Education Department and European Union Fund 16 Projects to Advance International Curriculum Development and Student Exchanges

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today announced the award of $1,279,738 for 16 projects that add a European Community-United States dimension to international curriculum development and student exchanges. The grants fund collaborative efforts between colleges and universities in the United States and Europe to develop programs of study in a wide range of academic and professional disciplines.

“By partnering with one another,” Spellings said, “institutions of higher education in the U.S. and Europe are building critical human capital needed for success in the 21st century. These projects carry out two vital goals: fostering student exchanges and addressing crucial global issues.”

A wide range of disciplines will be studied by the new grants, including international relations, hotel management, forest resources, paper science, software engineering, laser technology, and transnational law. Each project consists of a consortium of U.S. and European institutions with funding provided by both the U.S. Department of Education and the European Commission.

Three types of projects are being funded: eight are four-year grants for degree programs in which participating students will receive a joint or dual undergraduate or master’s degree from both the American and European partner university after a coordinated period of study; six are termed mobility projects, also four-year grants, and include one semester abroad for participating students; and two projects are two-year grants that focus on policy issues related to transatlantic education.

Each degree and mobility project includes 24 American students and 24 European students, totaling 672 students participating in the new projects. Students receive stipends to pay for the expenses of living abroad, and the grants include stipends for faculty travel as well. A component of each grant is training students in the language and culture of the host country, in addition to studying the particular academic discipline of the joint study program.

Two of the grants are policy projects - one will examine best practices in higher education programs that focus on workforce preparation; the other will develop a network of curriculum resources for teaching students how to create technology-based high growth start-ups.

Begun in 2006, the European Union-United States Atlantis Program is conducted cooperatively by the Department’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) and the European Commission’s Directorate General for Education and Culture. Including the grants announced today, a total of 1488 students have been funded for study abroad. By the year 2012, 1098 students will have earned joint or dual degrees from universities in both the U.S. and in Europe.
Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE)
FY 2008 EU-U.S. Atlantis Program — New Grant Awards

Mobility Project in Integral Valorisation of Bioproduction
US Lead: University of Arkansas (Arkansas)
Iowa State University (Iowa)
Kansas State University (Kansas)
EU Lead: University of Ghent (Belgium)
Karl Franzens University at Graz (Austria)
Toulouse Polytechnic University (France)

This mobility project will develop an innovative program to bridge the gap in traditional teaching programs for Agriculture and Food Science as well as those in Renewable Resources and Biomaterials. Students will study agricultural resources as they relate to the food production chain and the effective use of renewable co-products.

Amount: $112,000
Contact: Andrew Proctor, University of Arkansas, 479-575-2980
proctor@uark.eduproctor@uark.edu

Undergraduate Dual Degree Program in International Relations
US Lead: Grand Valley State University
(Michigan)
EU Lead: Cracow University of Economics (Poland)
University of Debrecen (Hungary)

This undergraduate dual degree program focuses on the study of international relations. The project will focus on economics, political theory, and public policy issues in Europe and the US for students earning degrees in international relations. The project also includes development of a shared course and faculty teaching residencies.

Amount: $102,000
Contact: Mark Schaub, Grand Valley State University, 616-331-3899
schaubm@gvsu.eduschaubm@gvsu.edu

Undergraduate Dual Degree Program in Hotel Management US Lead: Oklahoma State University (Oklahoma)
EU Lead: Robert Gordon University (United Kingdom)
Turku University of Applied Science (Finland)

This dual degree undergraduate program in Hotel Management aims to train transatlantic hotel managers. The students involved in this program will follow a flexible pathway through three undergraduate degree programs across the three universities with a focus on the international context of decision making and the cultural dimension of planning in international hospitality.

Amount: $102,000
Contact: Radesh Palakurthi, Oklahoma State University, 405-744-9338
palakur@okstate.edupalakur@okstate.edu

Graduate Dual Degree Program in Forest Resources US Lead: North Carolina State University (North Carolina)
Michigan Technological University (Michigan)
EU Lead: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Sweden)
University of Helsinki (Finland)

The overall objectives of the EU-US Transatlantic Masters Degree Program in Forest Resources are to educate graduate students in forest resources management, to enhance global competitiveness of forestry in the temperate climatic zone, to contribute to sustainable management of forests globally, and to enhance teaching practices and the quality of higher education in forestry in the EU and US.

Amount: $112,000
Contact: Bronson Bullock, NC State University, 919-515-2444
sps@ncsu.edusps@ncsu.edu

Undergraduate Dual Degree Program in Paper Science and Engineering
US Lead: University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (Wisconsin)
North Carolina States University (North Carolina) EU Lead: University of Applied Sciences (Germany)
Tampere Polytechnic University of Applied Sciences (Finland)
Jyvasklia University of Applied Sciences (Finland)

The project goal is to implement a Transatlantic (TAPS) Paper Science dual undergraduate degree to study global paper science through international collaboration. Today’s professionals need to have a strong scientific background and understand industry-related environmental challenges in this global enterprise. TAPS has four components: vocational/academic exchange, intensive language training, online discussion forum, and a work internship in model paper science industry.

Amount: $117,001
Contact: Bobbi Kubish, University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, 715-346-4554
Bobbi.Kubish@uwsp.eduBobbi.Kubish@uwsp.edu

Mobility Project in Micro- and Nanosystems
US Lead: University of Arizona (Arizona)
New Mexico State University (New Mexico)
EU Lead: Budapest University of Technology and Economics (Hungary)
Slovak Technical University Bratislava (Slovak Republic)

This program is an international student-training program in the area of mechanics of micro- and nano-systems. This program includes four institutions and is available to graduate and undergraduate students at each site, providing a cohort experience for the students and leading to the awarding of a certificate.

Amount: $45,000
Contact: Eniko T. Enikov, University of Arizona, 520-621-4506
enikov@engr.arizona.eduenikov@engr.arizona.edu

Mobility Project in Urban Studies
US Lead: University of Denver (Colorado)
Portland State University (Oregon)
EU Lead: University of Bologna (Italy)
University of Nottingham (United Kingdom)

The project will create a joint curriculum between partner institutions focused on promoting greater awareness of the social and ecological challenges confronting contemporary cities in a time of rapid expansion in urbanization and escalating concerns about the sustainability of urban life. The program involves the exchange of students between the partner institutions to apply methodologies to urban problems.

Amount: $45,000
Contact: Dean Saitta, University of Denver, 303-871-2680
daitta@du.edudaitta@du.edu

Mobility Project in Developmental Education
US Lead: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (North Carolina)
Vanderbilt University (Tennessee)
EU Lead: Jonkoping University (Sweden)
Ludwig-Maximillian University, Munich (Germany)
University of Porto (Portugal)

This project on Global Education and Development Studies (GEDS) integrates student experiences at home and a semester abroad to prepare future leaders for leadership roles in education and intervention for young children. The GEDS concentration will utilize the ECI-NET website and the international curriculum to be integrated with field experience to create a training model focused on acquisition of knowledge and skills related to education policy, evaluation, and research in the US and EU.

Amount: $45,000
Contact: Rune Simeonsson, UNC Chapel Hill, 919-962-2512
jsimeon@email.unc.edujsimeon@email.unc.edu

Graduate Dual Degree Project in Transnational Law
US Lead: Washington University (Missouri)
EU Lead: Universiteit Utrecht (the Netherlands)
Universita degli Studi di Trento (Italy)

The program implements a dual masters plan in transnational law with a focus on the practice of law between European nations and the United States. The study abroad includes curriculum that trains students to be adept at resolving cases involving various legal systems that cross international boundaries. At the conclusion of the program graduates would be eligible to practice law or provide legal advice in both the EU and the US.

Amount: $102,000
Contact: Michael Peil, Washington University, 314-935-8031
mpeil@wulaw.wustl.edumpeil@wulaw.wustl.edu

Policy Project in Short-Cycle Higher Education
US Lead: University of Toledo (Ohio)
Owens Community College Ohio)
EU Lead: International University College (Bulgaria)
LEIDO (the Netherlands)

The project will hold discussions and exchanges of best practices in three critical areas concerning higher education programs that focus closely on preparation for the workforce: recognition and quality assurance, links with industry, and role in life-long learning systems. The project’s goal is to provide a forum for international exchange of ideas through three international conferences. The project participants will conduct a feasibility study on transatlantic collaboration in the development of degrees that fall between high secondary and full bachelors degrees.

Amount: $70,000
Contact: Snejana Slantcheva-Durst, University of Toledo, 419-530-5673
snejana.slantchevadurst@utoledo.edu

Mobility Project in Software Engineering
US Lead: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Florida)
University of Central Florida (Florida)
University of Arizona (Arizona)
EU Lead: AGH University of Science and Technology (Poland)
Brno University of Technology (Czech Republic)
Universite Joseph Fourier (France)

This mobility project is dedicated to educating engineers engaged in the development of dependable, software intensive systems in global international settings. The objective is to assure mobility exchange of graduate/master level engineering students. This program contains three facets of added value: areas of concentration not available at the home institution, opportunity for overseas research, and cultural understanding of a second country.

Amount: $44,873
Contact: Andrew Kornecki, Embry-Riddle University, 386-226-6888
kornecka@erau.edukornecka@erau.edu

Policy Project on Entrepreneurship Education
US Lead: North Carolina State University (North Carolina)
Brown University (Rhode Island)
EU Lead: Loughborough University (United Kingdom)
COTEC (Portugal)

This project, known as TECnet (Technology Entrepreneurship & Commercialization network), will create a network of collaborative web-based resources that will focus on the methods of teaching students how to create technology-based high growth ventures. The process-based curriculum will be derived from a study of the relevant literature and long-term experimentation and successful practice. TECnet will enable collaborative research on the outcomes of process-based Technology Entrepreneurship Education and disseminate the results broadly in order to advance the field and, over long term, impact the creation of high growth start-ups.

Amount: $70,000
Contact Person: Ted Baker, NC State University, 919-513-7943
ted_baker@ncsu.eduted_baker@ncsu.edu

Graduate Dual Degree Program in Laser Technology Engineering
US Lead: University of Central Florida
Clemson University (South Carolina)
EU Lead: University of Bordeaux (France)
Freidrich Schiller University (Germany)

This graduate dual degree program is designed to specifically train manpower for the global photonics economy. The program is comprised of a two-year degree that includes materials science and laser material processing. The students will also participate in an internship. The partner institutions already have a joint doctoral program and this project is seen as preparing students for that degree. Language training and cultural courses will also be included for the students.

Amount: $111,618
Contact: Martin Richardson, University of Central Florida, 407-823-6819
mcr@creol.ucf.edumcr@creol.ucf.edu

Graduate Dual Degree Program in Agricultural Economics
US Lead: University of Arkansas (Arkansas)
University of Florida (Florida)
EU Lead: University of Ghent (Belgium)
Humboldt University (Germany)

This project will develop and implement an internationally double master degree program in rural development and agricultural economics among the participants. It will train specialists with comparative knowledge on EU, US and international agricultural and rural development policies. It combines a study abroad year, case study or internship experience, language training, and cultural exposure activities.

Amount: $112,000
Contact: Lucas Parsch, University of Arkansas, 479-575-2323
lparsch@uark.edulparsch@uark.edu

Mobility Project in Small and Medium Enterprises and Entrepreneurship Education
US Lead: Clemson University (South Carolina)
University of North Florida (Florida)
Appalachian State University (North Carolina)
EU Lead: Otto-Friedrich Universitat (Germany)
Universite Catholique de Louvain (Belgium)
Universidad de Alicante (Spain)

This project focuses on the creation and operation of small and medium-size enterprises. This project will include student mobility and enhanced student support services. These improvements are designed to address issues in pre-departure orientations and student integration into the host cultures. The project helps to promote exchange students participation in the process of developing new “born global” enterprises.

Amount: $45,000
Contact Person: Mark McKnew, Clemson University, 864-656-2685
mamckn@clemson.edumamckn@clemson.edu

Undergraduate Dual Degree Program in Information Systems
US Lead: University of Massachusetts (Massachusetts)
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (Massachusetts) EU Lead: Kemi-Tornio University of Applied Sciences (Finland)
Fachhochschule Frankfurt (Germany)

This undergraduate dual degree program in information systems encompasses four universities in an effort to bring together a cohort of twenty-four students each year in a shared program of study including one semester at each of the four universities participating. After successfully completing the program and the degree requirements of the home institution, students will receive a Bachelors degree from both their home and one host university.

Amount: $111,246
Contact: William Koehler, University of Massachusetts Boston, 617-287-7855
William.Koehler@umb.eduWilliam.Koehler@umb.edu