After the fall of the Berlin Wall, political science scholar Lance LeLoup realized he no longer could look at American politics without an international perspective. Now finishing up his first year as associate vice provost for International Programs, he wants that world-encompassing view to be shared by all WSU faculty and students.
“I want to see WSU do a better job giving students the global competencies they’ll need in the coming decades,” he said. “For that, we need faculty with international perspectives and we need programs enabling that effort.”
LeLoup’s experience includes a Fulbright fellowship to Hungary in 1995 and the creation of four partnerships with international universities. Saying he remains “extremely optimistic,” LeLoup listed progress made in the priorities:
“We have more students coming in to learn about studying abroad and global internships, and they are more aware of how an international experience can be an asset for them in the workplace.
“We have record numbers of faculty integrating international themes into their courses. We have high interest in our research and development programs.
“All those accomplishments bode well for WSU to be a leader in internationalization in the U.S.”
International Programs priorities:
• Double the size of the Study Abroad student international experience in five years.
• Internationalize the curriculum. In May, Andrew Appleton was hired to bring more global content into courses.
• Increase students and faculty in international research and development; WSU is actively helping people in about 17 countries.
• Increase faculty and students who study, research or teach internationally through Fulbright or other prestigious programs.
• Encourage more international students and scholars to come to WSU.
