Dec. 7, 2004 issue
I completed my undergraduate and master's degrees at Eastern Michigan University. So, I feel deeply connected to this University on a personal and professional level. Some of the people I am working with now are those I actually studied with as an undergraduate. I have lifelong friendships with some of them.
I like teaching at Eastern Michigan University because students here have a very practical focus. They are interested in how the material relates to their career and I try to relate the material to their career by giving them hands-on experience.
I like being a coordinator of the Eurasian Undergraduate Exchange Program. It is so difficult now to bring students to the United States and this is one of the ways for students to have guaranteed admission to our university. I believe it's incredibly important to continue to globalize our campus.
It's rewarding to work with students participating in exchange programs. It's probably the most important thing I do personally in my job. It's really incredible to watch the change in students from the time their feet first hit campus until the time they pack their bags to go back home. It's almost like a rebirth. The students see life a little bit differently; they see opportunities that await them. And they see their own countries differently. That's what I try to achieve. And I wish American students who travel abroad, too, saw their country through the eyes of others.
The future of the State Department programs is secure, but will shift from Eurasia to the Middle East in the next few years. EMU's part in that is very strong. I think EMU will continue to grow stronger through the programs like this. My goal is to continue to work on diversity and multiculturalism of the Eastern campus.
In all universities, and Eastern as well, we train the future leaders of our world. And, if you establish relationships with someone from another country, you build a bridge. The goal of building those bridges should be to work peacefully together.
