended the day at the Office of International Programs to
learn about the Intensive English Language Institute followed by a visit with Bishop Joseph Strickland,
plus Father Paul Key and Mr. Jose Piñones from UT Tyler’s Campus Ministry for the Diocese of Tyler.
Spring 2014 Newsletter
Page 2
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS NEWSLETTER
UT Tyler International Students
SPRING 2014
CHINESE PROFESSOR KAI ZHANG
VISITS UT TYLER CAMPUS
Professor Kai Zhang visited our campus from the North
Eastern Liao Ning Province of China from January to April
2014. Professor Zhang teaches English in China and came
to UT Tyler to observe our classes. Some distinct
differences she noticed in English classes here include:
Writing courses seem to be mostly for English majors in the
U.S., but in China there is a focus on writing skills for all
disciplines; in China there is a heavy focus on grammar,
structure and styling but not as much emphasis on writing
Current Number of International Students:
239 (91 Undergraduate, 148 Graduate)
Total Countries Represented: 42
VISITING CHINESE
DELEGATION
For the past 12 years, UT Tyler
has partnered with Green Acres
Baptist Church and the Tyler
community to assist students
from Qujing Normal University
in the Yunnan Province of China
to experience Tyler. This year’s
delegation arrived in Tyler on 4 April and will return on 24
May. Dr. Martin Slann, College of Arts and Sciences,
facilitated the students to audit various classes on campus
including Art, English, and History. The delegation also
attended seminars on American Culture at our IELI and
participated in International Day at Tyler Junior College.
creatively as in the United States. For more information on inviting J-1 Exchange
Visitors, contact Daoming Chen at the OIP Student, Scholar & Faculty Services Center
at issfs@uttyler.edu or (903) 565-5960.
INTERNATIONAL UT SYS TEM
FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENT
UT Tyler student Randy Sronce was selected to receive a Louis Stokes Alliances for
Minority Participation (LSAMP) Summer Research Academy Abroad (SRAA)
fellowship. Mr. Sronce is a chemistry major and will receive a stipend to support his
Summer 2014 research experience in Zurich, Switzerland. Sronce will blog during the
duration of his studies. To read his blog, join the LSAMP Research Without
Borders Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/237338673137475/
T YLER SISTER CITIES UPDATE

The Office of International Programs continues to offer
weekly shuttle services to Walmart and the Mosque
every Friday afternoon!
2014 Yachiyo Trip: 7-15 July. Includes site seeing in Tokyo, Fuji/Hakone, plus participating in the summer festival at Sawara City and an official
visit to the Yachiyo City Hall. A few seats are still available! Contact Pat Johns at Tylerpsj@aol.com for more information.

Dr. Stephen Krebbs (UT Tyler) and Mr. Tony Tadasa (TJC) are assisting Tyler's Sister City organization to find qualified UT Tyler graduates for
Yachiyo, Japan's Assistant Language Teacher program. The graduates earn roughly $35,000/year plus low cost housing.

A delegation from UT Tyler and TJC will travel to Tyler’s Sister City—Liberia, Costa Rica—to conduct student interviews to award two tuition
scholarships beginning Fall 2014 (2 years of study at TJC followed by 2 years at UT Tyler).
UT T YLER CELEBRATES ANOTHER INTERNATIONAL
AGREEMENT: QUJING NORMAL UNIVERSIT Y: 16 APRIL 2014
UT Tyler also has agreements with:

Qingdao University, China (23 June 2010)
 Universidad de Sonora (UNISON), Mexico (23 January 2012)

Shimane University, Japan (17 October 2012)
 Tokyo Seitoku University, Japan (7 February 2013)
UNIVERSIT Y PARTNERSHIPS: UNIVERSIT Y OF SONORA
The University of Texas at Tyler has officially initiated collaborations with the University of Sonora
(UNISON) in Hermosillo, Mexico. The agreement established between UT Tyler and the University of
Sonora, or UNISON, is designed to inspire departmental collaborations as well as increase student
mobility between both institutions. Dr. James Nelson, Dean of the College of Engineering and
Computer Science, and Dr. Jose Rafael Benito Noriega Luna, former visiting faculty from UNISON,
initiated this international partnership in January 2012. The collaboration
will build on the strengths of both programs to provide excellent
opportunities for research. According to Dr. Pam Martin and Dr. Barbara Haas from the College of Nursing and
Spring 2014 Newsletter
Health Sciences, “this will have a huge impact on local healthcare that will translate globally.”
Page 3
Learn more about the University of Sonora at: http://www.uson.mx/
www.uttyler.edu/oip
OIP fosters a
welcoming and
inclusive environment
for our international
students, scholars and
visiting faculty from over
35 countries who enrich
the diversity of our
campus and engage in
interactive learning
opportunities with our
entire community.
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS
AT TYLER
Globagggl
Office of International Programs
3620 Varsity Dr.
Tyler, TX 75701
Phone: 903-565-6155
Email: oip@uttyler.edu
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