International education professionals and college faculty members from around Washington State gathered at Shoreline Community College on Friday, May 1 for the spring quarter Northwest International Education Association (NIEA) meeting.

At this quarter’s meeting, NIEA’s mini-grant program was a main agenda item. NIEA offers mini-grants of up to $1,250 to faculty at member colleges to internationalize curriculum. The results of the projects are collected so that others throughout the member network can learn from and possibly adapt the curricula for their own courses.

This year’s awardees are: Melissa Delikat of Peninsula College; Paul Suozzo of Centralia College; Heather Frankland of Pierce College; David Such of Spokane Community College; Eric Basham of Tacoma Community College. The total amount of grants awarded is $4,750.

Also discussed was the Community College Master Teacher Institute, an annual two-day workshop that NIEA offers in partnership with the University of Washington Center for Global Studies. The Institute focuses on different global themes each year, and seeks to help college faculty to bring international issues into their classrooms.

Since 1979, NIEA has worked to promote international exchange, global engagement, and multicultural understanding at higher education institutions throughout the Pacific Northwest. There are currently 15 member colleges.

Editor: Cory Anthony, Shoreline Community College

On a Sunday afternoon in mid-April, a bunch of friends and I went to Skagit Valley, Washington, to see the tulip festival. The drive took us roughly an hour, but the beautiful countryside scenery we saw made the long journey worth it. We saw barns, tractors, crop fields, even cows and horses along the road – things we do not normally see in the city. At one point we even got the chance to see the snowcapped peak of Mount Rainier, Washington’s most famous mountain.

We arrived shortly before two in the afternoon, and the tulips were really a sight to see. Rows and rows of tulips, all of different colors; there were tulips in various shades of red, white, yellow, purple, pink and orange, just to name a few. Visitors roamed around the field, taking pictures while marveling at the flowers. My friends and I joined the crowd of visitors and took pictures amongst the colorful tulips.

The trip was one of the best experiences I have had here in Seattle. The weather was perfect, the flowers were gorgeous, and I was making memories with some of my closest friends. It was a wonderful and fun experience for me!

Indonesian students in attendance at Shoreline’s international student orientation for spring quarter got a surprise Mon., March 23 when U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Robert Blake made an appearance at the college.

Ambassador Blake stopped by Shoreline as part of an outreach tour and spent over an hour meeting with Indonesian students and their families, as well as with Shoreline President Cheryl Roberts and members of the Board of Trustees.

Ambassador Blake praised Shoreline’s reputation within Indonesia and revealed that his visit to the campus came recommended by his staffers, who noted Shoreline’s significant population of students from the island nation.

The Ambassador also revealed that community colleges hold a special place in his heart. His wife came to the United States from Bulgaria at the age of 18 and attended community college in New York before transferring to Brown University.

“I firmly believe her experience in community college gave her the confident start she needed to get her where she is today,” Ambassador Blake said. “The role community colleges play in student success and learning simply cannot be overstated.”

“It’s little known,” he continued, “but students stand a better chance of getting into their dream college if they transfer in from a community college with a great reputation such as Shoreline, than if they apply straight out.”

President Roberts noted the historical ties Shoreline has with recruiting students from Indonesia, and said “We couldn’t be more honored that Ambassador Blake chose to visit with us today. It’s a reflection on our commitment to fostering rich relationships with our Indonesian students and their families.”

After opening remarks by Diana Sampson, Executive Director of International Education, and brief addresses by President Roberts and Ambassador Blake, current Shoreline students from Indonesia sang the Indonesian national anthem, “Indonesia Raya.”

Around 8,000 students from Indonesia attend college in the U.S., and of those about 2,500 attend community colleges. Shoreline currently enrolls about 130 students from Indonesia.

Article from http://news.shoreline.edu/2015/03/23/us-ambassador-indonesia-robert-blake-visits-shoreline/ by PIO@SHORELINE.EDU