Due to COVID 19, students all over the world have not been able to travel abroad and may not be able to for some time. In an effort to bring the world to our students and to facilitate the internationalization effort at ATU, the Study Abroad Office has helped ATU faculty members, faculty members at partner universities, and specialists abroad come together for a variety of virtual collaborations. These include guest lectures, collaborative webinars, interactive workshops, and cooperative curricular/co-curricular activities among students.
We are grateful to the faculty members from every college at ATU who have committed to be part of this exciting international experience for our students. Below are the collaborations for the Fall 2020 semester:
Cultural Language Exchange - Spanish
Mrs. Patricia Joselin Dr. Gloria Vicens
Mrs. Patricia Joselin, ATU English and World Languages Department, and Dr. Gloria
Matanzo, Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in Puerto Rico, organized a cultural language
exchange. During the dynamic exchange, students from both universities shared similarities
and differences of Hispanic countries in terms of both culture and traditions. Students
engaged in lively conversations over Zoom in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. More
Cultural Exchanges are planned for the spring semester.
International Guest Lecture - Emergency Management
Mr. Christopher Sheach Ms. Alex Valoroso
Mr. Christopher Sheach, ATU Department of Emergency Management, invited Ms. Alex Valorosa, a Gender and Disaster Management Specialist from British Columbia, Canada, to present a guest lecture for his Emergency Management class. The lecture, titled “Intersectional Approach to Disaster and Emergency Management,” took place on October 23. The guest lecture used the Webex platform. Mr. Sheach is planning to offer another international guest lecture in the spring semester.
International Virtual Ensemble - Music
Dr. Sean Reed Mr. Berthold Moeller
This exciting collaboration between Dr. Sean Reed, ATU Music Department, and Berthold Möller, Justus-Liebig Universität in Giessen, Germany, grew out of one of ATU’s faculty–led study abroad trips to Germany, during which a group of ATU music students worked with students at the Justus-Liebig University’s music institute. After COVID shut down university study abroad trips this year, a virtual interactive “co-teaching” workshop was initiated. The virtual interactive workshops began on October 27 and will continue until the end of the fall semester. Students from both universities create and play music together, virtually. Web-Ex Teams is used in this collaboration.
International Guest lecture Exchange - Business
Dr. Matt Brown Dr. Benjamin Löhr
Dr. Matt Brown, ATU College of Business will engage in a guest lecture exchange with Dr. Benjamin Löhr, Business School of the Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen (THM) in Giessen, Germany.
1) A comparison of corporate cultures: What is it like to work in the field of data analysis for Arkansas’ two largest companies? —Dr. Matt Brown, ATU Business
2) Process standardization within LSG Groups—How the biggest airline catering company is
mastering global complexity. —Guest speaker, Mr. Aslam Khadaroo, arranged by Dr. Benjamin Löhr.
ATU students can study abroad at THM and complete internships at a company in Germany in the fields of Business, Computer Science, and Engineering.
