Fairmont State University receives funding from West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission

Fairmont State University has received $7,000 in grant funding from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission in order to promote international education among its campus community. The funding will be used to provide students, staff, and faculty with opportunities to participate in workshops and other activities that will promote cultural understanding and global awareness.

According to an article on Fairmont State University’s website, Rosemarie Igbo, who serves as the university’s Director of Global Engagement, was quoted as saying of the grant funding, “This grant will help advance Fairmont State’s larger aspirations for global engagement. Implementation of the COIL initiative will enhance collaborative international research, bring together diverse expertise, and lead to innovative solutions for complex global challenges. These partnerships enhance the quality of research and academic programs, benefiting both students and faculty. Integrating global perspectives into the curriculum fosters critical thinking and the ability to approach problems from multiple viewpoints. By fostering global mindedness and embracing internationalization, we contribute to the development of informed, empathetic, and capable global citizens prepared to engage with the complexities of a globalized world.”

Faculty members from the university’s College of Education, Health and Human Performance and the College of Liberal Arts will participate in the University of Minnesota’s Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Design & Facilitation Essentials Workshop thanks to the grant funding. The COIL workshop will help faculty create lesson plans that will foster global awareness and cultural understanding within their students. The workshop consists of six modules and will take 20 hours for faculty members to complete.

Maria Agee, who is an Assistant Professor of Instructional Design and Technology and the GlobalWV Academic Coordinator, said of the collaboration it took to secure the grant funding, “Our cross-disciplinary collaboration helped me understand how international education can be promoted beyond my discipline and within specific contexts and fields of faculty from other departments. Every faculty member and staff member brought his or her unique perspective, experience, and expertise, whether it related to teaching, technological, or curriculum design practices or simply to understanding the needs of students.” 

Agee worked with Assistant Professor of Geography Barbara MacLennan, Director of Institutional Effectiveness Frank LaFone, Professor of Psychology Moshe Machlev, Assistant Professor of Spanish and Spanish Education Laura Guglani, and Rosemarie Igbo in order to secure the funding for the project.

Agee noted, “The idea is to include our students in international academic conversations with faculty and students from other countries to help our students form an understanding of other cultures and their differences and practices. In today’s globalized economy, employers value graduates who are aware of global perspectives, can easily adapt, and collaborate on a global level. By including international education in our curricula, we will be preparing future global citizens who will thrive in a multi-cultural and interconnected world.”

For more information about Fairmont State University, visit the school’s website.