The Center for East Asian Studies has been awarded $60,000 from Taiwan’s Ministry of Education to establish a two-year Taiwan Studies Program at KU. Administered through the Ministry’s Education Division at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston, the funding will support faculty and graduate student research grants, new Taiwan-focused course development, an annual Taiwan Symposium, a virtual lecture series, and expanded cultural programming for the Center’s Mid-Autumn Festival and Lunar New Year celebration.  

The program is designed to position KU as a regional hub for Taiwan Studies and to provide essential seed funding. CEAS will also coordinate a planning visit to Taiwan to strengthen partnerships with universities such as National Sun Yat‑sen University and explore new opportunities for scholarly exchange.

KU International Affairs has opened nominations for two competitive awards that recognize faculty who engage in internationalization across campus.  

The International Affairs Advisory Board International Research Award recognizes KU faculty who have provided outstanding leadership in international education through research and discovery efforts at KU.  

The George and Eleanor Woodyard International Educator Award recognizes full-time, tenured KU faculty members on the Lawrence campus who have provided outstanding leadership in international education at KU. 

Visit International Affairs Faculty Awards for Internationalization for more information, criteria and nomination deadlines. Nominations and supporting materials should be submitted via email to whitneydenning@ku.edu  no later than Oct. 12.  

In August, KU’s Center for East Asian Studies completed a leadership transition, with Akiko Takeyama concluding her five‑year term as director in June and Hyunjin Seo, University Distinguished Professor in the William Allen White School of Journalism & Mass Communications, stepping into the role. Takeyama was widely praised for her innovative leadership, successful grant writing, creative programming and steady guidance through the loss of Title VI funding, leaving CEAS in a strong position for the future. “I am enormously grateful to Akiko for her service, as I’m certain you all are as well, and I wish her the very best for the future and the various new and ongoing projects she is now engaging in,” said Megan Greene, associate vice provost for international and global engagement.

Seo, the first director of CEAS who is from one of KU’s professional schools, brings extensive experience in global communication, international partnerships and research on networked communication and social change, along with a professional background in journalism in South Korea and the United States. CEAS looks forward to continuing its work in support of East Asian Studies at KU under her leadership. “We are very fortunate that she is willing to take on the important role of guiding CEAS into the future,” Greene said.

Luciano Tosta, associate professor of Spanish and Portuguese and director of the Center for Global & International Studies, has been selected as the 29th recipient of the George and Eleanor Woodyard International Educator Award.

He will be recognized at a public celebration at 3:30 p.m., Oct. 8, in the Alderson Room of the Kansas Union, where he will give a presentation on his work advancing international education at KU — including his leadership in global partnerships, curriculum internationalization, and transformative study abroad programs.

This event will also double as the fall reception for the KUIA Advisory Board.  

Attendance in person is encouraged, but an online viewing option is available. Please register online for Zoom access. 

Mehrangiz Najafizadeh, Associate Professor of Sociology, has received a prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to teach and conduct research in the Republic of Azerbaijan during the spring 2027 semester.  

During her time in Azerbaijan, Najafizadeh will be affiliated with a leading research university and will teach courses and interdisciplinary seminars as well as continue her on-going social historical and contemporary research on salient sociological issues.

As a recipient of a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award for spring 2027, she joins a small distinguished group of scholars who have been recipients of Fulbright U.S. Scholar Awards on three separate occasions, having previously received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award in 2004 and again in 2022, and she also was selected to serve as a Fulbright Specialist in Azerbaijan during summer 2005 and 2008. 

Commendable work from around the Division

Shoutouts for those in our area centers who prepared submissions for the federal Centers Aligned with Areas of National Need (CAANN) program. With a short turnaround and a complex set of requirements, the area center directors and their teams delivered thoughtful proposals that reflect KU’s commitment to international and foreign language education. Thanks to everyone involved for their dedication, collaboration, and commitment to advancing international and area studies at KU.

A big shoutout to SAGE who supported a record 1,449 student participants in study abroad programs in 2025-26.  This is a 17% increase from the prior year and is the result of tremendous effort and dedication from each and every SAGE employee.

Congrats to Megan Luttrell on her appointment as assistant director of the Center for Russian, Eurasian and East European Studies. Luttrell, who previously served as CREES outreach coordinator, brings creativity, energy and dedication to everything she does. Her ability to build new partnerships, engage the public, and connect our work to the wider community has already had a tremendous impact. We are thrilled to welcome her into this expanded role.

Thank you to Joe Potts and Glenn Adams for keeping the inertia going from this summer's World Cup as they follow up on connections with Algeria, whose soccer team made Lawrence their home base. Glenn is planning for a trip to Algiers at some point in the next year to explore potential partnerships. He and Joe are also still involved in the Sister Cities Lawrence discussions about a possible connection with Biskra, Algeria.  

Throughout the summer term, Jennifer Grode completed a huge project to support our recent AEC program repackaging. Jen’s work consisted mainly of creating documents to support instruction of the new course structure, including a new Curriculum Skill Map, an updated Curriculum Guide, and new Course Policy Statements. This project has also positioned us well for success on the curriculum standards of our upcoming CEA re-reaccreditation. Thank you, Jen!

Congrats to Akiko Takeyama, the former director of the Center for East Asian Studies, for earning One KU PIVOT Award this summer. Her project, which builds on the Spencer Museum of Art’s exhibition on the Yoshida women printmakers, was selected through a competitive review process and will develop an AI‑ready cultural database while creating new opportunities for student research and international collaboration.  

Kudos to the KUIA Wellness Ambassadors: Joanna Thomas (ISS), Camille Debreczeny (KUIA Admin), Ashleigh Waggoner (SAGE), Kari Balthazor (AEC). Their wellness efforts organized the field trip for International Affairs to Natural History Museum in July. Talk with them if you have requests or ideas for new division-wide outings.

A selection of recent sights from the Division

>> ISS Atlas Series Honduras

>> ISS International Jayhawks Orientation

>> SAGE Global Brunch

>> CREES Fall Party

>> Union Fest

>> CEAS Traditional Japanese tea ceremony

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