Thanks to your contributions and advocacy, KU International Affairs saw its best-ever performance during One Day One KU. In just 24 hours, 119 donors made an incredible 159 gifts to our causes and raised an astounding $86,900. Even more remarkable, our efforts ranked us among the top units in KU Endowment challenges, bringing in an additional $8,500 in incentive rewards. International Affairs raised the 8th highest total in funding across all of KU and we were 5th at the university in overall growth in the number of gifts received over last year.

The funds raised with your support will transform the lives of our students. We achieved all four vital initiative goals for growing international education at KU:

Now more than ever our mission of bringing the world to KU and KU to the world is critical to our students’ success. Thank you for helping us make that possible.

Join us next week to celebrate Terry Koenig, professor of social work, as the 2024 recipient of the KUIA Advisory Board International Research Award. This award recognizes KU faculty members who have provided outstanding leadership in international education through their research and discovery efforts.

Terry L. Koenig, Ph.D., LSCSW, professor, School of Social Welfare, University of Kansas, has taught human behavior theory, practice, ethics, and qualitative methods for nearly 25 years. She is a two-time Fulbright recipient to Kazakhstan (2011) and Italy (2024).

Dr. Koenig's scholarship examines ethical decision-making and cross-cultural aspects of social work practice. Her most recent efforts explore African refugees’ resilient and often violent journeys from home to northern Italy. In addition, she developed and supports a cross-cultural social work course between the School of Social Welfare and social work faculty at the Universitá del Sacro Cuore in Milan, Italy.

Please join us for the Research Award ceremony and for Dr. Koenig’s presentation on "The Long Road Out of Africa: Inclusion and Identity in Como, Italy"  from 1:30 to 3 p.m. March 11 in the Kansas Union’s Big 12 Room.

We encourage in-person attendance at this award presentation, but welcome participation via Zoom webinar.

>> Register for the Zoom link

>> Read more about Koenig and the award

This new position will be part of the International Affairs administrative unit and will collaborate with the Area Studies Centers and Study Abroad & Global Engagement on VE/COIL promotion, development and support activities, as well as the Center for Teaching Excellence, the Center for Online and Distance Learning, and Undergraduate Education. The successful candidate will be a skilled manager who can successfully design, implement, promote, assess, and sustain institutional support for VE/COIL at KU.

Please share this opportunity with your networks! We encourage any current KU employee who is interested in this new position to apply.

>> View the job posting

"Hello everyone! My name is Terri Chee and I am very excited to be a member of KU’s International Support Services team. Prior to joining the ISS team, I was the registrar at Blue Valley West High School for 3+ years and before that I was the Computer Para teacher to K-5th grade students at Blue River Elementary. I graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College (St. Peter, MN) with a business degree and started my career in logistics/IT before pivoting to education. I will serve as a Document Specialist/ International Advisor with Chris Mason. I came to the US as an international student from Malaysia many, many years ago.

Prior to moving to Kansas, my husband and I lived in Salem, Massachusetts for 9 years. I admit that I do own a TB12 jersey! We are proud KU parents with our son graduating this May with a degree in Biology and a daughter who will start her KU career this August with a major in Exercise Science. She will also join KU’s Women’s Rowing program. My interests include cooking, sports photography and video editing."

KU International Affairs is still accepting proposals and applications for travel grants that support faculty and graduate student research and collaboration abroad. 

The deadline for submitting proposals and applications is tomorrow, March 5. Grant recipients will be notified by the end of April. 

Faculty travel grants will support international travel expenses for interdisciplinary, humanistic research projects, as well as academic collaborations in Asia and Latin America. Travel grants for graduate students support internationally focused academic or training opportunities and preliminary dissertation field activities in Latin America and Africa.

The most compelling proposals will align with Jayhawk Rising strategic priorities of expanding KU research and its influence, furthering student success, and promoting healthy and vibrant communities. 

>> More information on application process

All University of Kansas students actively pursuing interests in Russian, East European and Eurasian studies (REES) in any KU academic program are eligible to submit an essay of 2,000 words on any topic dealing with the region to the Laird Essay Competition. Undergraduates who win the contest are awarded a $250 cash prize. Graduate students who win receive a $500 cash award and $75 worth of books of their choice. Submissions are due April 15. Students are encouraged to check out this helpful page about "think piece" writing. 

>> Learn more about the competition and read past essays

The African Studies Association established the Mahmoud Mohamed Taha Student Travel Award in 2023 to support research and the exchange of ideas for students of African Studies. The award consists of a travel grant and a plaque presented at the ASA’s Annual Meeting. This year's application deadline is April 30.

>> See award details and eligibility requirements

The Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence (S-I-R) Program is now accepting applications for U.S. institutions to host an international scholar in the 2026-27 academic year for a semester or full year to support campus internationalization goals. S-I-Rs work across departments and curricula to enhance an international program, develop new world area studies programs or add an international dimension to coursework.  Fulbright provides J-visa sponsorship, travel, and living stipends to scholars who further U.S. institutions’ internationalization efforts through teaching, development of curriculum or exchange partnerships, and community engagement.

Hear from International Artist-in-Residence Mary Sibande, whose work is included in the Spencer Museum’s exhibition “Bold Women.” Sibande is visiting from Johannesburg, South Africa to create a site-specific installation for the exhibition in collaboration with KU students and faculty. Q&A will follow the talk.

The Mocktails & Mingle program is a collaboration between the KU Alumni Association and the University Career Center. These casual networking events help current KU students connect with alumni for networking and career exploration. The Mocktails topics are curated with KU student pathways in mind, providing students an opportunity to connect with professionals from industries that are of interest to them.

>> Register for the program

Save the date! The Ninth Annual International Jayhawk Festival will return on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Burge Union. All are welcome.

Student groups and academic units will offer intercultural activities, demonstrations and/or global trivia. Students can meet with advisors from study abroad, discuss academic programs with area studies representatives and language departments, connect with foreign language clubs, explore international career opportunities and learn about international student organizations.

The international musical performances and fashion show are highlights of the Festival. If interested in performing a song or dance and/or participating in the fashion show, please email mmward@ku.edu.

> > Visit the Festival's webpage

> > Sign up to volunteer

Please join us for an award reception and talk by the 2024 recipient of the Woodyard International Educator Award, Michael Wuthrich, associate professor and interim chair of political science and associate director of the Center for Global & International Studies.

The George and Eleanor Woodyard International Educator Award recognizes KU faculty members who have provided outstanding leadership in international education at KU.

We encourage in-person attendance at this award presentation, but welcome participation in the Zoom webinar.

> > Register for the Zoom link.

Roberta Pokphanh, associate vice provost for international student support and academic services, received a Fulbright International Education Administrators Award to attend a two-week seminar in Taiwan for U.S. higher education administrators. The seminar will take place March 7-23 and will provide an opportunity to learn about participating countries’ higher education systems, exchange information on best practices, explore the potential for partnerships with institutions of higher education in the host country, and raise the profile of administrators’ home institutions. Congratulations, Roberta!

Uma Outka, professor in the school of law, has been appointed a Fulbright Specialist in Energy and Natural Resources Law and Environmental Law, with a three-year tenure that began on February 7. As a candidate on the Fulbright Specialist Roster, she will be eligible to be matched with projects designed by host institutions in over 150 countries globally. These projects provide unique opportunities for U.S. academics and established professionals to engage in two- to six-week, project-based exchanges at host institutions across the globe where they can share their expertise, strengthen institutional linkages, hone their skills, gain international experience, and learn about other cultures. Congratulations, Uma!

Erik Scott, professor of history and director of the Center for Russian, East European, & Eurasian Studies (CREES), gave a talk last week based on his book "Defectors," which examines how Cold War defectors reshaped geopolitics, migration and asylum policies, highlighting the human dimensions of global power struggles and their relevance to modern debates on migration and sovereignty. The talk was part of Meet KU's Authors, an ongoing partnership with the Lawrence Public Library, providing audiences with an opportunity to hear researchers associated with KU discuss their work. 

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