For the fourth year, the New Mexico State University College of Arts and Sciences will sponsor “Global Connections,” the lecture series featuring the globetrotting adventures of NMSU faculty.
The purpose is to provide an opportunity for members of the campus and surrounding community to listen and ask questions of NMSU professors about the kinds of experiences they might otherwise never encounter.
The first lecture of the semester will feature NMSU professors Elvira Hammond, history; Margaret Goehring, art history; and Ed Boles, environmental science, discussing “Splendors of China: Expanding the FLiP Model into the Community.” The talk will recount their visit to China in March 2014 and will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 10, in the Gerald Thomas Hall Auditorium, Room 194.
Their trip was made possible through the Faculty-Led International Programs (FLiP) Office and included components of history and art. The program is designed to allow faculty to lead students abroad while teaching international courses.
The group, which included NMSU students and community members from 14 to 76-years-old, spent 12 days in China. Twelve students and 13 other travelers explored Beijing, Shanxi Province, Xi’an, Luoyang and Shanghai.
“We intended to provide an introductory program on the history and art history of China to both NMSU students and community members. As faculty leader, I learned that taking a multi-age group was enriching and supporting for us all,” Hammond said. “My students were wonderful teachers about Chinese history to the whole group (everyone had assignments on the road) and my senior group members were wonderful teachers about life.”
During the talk, professors will share photographs from their excursion.
“The NMSU community is rich in knowledge, character and connectivity – taking community members out of their ‘comfort zone’ provides space to grow and learn,” Hammond said. “The FLiP programs provide excellent opportunities for our students and the greater community to travel abroad inexpensively, while having a truly educationally enriching experience.”
“An amazing part of this learning expedition was watching a diverse collection of people develop into a traveling group consolidated by a shared identity,” added Boles, FLiP coordinator. “We looked out for one another along this sweeping educational journey. I believe benefits from this experience will be unfolding for years to come.”
Over the last two years, “Global Connections” lectures have explored places such as Australia, Germany, Brazil, Cameroon, China, Columbia, Eastern Europe, the Falkland Islands, Ireland, Italy, and Southeast Asia. All lectures are open to the public at no charge.
Information from NMSU