Global Engagement

Together with Dr. Ron Williams, CSU Chief of Staff, at the 2023 Fulbright Top-Producers' Reception in Washington, DC (21 February 2023)

I am the Executive Director of Columbus State's Center for Global Engagement (CGE), where I serve as the Mildred Miller Fort Foundation Eminent Scholar and Chair of International Education.  I am the SIO (senior international officer) at the University and oversee:

With CSU students at the summit of Pacaya Volcano, Guatemala (January 2023)

I have worked in international education since being a graduate assistant at Marshall University's International Programs in 1993.  I also served as a graduate assistant in West Virginia University's Office of International Programs in 1998. I began my full-time professional career in international education in July 2000, when I was hired by Mercer University.  I have since then served as an assistant-vice president of international education at Georgia College and since the fall of 2017, the endowed chair of international education at Columbus State University. 

I have led study abroad and international service-learning programs programs to Brazil, England, France, and Guatemala. 

In terms of service to international education, I have co-coordinated the GAIE (Georgia Association of International Educators) annual meetings (2002 & 2003), served as chair for Study Georgia, represented both Georgia College and Columbus State at the University System of Georgia's System Council on International Education (SCIE) (2014 - Present), sat on the executive board at LEWI (Hong Kong Baptist University) (2006-2010) and the board of academic advisors at CEPA Foundation (2017 - Present).  I also served as the chair of the University System of Georgia's Asia Council from 2018-2022. I am the vice-president of the Asian Studies Development Program (ASDP) Alumni Organization at the East-West Center (2022-Present). I am presently the chair-elect of the University System of Georgia's System Council on International Education (SCIE). 

Spencer House (UK)

I serve at the head of the Spencer House in Oxford, England.  CSU students study at Regent's Park College, St. Anne's College, and St. Catherine's College at The University of Oxford as well as at Oxford Brookes University. Students reside in a living and learning community at the Spencer House.  The Spencer House was gifted to CSU by Mr. and Mrs. J. Kyle Spencer in 2002. 

Dateline: Guatemala (January 2023)

Through a partnership with Columbus State University, Rotary International, CEPA Foundation, and the NGO, FUNCOLI (Free Hearts Association), I am participating in a global grant to provide fuel-efficient stoves with chimneys to families in the village of Vuelta Grande. 

Mothers in the village spend hours inhaling smoke while they prepare food on indoor pits dug into the dirt floors. They and their children develop respiratory diseases, skin irritations, and early cataract disease. The newer rocket stoves provide a safe alternative that also reduces deforestation, erosion, and drought.  

My students and I install the stoves through a CSU international service-learning project supported by the Mildred Miller Fort Foundation.  In addition, my colleague, Dr. Allen Gee, and his students are support by the Donald Joran endowment to participate in this project. 

20th Anniversary in Oxford

Columbus State University celebrates its twentieth anniversary of academic programming at the Spencer House and with The University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University. 
Mr. J. Kyle Spencer originally supported faculty and students through the UC Berkley Summer School at Merton College. In 2002, he donated an Edwardian home to Columbus State University so its students could enroll at Greyfriars College. The following year, CSU students lived and studied at the Spencer House.  When Greyfriars closed, CSU students were partnered with Regent's Park College.  Today, CSU students can study at Regent's Park, St. Anne's, and St. Catherine's colleges as well as participate in a student exchange program at Oxford Brookes University. 
A celebration for this anniversary is planned in Columbus, GA on 12th April 2023.  Another one is scheduled in Oxford for late May 2023.