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Office of Global Engagement

Expo Recognizes Global Award Recipients

April 19, 2017

NC State faculty and staff who are championing international research, scholarship or service were recognized at the 7th Annual Global Engagement Exposition on Tuesday, April 18th. International Affairs facilitates an annual nomination process and enlists the Committee on International Programs and the International Operations Council to review and select award recipients. The 2017 Expo celebrated the achievements of 23 faculty and staff who have made significant contributions to the university and to the world, and announced the Outstanding Global Engagement Award  and Jackson Rigney International Service Award recipients. Several students were also recognized during the ceremony for receiving the Jackson Rigney Study Abroad Scholarship.

Congratulations to all of the outstanding faculty and staff for achievements in internationalzing NC State!

Recognition of Leadership in International Education

Recipients of this recognition have been selected by the Office of International Affairs in three different categories: Study Abroad, Student Success, and Outreach & Extension. The purpose is to honor and celebrate select individuals who have made outstanding contributions towards the internationalization of NC State.

Mr. Paul Cousins
Director, Department of Student and Community Standards
Paul was selected by the Study Abroad Office for going above and beyond the requirements of his position in working to make sure that students are best prepared for their study abroad experience, creating plans for success prior to departure and helping them to get back on track when issues arise abroad through teachable experiences. When our students have found themselves in predicaments abroad, Paul has been a calm voice of reason and support. Throughout his career, he’s acted as a tireless advocate for students to have safe and successful access to meaningful international experiences.

Mrs. Mary Njaramba & Dr. Yuka Kato
Counselors, Counseling Center
Mary and Yuka were selected by the Office of International Services due to their dedication to reaching and supporting NC State’s international student population. Mary and Yuka have both taken the initiative to make themselves easily accessible by attending international student orientation, programs, and special events, many of which were held after normal office hours. They organize an International Student Support group and International Tea Time on Centennial Campus to better serve international students who may hesitate to visit the Counseling Center for more traditional counseling services. They don’t wait for students to reach out to the Counseling Center; they take the initiative to actively seek out and meet students “where they are” to begin building relationships with them. Mary and Yuka make the Counseling Center much more approachable for international students.

Dr. Larry Silverberg
Professor, College of Engineering
Dr. Silverberg was selected by the Global Training Initiative and has been involved in numerous research projects in private and government sectors. He was instrumental in creating summer internship programs for students from Palestine Technical University in Palestine and the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia. He also set up a wildlife security-monitoring program with the Namibian government, which includes a fall semester study abroad program in Namibia for NC State students.

Outstanding Global Engagement Award

The purpose of the Outstanding Global Engagement Award is to encourage and recognize outstanding accomplishments in globally engaged teaching, research, extension, and/or engagement and economic development. Recipients are selected by the International Operations Council.

2017 Outstanding Global Engagement Award Nominees:

  • Dr. Sujit Ghosh, College of Sciences
  • Ms. Marie Himes, College of Education
  • Dr. Gary Hodge, College of Natural Resources
  • Dr. Sung Woo Kim, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
  • Dr. Youngsoo Kim, College of Engineering
  • Mr. Peter Kjaer, College of Design / Prague Institute
  • Dr. Thomas LaBean, College of Engineering
  • Dr. Jun Ninomiya-Tsuji, College of Sciences
  • Dr. Kevin Oliver, College of Education
  • Dr. Edgar Oviedo, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
  • Dr. Nora Traum, Poole College of Management
  • Dr. Beverly Tyler, Poole College of Management
  • Dr. Nelson Vinueza, College of Textiles
  • Dr. Tim Wallace, College of Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Dr. Yingjiao Xu, College of Textiles

2017 Outstanding Global Engagement Award Recipients:

  • Dr. Gary Hodge
    As an accomplished forest geneticist, Dr. Hodge’s work has had a profound economic impact of tree improvement on the forest industry. He is a highly sought-after consultant both nationally and internationally, providing truly global services spanning continents around the world. His extensive research and scholarly activities have a long-lasting and far-reaching impact that raise the visibility of NC State on a global scale.
  • Dr. Edgar Oviedo
    Dr. Oviedo has established meaningful international partnership with other institutions and business that benefit communities abroad. Through his research and outreach program, he has positively affected the economic sustainability and food security of individuals around the world. In addition to his research accomplishments, he has enabled graduates of NC State to be more competitive in the global workforce.
  • Dr. Beverly Tyler
    Since coming to NC State in 1998, Dr. Tyler has made significant commitments to international programs at the university by proactively bringing the need for increased university support for international programs to the attention of the administration. She has also made strong contributions to her profession in regards to research, including scholarly publications with international collaborators from around the world.
  • Dr. Tim Wallace
    As his nomination letter explains, “Dr. Wallace has made his scholarship relevant, participatory and collaborative. By consistently involving students in his work abroad, he has enabled them to develop an understanding of the complexities of the global community.Throughout his career at NC State, Dr. Wallace has made the international local by providing the tools of community development, marketing, entrepreneurship, tourism, heritage and identity to people throughout the world.”

Jackson Rigney Study Abroad Scholarship Recipients

These awards recognize students for academic achievement. Recipients are selected for their ability to serve as ambassadors abroad and to positively impact NC State upon return.

  • Briana Garcia
    Study Abroad Program: Universidad Adolfo Ibanez in Chile (Fall 2017), Major: Social Work
  • Stacy Partin
    Study Abroad Program: Poland: Global STEM Semester program (Fall 2017), Major: Biological Sciences
  • Samantha Rogers
    Study Abroad Program: Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Italy (Fall 2017), Major: Business Administration & International Studies

Jackson Rigney International Service Award

The purpose of the Jackson Rigney International Service Award is to recognize the distinguished contributions of a faculty or staff member for the promotion of international understanding and service to the university and/or to the international community over the course of their career. Award recipients are selected by the University Standing Committee on International Programs.

2017 Jackson Rigney International Service Award Nominees:

  • Dr. Marina Bykova, College of Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Dr. Edward Kick, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
  • Dr. James Kiwanuka-Tondo, College of Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Dr. Robert Kochersberger, College of Humanities and Social Sciences

2017 Jackson Rigney International Service Award Recipient:

  • Dr. James Kiwanuka-Tondo
    Dr. Kiwanuka-Tondo has made a significant impact on NC State and the world. He recently served as a Carnegie Africa Diaspora Fellow at Makerere University in Uganda and is an active member of the Board of Directors of Maama Watali. Additionally, he has committed his time and energy to numerous committees, research projects, and organizations, all of which strive to promote cultural understanding and cultural competency. He has also created a highly significant research program that examines the effectiveness of AIDS prevention public health campaigns in African countries. He has also led several study abroad programs that provide an element of service as well as revealing to students the important political, social, and cultural diversity of Africa. 

For more information about the nominees and event, see the 2017 Expo Program.

View the 2017 Expo photo album.