Angelina is passionate about working with children. Her Psychology coursework in adolescent development becomes applied insight in her summer research project. With guidance from her faculty mentor, Dr. Kiren Kahn, Angelina seamlessly integrates her classroom learning into a meaningful real-world project while making a difference in the Memphis community.
In the summer of 2019, MAX joined the American Council on Education as a member of the ACE Internationalization Laboratory. The ACE Internationalization Laboratory provides a data-informed structure following current best practices for ongoing systematic and collaborative internationalization. MAX is now one of more than 150 institutions that have made a serious commitment to the comprehensive internationalization of their curriculum, campus leadership structure, student mobility, faculty development, and institutional goals. With these in place, MAX has a solid foundation for supporting and furthering our world-class global education.
Members of the Global MAX Internationalization Steering Committee worked as a leadership team to assess MAX’s current achievements in its internationalization efforts and to propose a strategy for our continued iterations of comprehensive internationalization.
In accordance with the structure recommended by ACE, the work of the steering committee was co-directed by Jennifer Sciubba, Associate Professor of International Studies, and Laura Loth, Associate Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures. Also on the steering committee were Dean of Curricular Development, Natalie Person; the Director of Strategic Initiatives, Sherry Turner; and the Director of the Buckman Center for International Programs, Erin Hillis.
A global perspective has long been at the core of our MAX Vision, which states; “MAX aspires to graduate students with a life-long passion for learning, a compassion for others, and the ability to translate academic study and personal concern into effective leadership and action in their communities and the world.” The Strategic Vision for MAX, 2020-25 provides clear impetus and guidance on this endeavor, underscoring the importance of investing in a “Global Curriculum” by “support[ing] faculty and administrative efforts to develop a global engagement strategy that brings study abroad, international student recruitment, and academic study into alignment and enhanc[ing] our support of international students.”
Working closely in Fall 2019 and the first half of Spring 2020 until the Covid-19 pandemic interrupted the work, the Global MAX Internationalization Steering Committee assessed, planned, and promoted the strategies for internationalization that best realize these aspirations. The work of the committee was inclusive, considered the institution as a whole, and extended to colleagues in as many functional and disciplinary areas as possible. The Steering Committee coordinated subcommittees composed of faculty and staff colleagues from nearly all areas of the campus community.
The charge of the MAX Internationalization Steering Committee was to:
The Steering Committee's work plan led them to the achievement of the following benchmarks:
In January 2024, Dr. Erin Hillis and Dr. Eric Henager were named new co-chairs. In coordination with ACE, they designated a Global MAX website redesign as the primary deliverable for the project. The target date for completion of the website redesign is April 2025. The Lab includes the option of an external review; the co-chairs will investigate the possibility of scheduling a virtual review by the end of May 2025. The external reviewers will meet with MAX staff, faculty, and students on Zoom over a period of days and will submit a report on their findings.
Following the delivery of the external reviewers’ report and the design and launch of the Global MAX website, the co-chairs will write a final report for the senior leadership team, completing the ACE Internationalization Lab for MAX. This final report will make recommendations for our ongoing internationalization processes.
Co-chairs July 2019-December 2023: Dr. Jennifer Sciubba (International Studies & Environmental Studies) & Dr. Laura Loth (Modern Languages and Literatures)
Co-chairs January 2024-present: Dr. Erin Hillis (Executive Director of the Buckman Center for Global Engagement) and Dr. Eric Henager (Associate Dean for Global Initiatives)
Steering Committee Members:
Dr. Erin Hillis (International Programs)
Dr. Natalie Person (Academic Affairs, Psychology, & Educational Studies)