International Newsletter - Clarion University

��The Office of International Programs encourages submissions of articles in any international endeavor by faculty and students.
Name Country
13. Kathryn Dorsey Belize
14. Keith Thompson Belize
15. Kelly Surgalski Belize
16. Sean McFarland Scotland
17. Nicholas Tutolo Belize
18. Whitney Pardun England
19. Rebekah Turner Belize
20. Lee Stein France
21. Jennifer Sunderland England
22. Thomas Herrick Belize
23. Mariel Van Hees France
24. Jennifer Wimperis Chile
Oct 2008 | Volume 2. No. 3
International
April 2007 | Volume 1. No. 2
Newsletter
INSIDE THIS ISSUE…
1. CLARION STUDENT GOES TO ITALY 2
2. KNOWING NAFSA 3
3. CLARION STUDENT PRESENTED TWO PAPERS IN 2008 MIDWEST DECISION SCIENCES INSTITUTE CONFERENCE
IN ERIC 4
4. CHINESE PHILOSOPHY 4
5. RISE IN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ENROLLMENT 5
6. CLARION INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION (CINTA) MEETING 5
7. EDUCATION AT A GLANCE 2008: OECD INDICATORS 6
8. CLARION PROFESSOR STUDY ART IN WEST AFRICA 6
9. EXPLORING ROME -BY DR FRANK VENTO 7
10. SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA: A UNIQUE SCHOLARLY EXPERIENCE 7
11. ANNOUNCING 2008-2009 CLARION UNIVERSITY INTERNATIONAL SCHOLAR 9

CLARION STUDENT GOES TO ITALY
After first hearing about the
opportunity available to college students to
study abroad I was immediately interested.
The chance to go to almost any country for a
semester, year, or even a few months in the
summer is something I would urge any
student to take advantage of. Without even
looking at all of my different location options I
already knew I wanted to go to school in Italy.
I am Italian in origin with family still residing in
some parts. When I made the decision to
study abroad there were lots of obstacles I
had to overcome to make it happen, I had
many doubts and thought the process was
going to be way too stressful. The paperwork
to apply was rather simple and after getting
accepted to a program the rest of it falls into
place. There are deadlines given to you
months in advance for things such as housing
applications, class selections, and payments.
I chose to go to Italy through the program
CEA, Cultural Experiences Abroad. With this
program I was not paying Clarion University
tuition, like with the ISEP program, so I
thought affording this trip was out of the
question. I ended up taking out a loan for the
trip just like I would have for the semester at
Clarion. Although the loan amount was much
higher, I knew that I wanted to study abroad
and taking out this loan would be 100% worth
it. My university was in Rome, Italy but I
spent my money traveling the country. I went
as far North as Venice and as far South as
Palermo, Sicily. I had the opportunity to ride
on a real gondola and eat the freshest
seafood I have ever had. I saw the Pope and
heard him speak in ten different languages
and I toured ancient castles and beautiful
villas. I can say that I have traveled all of Italy
and been inside places such as the
Colosseum, Pantheon, The Duomo, The
Vatican and thrown coins in the Trevi
Fountain. I went to a European soccer match
and sat with crazy Italians in the stands,
listening to their chants and watching flags
and flares fly around in the seats. I
experienced first hand the way in which
another culture sleeps, eats, dresses, talks
and lives life on a daily basis. Studying
abroad truly is a once in a lifetime experience,
I will never regret the money and time I spent
abroad and only wish I could do it all over
again. I came home from Italy a changed
person, more mature, independent,
knowledgeable and even appreciative of the
country that I live in. I would encourage every
student to go abroad and experience all of the
amazing things that I did in the spring of
2008.
By Julianna Stanziano

KNOWING NAFSA
http://www.nafsa.org/public_policy.sec/study_ab
road_2/student_diplomat_essay
Student Diplomat Essay Competition
NAFSA: Association of International Educators
and Abroad View, the global education
magazine for students, are hosting an essay
contest for your chance to become the next
Student Diplomat. You are invited to submit a
compelling story that articulates how your
undergraduate international experience(s) has
helped meet the United States’ need to
understand global situations and compete in the
global arena. Please address one of the
questions below in your essay.
Essay Questions
Entrants are required to address one of the
following questions:
1. Shaping Your Identity
How has your study abroad experience
informed the way you view yourself as an
American and as a global citizen?
2. Foreign Policy
Based on your experience overseas, how do
you think study abroad promotes mutual
understanding with other countries and
cultures to advance U.S. foreign policy?
3. Countering Anti-Americanism Abroad
How did your experiences and interactions
studying abroad further cross-cultural
understanding between your host country and
the United States, or perhaps correct a
misperception within your host country about
the United States and/ or Americans?
Deadline The deadline for entries is November
14, 2008.
Terms
All submissions will be considered for
publication by Abroad View and NAFSA:
Association of International Educators. The
essays will become the property of NAFSA:
Association of International Educators and
Abroad View magazine for the purpose of
exclusive copyright in the education industry.
The winner will be awarded a cash prize of
$150 and an STA Travel voucher worth $300.
Eligibility
The Student Diplomat Essay Competition is
open to all U.S. citizens and legal permanent
residents who have had an undergraduate
study abroad experience, whether they are
currently enrolled through an accredited
college or university or have studied abroad
since spring of 2004.
Guidelines
Essays should be a minimum of 1,000 words
and no more than 1,500 words.
All essays must include the following to be
considered:
1. Full name;
2. Complete contact information
including e-mail address;
3. home school; and
4. date and location of study abroad
experience
Please e-mail your essay to
studentdiplomat[at]nafsa.org.
For questions and further information,
please E-mail
studentdiplomat[at]nafsa.org.

CLARION STUDENT PRESENTED TWO
PAPERS IN 2008 MIDWEST DECISION
SCIENCES INSTITUTE CONFERENCE IN
ERIC
Miss Yifan Zhao, an international
student from China, presented two papers at
2008 Midwest Decision Sciences Institute
Conference in Eric, April 17-19, 2008. The
first paper (coauthored with Dr. Rod
Raehsler) “A Continuing Divide in the Midst of
Prosperity: An Analysis of Structural Break in
the Gini Gap”, discusses a rising
phenomenon of income inequality. The
second paper “A Production Order Quantity
with Economies of Scale” coauthored with Dr.
Chin Yang, introduces economies of scale
into the famed production order quantity
model. Her paper on dynamic Phillips Curve
is also accepted for presentation by
Northeastern Association of Business,
Economics and Technology in State College,
at Penn State University. Another paper titled
“An Entropy Maximization Transportation
Model of the US Coal Market” Coauthored
with Prof. Chin Yang is accepted for
presentation at National Decision Science
Institute conference in Baltimore (November
22-25, 2008).
Chinese Philosophy
Philosophy has had a tremendous effect on
Chinese civilization. Like Western philosophy,
Chinese philosophy covers a broad and complex
range of thought. Some philosophy has
influenced Chinese culture, and the following
websites might be interested for an overview.
Chuang Tzu
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Philosophy/Taichi/c
huang.html
Confucius (multiple languages available on this
site)
http://www.confucius.org/main01.htm
Daoism
http://www.iep.utm.edu/d/daoism.htm
Maoism
http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/contents/02c
ul/c04s07.html
Legalism
http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/chinese_legalism.ht
ml

RISE IN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT
ENROLLMENT
New international students enjoy activity at the bowling alley.
This year approximately 40 new
international students enrolled at Clarion
University. They are here through many
different programs including NESA, ISEP,
transfer students, exchange programs and
degree-seeking full time international
students. New students come from the
following countries: China, India, Jordan,
Libya, Oman, Uruguay, Sweden, Australia,
Pakistan, France, Morocco, Tunisia, Sri
Lanka, Germany, Korea, Nepal, France and
Algeria.
- Amrita Shinde
International Students play intramural soccer
CLARION INTERNATIONAL
ASSOCIATION (CINTA) MEETING
On September 19, 2008 the Clarion
International Association, CINTA, organized a
meeting to welcome the new international
students and to provide an opportunity for
new and returning international students to
meet and interact with each other.
Events such as International Cultural Night
Fall 2008, the Autumn Leaf Festival fashion
parade and the shopping trip to Grove City
were discussed. The international students
played games and enjoyed international food
together.
Also present during the occasion were Dr.
Jocelind Gant, Assistant Vice President for
International Programs, Linda Heineman,
International Student Advisor, and Faculty
members Dr. Gustavo Barboza, Dr. Miguel
Olivas, Dr. Joanne Washington and Dr.
Sandra Trejos.

Education at a Glance 2008: OECD
Indicators
Published Online: September 16, 2008
Published in Print: September 17, 2008
Report Roundup
International Data
The United States is among the highestspending
countries on education,
joining Denmark, Iceland, and Korea in
allocating at least 7 percent of
their gross domestic products to schools, says
the annual report on the
status of education around the world from the
Organization for Economic
and Cooperation and Development.
The 525-page report features data on
educational access and attainment, the
relationship of educational levels to earnings,
characteristics of education
systems, and school climate in more than three
dozen countries, many of
which participate in international comparisons
conducted by the Paris-based
OECD. This report can be found at
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/23/46/41284038.p
df
The report finds increases in salaries of starting
teachers in Australia,
Denmark, England, and Scotland between 1996
and 2006, as well as for mid-career educators in
Japan, the Netherlands, and Portugal. The most
experienced teachers in Finland and Greece got
a salary boost in that time.
The report focuses extensively on the growing
numbers of students
entering higher education around the globe.
By
http://www.edweek.org/ew/contributors/kathleen.
manzo.html KathleenKennedy Manzo
Vol. 28, Issue 04, Pages 4-5
Clarion Professors Study Art in West
Africa
Clarion University art professors
Kaersten Colvin-Woodruff and Catherine Joslyn
traveled to and conducted research in Ghana
over the summer. They gave presentations on
their art at the Foundation of Contemporary Art
in the capital city Accra, and journeyed to two
other regions of the country having distinct art
traditions. Colvin-Woodruff planned the project,
which was funded by the Pennsylvania System
of Higher Education and the College of Arts and
Sciences.
Colvin-Woodruff and Joslyn have long
held interests in the study of traditional West
African crafts, and have introduced their
students to several African craft techniques,
customs, and traditions as components of their
courses. Joslyn, who teaches Fiber Arts and

Textile Design, studied Kente weaving and
Adinkra cloth printing. Colvin-Woodruff, who
teaches Sculpture and Three-Dimensional
Design, worked with resident Asante craftsmen,
learning and documenting Asante brass casting.
Both professors gained a deeper understanding
of these techniques and their originating culture,
enhancing their abilities to teach these
processes to their students.
Exploring Rome!!!
- By Dr Frank Vento
Dr. Frank Vento is a geology professor
at Clairon and has a dual citizenship (Italian). He
has continued his work in Italy again this year
looking at the geologic evolution of the Sieve
River Valley near Firenze, in concert with
geophysical and geoarchaeological studies at
the Roman Site of Minturnae on the coast
between Rome and Naples. This spring and
summer he will be working with geologists from
the University of Firenze on the geomorphology
of the Sieve River valley and, specifically, on
how the river has responded to changes in
climate, tectonism and human impacts by
examining soils on the river terraces.
Picture: Roman site of Minturnae a major port city of the Roman Empire.
It shows the aqueduct with the modern town of Minturno is the
background which was founded in the 9th century A.D.
At present he has two ongoing projects
in Italy. The first is a geological and geophysical
study of the Roman Port of Minturnae which is
situated approximately 70 km south of Rome on
the coast. The study has currently entailed the
use of geophysical instrumentation to examine
buried structures associated with the port,
specifically the roman castrum (or legionaires
fort).
Picture: Showing the Roman site of Minturnae. The Appian Way or Roman road is the
road which is clearly visible on photo.
The second project (in conjunction now
with faculty from the University of Florence) is a
study of the geologic evolution of the Sieve
River valley, its terraces, associated soil
packages and archaeological sites in
relationship to changes in climate, tectonism and
environment.
Picture: Roman site of Minturnae a major port city of the Roman Empire. It
shows the theatre and forum area.
San José, Costa Rica:
A Unique, Scholarly Experience
My name is Kristin Larson and I’m a
graduate student in the department of Speech-
Language Pathology. I hope to pursue a branch
of Speech-Language Pathology that is not
currently emphasized at Clarion University:

accent modification and diagnosis and
treatment of Spanish-English bilingual
individuals. I decided to conduct a thesis project
to increase my knowledge in this area. It is
because of this thesis project that I recently
found myself spending two months in San Jose,
Costa Rica.
I will share with you those experiences in
Costa Rica that pertain to my research and
those that do not. While in Costa Rica I
interviewed about 17 people for my project. I
had no idea how simple it would be to find
bilingual Spanish-English speakers in a
Spanish-speaking country, but nearly everyone
spoke English. Most of the people I met wanted
to practice English with me and I wanted to
practice Spanish with them, resulting in very
interesting “Spanglish” conversations!
While in Costa Rica, I participated in a variety of
work related activities. One such activity was
volunteering at a Spanish-English bilingual
preschool. It was very enlightening to see
children as young as 9 months of age being
taught the fundamentals of another language.
They learned colors, shapes, numbers, and
letters of the alphabet, days of the week, and
months of the year, weather, cloths, popular
songs, and other things in English. Sadly, this
was surprising to me, as it is a rarity in the
United States. In addition to volunteering in the
preschool, I also got a part time, paid job
working at a call center. I worked in the
customer service department of a telemarketing
agency and I called/answered calls from the
United States. In addition to volunteering in the
preschool, I also got a part time, paid job
working at a call center. I worked in the
customer service department of a telemarketing
agency and I called/answered calls from the
United States. This job was another place
where nearly everyone spoke English, some
with near native proficiency.
Although I was working, I made time to
travel the country some while I was there.
Costa Rica has beautiful beaches and
volcanoes. I visited two volcanoes: Poas and
Irazu; two beaches: Manuel Antonio and
Puntarenas; the basilica; and a town called San
Mateo. In addition to traveling around Costa
Rica, I took a trip across the border into Panama
to spend a weekend. Seventeen hours on a bus
got me to Panama and 55 minutes in a plane
brought me back! In Panama, the main
attractions I was able to see were the Panama
Canal and Puente de los Americas.
Though I was able to see a lot of Costa
Rica, there is still a lot more to see. I was in
Costa Rica in June and July, during their rainy
season. Nearly every day the weather was
beautiful until about 1:00. It would then
inevitably begin to rain, and rain the rest of the
day. The experience for me was phenomenal
because I was able to practice Spanish, live with
Costa Rican families, and engage in a real life
experience. If, however, you are going to Costa
Rica for vacation purposes, I recommend going
during their summer months when the weather
is much more conducive to travel.
My experience in Costa Rica could not
have been better. I went completely alone and
stayed for two months. I did not know what to
expect when I went there and could never have
predicted some of the experiences that came my
way. The adventure and uncertainty of the trip
made it all the more memorable to me. I
enjoyed spending my time less like I was on
vacation, and more like Costa Rican native. It is
experiences like this one that I have enjoyed the
most and that have taught me the most in my
college career. I recommend study abroad and
international experiences like this one to any
college student.
–By Kristin Larson

* Faculty members are invited to send description of their programs abroad to be announced in this section. *
ANNOUNCING
2008-2009 CLARION UNIVERSITY
INTERNATIONAL SCHOLAR AWARDS
International Scholar Awards of up to
$1,000 are available to full-time
sophomore, junior and senior Clarion
University students
(Clarion &Venango campuses)
with a minimum of 2.8 QPA
International Scholars Program
The International Scholars Program offers
competitive awards to full-time Clarion University
undergraduates who plan to study abroad. This
scholarship is intended for students, whose
study abroad experience consists of taking
courses, conducting a course-related field
experience or research project. The monetary
award is intended to support travel, room and
board, supplies or tuition for a program that
qualifies for academic credit.
Advisory Council. All award recipients must give
a presentation on their study abroad experience
at the Undergraduate Research Conference
held each Spring at Clarion University. If award
recipients will be participating in their
international experience during the spring
semester, they must give their presentation at
an alternative venue that must be approved by
their faculty sponsor.
Advisory Council. All award recipients must give
a presentation on their study abroad experience
at the Undergraduate Research Conference
held each Spring at Clarion University. If award
recipients will be participating in their
international experience during the spring
semester, they must give their presentation at
For more information:
an alternative venue that must be approved by
their faculty sponsor.
Applications can be obtained in the Office of
International Programs, 119 Becht Hall, in
Dean Offices, or at the following website:
www.clarion.edu/admin/academicaffairs (See
Undergraduate Scholars Programs for
instructions on how to apply).
Submit application materials to
Dr. Sandra Trejos, Office of International
Programs, 119 Becht, The deadline has
been extended to Friday, October 24 th .
��Editor: Dr. Sandra Trejos | ��Comunication committee members: Dr. Henry Alviani and Dr. William Buchanan | ���Design & layout: Amrita Shinde | ��The
Advisory Council for International Office Education of and International Programs at Clarion Programs University |Clarion of Pennsylvania University provides valuable of Pennsylvania
feedback to this International Newsletter.