Call chosen for international seminar

Assistant Vice President and Director of the International Education Center Dwight Call has been recognized by the United States-India Educational Foundation. Call is one of 10 educators selected to participate in the Fulbright-Nehru International Education Administrators seminar this spring.

“The goal is to learn how higher education is organized in India,” Call said of the seminar.

The seminar, slated for March 19 through April 3, is the first jointly funded seminar by the Fulbright Association and the Nehru Foundation.

Call and the nine other participants will meet with educators and various faculty members throughout India. They will visit universities in Delhi, Chennai, and Kolkata. India is a growing force in higher education systems, ranking third largest in the world, behind China and the United States.

“I thought it would be useful to know more about the Indian system of higher education and to make some connections with some of the universities,” Call said.

Call hopes to make connections while in India which will aid in future student exchange programs and study abroad programs. Call also is looking forward to meeting with Georgia College Alumni who have went back to India.

“Georgia College is looking to India to expand our relationships there and to kind of grow some of the programs,” Libby Davis, associate director of the international education center said.

Call’s trip to India is one of many ways that these connections with different countries begin. Georgia College has approximately 60 faculty and staff who are originally from different countries—which aid in collaborating with other universities abroad.

“Hopefully we will get some contacts to recruit international students, to exchange students for either short term or longer, for a semester,” Call said about the seminar. Call also hopes to gain contacts who can work for study abroad programs throughout India. Call plans to share the information about the higher education sector in India he learns with not only Georgia College but other university systems throughout Georgia.

“The goal of the seminar is not that I just come back to Georgia College and tell people here but to have some collaborative connections in that I can share what I have learned within the state or within the region,” Call said. Call learned of the seminar by the Association of International Educators, which advertises such opportunities as the program to educators. Call applied for the seminar last year, but was not selected, receiving an encouraging letter to re-apply next year.

“He’s very well respected in the field of international education,” Davis said about Call’s recognition.

Davis also comments on Call’s immense knowledge of international education.

“He’s got a wealth of knowledge and experience in the field,” Davis said. “If you mention any country or culture he can instantly give you the history or background–it’s amazing, his knowledge.”