Division of International Studies

Progress Report 2004-2005

July 2005

Submitted by
Gilles Bousquet, Dean of International Studies
Division of International Studies
268 Bascom Hall
Madison, WI 53706

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 Division of International Studies
Progress Report 2004-2005

I. The Division’s Efforts to “Accelerate Internationalization”

UW-Madison continues to excel in international education through new and expanded activities
sponsored by the Division of International Studies emphasizing innovation, campus alliances and
external partnerships.

In the area of innovation, there was noteworthy growth in short-term study abroad with new
seminars in Croatia, Greece and France in addition to other ongoing winter- and summer-break
programs. Approximately 1,600 UW-Madison students studied abroad in 2003-2004; UW-Madison
ranks 6th among research universities in study abroad, according to the Institute for International
Education. New study abroad scholarships, made possible by alumni and private donors and
totaling $100,000, enabled dozens of UW-Madison students to study around the world.
International Studies developed a new academic program, the Undergraduate Washington, D.C.
Semester in International Affairs, to begin in the fall of 2005. Students will benefit from an
academic experience in the nation’s capital linked to an internship at an international agency or
embassy. International Studies and the International Institute initiated a “Seed Faculty Line”
program to hire two new faculty members for fall 2005 in strategic areas of international
education, specifically an international development economist and a medical anthropologist
specializing in Africa. International Institute research circles prepared new undergraduate and
graduate courses and also organized several speaker series and conferences. A development
studies workshop in fall 2004, including the participation of Ford Foundation vice-president Barry
D. Gaberman, brought multiple campus units together to discuss future initiatives in an area where
there is extraordinary campus strength and international recognition. Leading figures in world
affairs spoke on campus in 2004-05 as part of the Diplomat-in-Residence program, including
several current and past ambassadors. The Wisconsin Scholars program (WISc Program), a co-
curricular enrichment program for students interested in an intensive international component to
their degree, admitted 15 new freshmen to the second year class, adding to the current cohort of 25
students. UW-Madison continued to excel in the area of less-commonly taught languages this
summer offering the only Persian immersion program and one of just two Arab immersion
programs in the U.S.

2004-2005 saw expanded campus alliances in international education. International Studies led a
yearlong, campus-wide sub-group to determine how to recruit international students and provided
a report on the process during the April 2005 UW-Madison Showcase. International Studies also
continued its successful collaborations with the Global Health Program, the Global Legal
Studies Initiative and the Language Institute. For the second year, International Studies funded a
program assistant for Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Here on Earth,” a program aired nationally and
internationally. The Dean of International Studies hosted evening discussions with students from
both the humanities and sciences who have particular interests in international affairs. International
Studies facilitated collaboration among International Institute programs and CIBER during
International Opportunities Month in February 2005. The Division of International Studies
worked with the College of Engineering to encourage new international offerings, culminating in
the College’s Certificate of International Engineering.

The area of external partnerships saw increased activities as well. International Studies received
gifts and pledges from external partners totaling $600,000. International Studies helped plan and

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participated in the First Wisconsin International Education Summit, sponsored by the
Department of Public Instruction. The conference drew over 350 Wisconsin educators, business
and community leaders and state and local government representatives to discuss the importance of
international education. In partnership with the World Universities Network, International
Studies sponsored a call for proposals to advance faculty research collaborations with other WUN
school faculty. New projects are now underway in a variety of disciplines with projects positioned
to compete for major international funding. New university linkages were formed with the French
American Cultural Exchange (FACE) to support the development of a joint curriculum on
environmental studies with Montpellier ENSAM-Agro, fostering bicultural approaches to
environmental issues. UW-Madison and Uganda’s Makerere University competed successfully for
a U.S. State Department grant on nutrition. International Studies, in cooperation with the
Wisconsin Alumni Association, sponsored a Study Abroad Reunion during the campus’ May
2005 alumni weekend with participants from across the United States and the United Kingdom. In
October 2004, the J. Jobe Soffa and Marguerite Jacqmin Soffa Distinguished International
Visitor Fund facilitated the visit and public talk of Indian scholar and activist Veena Das.
International Studies continued its “World beyond Our Borders” faculty author series in
collaboration with Borders, drawing a combined community audience of 400 people. International
Studies gave significant support to the National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages,
enabling its move to UW-Madison in 2004.

II. The Division’s Focus for AY 2005-2006

Eight national resource centers and the Middle East Studies program, all within the International
Institute, are preparing new 2006-2010 applications for U.S. Department of Education Title VI
funding, a vital and valuable source of funding for core international studies on campus, worth over
$4 million a year. At the same time, expanding and diversifying the centers’ funding base beyond
Title VI revenues will be a priority this AY. International Institute-affiliated faculty will launch a
speaker series on the study of globalization in fall 2005, bringing together several campus
research initiatives and the International Institute's eleven thematic and interdisciplinary research
circles to provide a new framework for research. International Studies, with several campus
partners, is developing plans for a Center for International Academic Internships to reinforce
students’ academic experiences and to advance their professional training before graduation.
Global Health Programs and Global Legal Studies both plan to seek center status in AY 2005-
06. Development and fund-raising activities will be strengthened, especially with the addition of
a full-time position devoted to International Studies at the University of Wisconsin Foundation.