UW-Madison Division of International Studies

1979 Delegations to China have Enduring Impact

Among the hundreds of new graduate students who arrived on campus for the start of the fall 2011 semester, Zhao Jingzhou of Shanghai could claim a unique connection to a special moment Read more.

Chinese Champions Visit Cranberry and Ginseng Growers

A group of world-class Chinese athletes accustomed to competing on the international stage got a close look at two international stars of Wisconsin agriculture—cranberries and ginseng. The student-athletes in the Chinese Champions Read more.

[UW News] Sociologist Celebrates 50 Years of Teaching at UW-Madison

UW-News — September 27, 2011 By Stacy Forster On a research trip to India several years ago, UW–Madison sociology professor Gay Seidman was eavesdropping on other visiting faculty sharing their struggles to Read more.

International Studies Annual Advisory Board Meets in 2011

Several students reported on their recent international internships and other global experiences at the International Studies Advisory Board meeting at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, on September 23, 2011. View photo gallery for Read more.

Plexus Corporation Internship Opportunity: International Engineer for Summer 2012

The UW-Madison International Internships Program is pleased to post an opportunity through the Plexus Corporation, open to UW-Madison students. The Plexus Corporation is searching for one International Engineering Intern for Summer 2012 Read more.

UW-Madison reaches 3,000 in total Peace Corps volunteers produced

January 25, 2012 Division of International Studies No comments

The University of Wisconsin-Madison this year ranks third among large universities nationwide in the number of alumni currently serving as Peace Corps volunteers, up from eighth last year. The 9,095 Peace Corps volunteers now working with local communities in 75 countries include 107 UW–Madison alumni—16 more than last year and just five below the top spot.

UW–Madison also marks a milestone this year, with a total of 3,000 alumni who have served in the Peace Corps since President John F. Kennedy created the agency in 1961. Only the University of California, Berkeley has produced more volunteers (3,497).

UW–Madison has ranked high on the Peace Corps’ Top Colleges and Universities list for 12 years in a row, ever since the annual ranking system began, including six years (2001-06) in the No. 1 spot. This year, the top spots belong to the University of Colorado at Boulder (112) and the University of Washington (110).

Over the agency’s history, 5,630 Wisconsin residents have served as volunteers, with 229 currently in the field.

“Every day, volunteers make countless contributions to projects in agriculture, education, the environment, health and HIV/AIDS education and prevention, small business development, and youth development. I would like to extend my gratitude to all colleges and universities for their continued support of the Peace Corps and public service,” says Peace Corps Director Aaron S. Williams, who received his MBA from UW-Madison.

Last March, UW-Madison marked the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps with a celebration hosted by the African Studies Program and attended by Williams, who served with the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic (1967-70).

While here, he talked about what makes his alma mater a top Peace Corps institution:

“Because it is a global institution, the University of Wisconsin-Madison has a diverse student body, an outstanding faculty, and recruits some of the top students in the nation to come here. This university is interested in providing international opportunities for its students. All of that continues to make the University of Wisconsin-Madison an important partner for the Peace Corps.” (Read full interview)

Gilles Bousquet, vice provost and dean of the Division of International Studies, recalls the poignant ceremony where Williams personally handed out placements to new Peace Corps recruits, before an audience that included many Returned Peace Corps Volunteers.

“The passion for the Peace Corps and its mission was apparent, and the event was incredibly moving,” Bousquet says. “The desire of those involved to improve the lives of people around the world through public service embodies the core values that we call the Wisconsin Idea.”

He adds that the local Returned Peace Corps Volunteers group has played an important role in promoting Peace Corps service here.

Currently, the Peace Corps is seeking applicants with skills in agriculture, environment, education, teaching English as a second language, and French language.

Benefits offered with Peace Corps service include graduate school programs, paid living expenses, full health and dental coverage, readjustment allowance, federal employment advantage, and field experience and cross-cultural skills. Applicants are encouraged to apply one year in advance of their targeted departure date.

At UW–Madison, the Peace Corps works with the Division of International Studies to host an on-campus recruiter, Kimberly Johnson, a graduate student who served with the Peace Corps in Papua New Guinea.

Four Peace Corps information sessions are scheduled this semester—on January 25, February 15, March 7 and April 18—in the 1st Floor Media Room at the Red Gym, 716 Langdon St.), at 6 p.m.

Individuals who want to learn more also can meet with Johnson during office hours (Mondays, 9-11 a.m. and Wednesdays 10 a.m.-noon) in the Red Gym, Room 149, near the Morgridge Center for Public Service. Johnson also may be contacted by phone (608-262-1121) or by email (peacecorps@international.wisc.edu).
More information is available on the UW–Madison Peace Corps website and Facebook page.

– by Kerry G. Hill

Workshop to help teachers make a stronger case for French language

December 15, 2011 Division of International Studies No comments

They teach what Bloomberg Rankings has identified as the third-most-important business language in the world, after English and Mandarin. Yet, as budgets for public education continue to tighten, teachers of French are struggling to keep their programs off the chopping block in Wisconsin and across the United States.

An upcoming workshop at the University of Wisconsin–Madison aims to bring teachers of French in Wisconsin together to talk about these challenges and prepare them to be more effective advocates for French instruction.

While pointing out that Spanish remains the most popular world language taught in U.S. schools, the Bloomberg Rankings rates French a couple of notches higher in importance for business, according to a report published August 30, 2011. The measures used to calculate the business importance of a language included number of speakers, number of countries using it officially, “financial power” and education and literacy rates.

“French continues to be an important language in international business and communication, diplomacy, scientific discovery and achievement,” says Gilles Bousquet, dean of the UW–Madison Division of International Studies, vice provost for globalization, and Pickard-Bascom Professor of French.

UW plans in Shanghai receive strong support

December 10, 2011 Division of International Studies No comments

Recently announced plans for the University of Wisconsin–Madison to open an office in Shanghai have been well-received in China, including endorsements from Badger alumni in the region and Wisconsin companies doing business there, according to Gilles Bousquet, dean of the Division of International Studies and vice provost for globalization.

“With such strong support, we are moving forward in a serious, decisive manner with our plans for the UW Shanghai Center,” says Bousquet, who traveled to China in mid-November to promote and advance plans for this ground-breaking presence.

UW–Madison’s partners in this initiative, the Minhang District of Shanghai and Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), reiterated their eagerness to move forward as swiftly as possible. A target of June 2012 has been set for the launch of the UW Shanghai Center, to be held in conjunction with a UW-led conference on innovation.

“Innovation is the current buzz word in China; we saw it everywhere,” Bousquet explains. “China is deeply interested in encouraging and investing in innovative ideas. At UW, we face a choice—to sit on the sidelines and risk becoming irrelevant, or to engage in those areas where we have strengths for the benefit of all involved.”

At the same time, he strikes a note of caution: “We are exercising due diligence at every step. We must navigate a complex process, in which we cannot take any steps for granted. If we pay close attention to details, I am optimistic that we will succeed.”

Service learning in Ecuador creates lasting connections and microenterprise venture

December 09, 2011 Division of International Studies No comments

UW News

As a service learning project within Wisconsin Without Borders, students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have made lasting connections with a village in Ecuador through a microenterprise project.

This year marked the pilot year of WWB and the UW-Madison Global Health Institute. Through engagement in collaborations in reciprocal community partnership, this initiative serves to foster sustained human flourishing throughout the world.

Lori DiPrete Brown, associate director for education and engagement of the UW-Madison Global Health Institute, has been leading service learning activities in rural Ecuador for five years to work on basic health projects, such as child development and family health.

(Wisconsin Without Borders is a joint initiative of the Morgridge Center for Public Service, the Division of International Studies and the Global Health Institute.)

Read the full article

UW-Madison delegation finds optimism and opportunities in Asia

November 28, 2011 Division of International Studies No comments

“Cautious optimism” is the economic outlook from Asia, according to a survey conducted at MIPIM Asia last week by the Wisconsin School of Business in cooperation with HKUST Business School.

“The strong sense of optimism that we’ve seen in the last two years in Asia has been justified,” says François Ortalo-Magné, Albert O. Nicholas Dean of Wisconsin School of Business. Ortalo-Magné presented the survey findings at the annual real estate and investment conference in Hong Kong, which is attended by 1,800 senior real estate executives, retailers, government officials and city administrators from 41 countries. This is the third annual investor survey he has led at this conference.

An obvious reflection of this optimism is the fact that more than half of the participants surveyed at the conference reported improved or at least the same level of business activity in the current quarter compared to the same quarter last year.

“China is the unavoidable market because of the scale and the performance of the economy,” says Ortalo-Magné.

Ortalo-Magné’s visit is part of the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s broader efforts at deepening relationships with government, business and education leaders in China. He accompanied Gilles Bousquet, dean of the Division of International Studies and vice provost for globalization, and Laurie Dennis, associate director of the Wisconsin China Initiative (WCI), to meetings in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

INT'L@UW