:: Faculty Spotlight

HIGHLIGHT OF THE OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS

      The rapid advent of technological development makes the world smaller and smaller. People and countries once considered far removed are now virtually at our fingertips and the need for cross cultural awareness and understanding is of utmost importance. In recognition of these developments, the Office of International Programs (OIP) at Jackson State University seeks to promote institutional internationalization through the development of international activities. As a campus focal point for the coordination and encouragement of international education and programs, the Office promotes further development of international educational activities by JSU faculty, students, and administration. Specifically, OIP seeks to enhance language offerings at Jackson State University; increase the involvement of students in study abroad programs; broaden the spectrum of fields involved in international research and development activities; increase the number of international projects in countries abroad; increase the enrollment of international students in academic programs; enhance language offerings at the University; increase the level of participation of faculty, staff, students and administration in international activities; and increase awareness and understanding of the importance of globalization. Currently, more than 200 international students from 39 different countries are enrolled at Jackson State University.

      Established officially in 1993, OIP serves as the central location for the development, implementation, expansion and coordination of programs and services in support of international teaching, research and service activities. Its mission is to promote institutional internationalization through the development of international educational activities by JSU faculty, staff, students and administration. In addition to a central office, OIP manages the English as a Second Language Institute (ESLI), the International Visitors Center of Jackson (IVCJ) and the Mississippi Consortium for International Development (MCID). Prior to OIP’s establishment, international activities at JSU were concentrated in the latter two entities.

      The ESLI was established in 1997 to deliver quality intensive English language instruction for international students. The program accommodates students from beginning to advance language proficiency and fosters cross-cultural awareness within the university and the community.

      As a member of the National Council of International Visitors, the IVCJ is a part of a network of organizations with the expertise to host international visitors traveling under the auspices of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The IVCJ arranges for international visitors to meet with JSU administrators, faculty and students in order to provide a total perspective of the university. Additionally, IVCJ has been instrumental in developing potential economic linkages between international entities and the state of Mississippi.

      Activities at the Mississippi Consortium for International Development, (MCID) are designed to enhance the internationalization of consortium members Alcorn State University, Jackson State University (lead institution), Mississippi Valley State University, and Tougaloo College. With headquarters in Jackson, MCID also has field offices in Washington, DC; Luanda, Angola; and Abuja, Nigeria; and field representatives in South Africa, Russia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan. For more than a decade the Consortium has developed and implemented international projects and exchange programs in the broad areas of institutional capacity building and resource management, business development, and democracy and governance.

      OIP sponsors an annual International Festival that provides a week of symposia, essay competitions, displays of traditional dress, art, song and dance, and a scholarship banquet whose proceeds benefit international students matriculating at Jackson State University. Participants include the JSU Family, elementary and secondary school students throughout the area, and business and professional representatives. The event calls attention to the efforts of OIP in promoting cross-cultural awareness and understanding.

       Dr. Ally Mack has served as Director of the Office of International Programs since its inception in 1993. Formerly professor and chair of the Jackson State University Department of Political Science, she also serves as Executive Director of the Mississippi Consortium for International Development (MCID). In these capacities, Dr. Mack has developed more than 150 linkages and partnerships that span virtually every continent. These linkages and partnerships have facilitated student exchanges in at least 18 countries and have resulted in the enrollment of at least 75 international students per year at Jackson State University and other MCID institutions. Dr. Mack has traveled extensively in Africa, Eastern Europe, Asia, and Latin America and has organized planned programs of exchange, which have had lasting impacts on the curricula of the arts and humanities, science and technology, the social sciences, and the general learning community at Jackson State University.