Claflin University President Henry N. Tisdale Promotes Global Initiatives During Visit To Berlin, Germany
Nov 04, 2015
Claflin University
President Henry N. Tisdale continues to take advantage of opportunities to promote the University’s global initiatives. Tisdale is one of 15 university and college presidents from the U.S. visiting Berlin, Germany on Nov. 3 - 7 to attend the inaugural Study Abroad Leadership Workshop for Minority Serving Institutions sponsored by The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) and the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE).
“I greatly appreciate The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions and the Council on International Education Exchange for inviting me to Berlin, Germany to be part of this international exchange of ideas,” said Tisdale, who is in his 21st year as president at Claflin University. “This is very consistent with Claflin’s focus on global engagement, which includes study abroad and exchange opportunities for students and faculty.”
Topics during the workshop -- The Benefits of Study Abroad; The Importance of Institutional Collaboration to Advance International Education; and Putting Study Abroad into Action -- will include presentations and research on the importance of exposing MSI students to a global education and providing guidance on overcoming the barriers of cost, curriculum, and culture to help formulate a new agenda around study abroad.
“I am hopeful we will discuss new ideas and strategies and uncover new resources to increase and support study abroad opportunities for more of our students at Claflin,” added Tisdale.
In addition to the workshop, Tisdale will attend CIEE’s annual conference --The Reinvention of Study Abroad: Setting the Course for 2020. The CIEE is a recognized leader in international and educational exchange programs.
Located at the University of Pennsylvania, The CMSI serves as a repository for research, data, best practices, emerging innovations and ideas related to Minority Serving Institutions. MSIs are institutions of higher education that serve minority populations. They are unique both in their missions and in their day-to-day operations. Some of these colleges and universities are located in remote regions of the country, whereas others serve urban neighborhoods. Some minority-serving institutions are only a few decades old, whereas others, particularly the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), have been striving for more than a century to give their constituents the social and educational skills needed to overcome racial discrimination and limited economic opportunities.
Under President Tisdale’s visionary leadership, Claflin has established faculty and student exchange programs with universities in Brazil (2), Kenya, Portugal, China and Taiwan. During the 2014-2015 academic year, Claflin students participated in study abroad programs in Great Britain, Brazil, India, Japan, Columbia, Argentina, Italy, South Africa, Spain, Australia and China.