Cultured and recognized

Libby Davis, the associate director of GCSU’s International Education Center, is one of 25 U.S. university administrators chosen to attend the Fulbright Seminar in Germany for two weeks in October.

Her experience and passion for international studies has placed her in this elite group from across the U.S.

“Libby is an excellent choice to represent international educators and U.S. higher education on the U.S.-Germany International Education Administrators Program,” said Dwight Call, director of the International Education Program. “She is highly regarded by her colleagues in Georgia for her collaborative and cooperative style and her willingness to mentor others.”

Davis’ selection was based on her involvement with international exchanges, her high experience level and her ability to facilitate change in the international education department at GCSU.
The seminar will give Davis and other scholars an inside look into Germany’s university system and society.

Davis leaves on Oct. 25 to visit Germany for the first time.
“I don’t know any German yet, but I am sitting in on one of Professor Hedwig Fraunhofer’s German classes, so at least I’ll know a little bit,” Davis said.

The seminar will begin in Berlin where Davis will attend meetings and cultural events as an introduction to Germany’s higher education system. During the second week, participants will split into subgroups based on personal and professional interests. The subgroups will tour different parts of Germany and have opportunities to make campus visits. Finally, these administrators will convene in Frankfurt for the last day of the seminar.

Nine years ago, under the Bologna Accord, European countries decided to standardize their university system. The changes would encourage cross-cultural learning by making academic degree standards more compatible throughout Europe.

Administrators will study this system and consider whether it could work in the U.S.

Davis is planning to stay a few more days in Germany, after the session, to visit Zeppelin University, one of GCSU’s partner universities.

“I am excited to visit Zeppelin, it will be very interesting to see the university in person and how it is run,” Davis said. “We actually have a student there now, so I will be able to visit them as well.”

She also hopes to visit Magdeburg, GCSU’s other partnership in Germany.

“Libby’s hands-on experience in Germany will be extremely helpful as we continue to build upon those relationships,” said Call.

International education has been a large part of Davis’ life since she received her undergraduate degree in international business.

“I realized I did not want to be in the business world,” Davis said. “So I looked into teaching English as a second language.”
She went back to school and earned a master’s degree in linguistics and teaching English as a second language. Davis accepted her first job offer and moved to Japan to teach English for two years.

Davis fell in love with being in a completely different culture and realized the importance of gaining cultural experiences.

“I am so excited about different cultures and learning more beyond our own culture,” Davis said. “You gain new ideas, reflections and learn more about yourself in the process.”
After her stay in Japan, Davis decided to teach English as a second language again. This time she moved to Costa Rica for four months.

Davis came to GCSU in 1997 as one of two faculty members in the International Education Center.

She has traveled extensively through Europe including Italy, Spain, France and Switzerland.

Davis currently works as an adviser to the more than 100 international students from 42 countries who come to study at GCSU and also coordinates International Admissions.

“She is very approachable; you can go ask her a question on anything related to international education. She knows what she is doing and is always ready to help out,” said Katelyn Southerland, a member of the International Club.

She encourages everyone to get involved internationally in some way.

“I hope our students will take advantage of the opportunities we have here,” Davis said. “Whether they study abroad, join the International Club or participate in International Week.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 19 2008. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry