About the Program
The International Faculty Development Program consists of three phases outlined below.
Phase I—Introductory Seminars
From February to May, faculty participants attend introductory meetings, presentations by panelists with considerable international experience, discussions about Tech’s international programs, and briefings on the university’s Center for European Studies and Architecture (CESA) in Riva San Vitale, Switzerland. During this time, participants will identify one or more potential European partners and possible collaborative programs and make arrangements to meet in May.
Phase II—Intensive International Experience
In May, the group participates in a ten-day intensive international experience at CESA. CESA’s location in the southern Canton of Ticino near the Italian border facilitates travel to other universities throughout the region. The past two years, the group visited the Lugano campus of the Universita della Svizzera Italiana and met with faculty and administrators at the Politecnico di Milano, the oldest engineering school in Italy with a current enrollment of 42,000 students. During this visit, the group discussed the Bologna process, an initiative to make curricula across Europe more consistent in order to facilitate study in multiple European countries.
Following this introduction, members of the group then disperse across Europe to meet their European partners and develop their collaborative projects. Projects have included new education abroad programs, student exchanges, the development of dual degrees, and the joint sponsorship of an international conference. Upon returning to Riva San Vitale, faculty report to their colleagues on the results of their meetings.
Phase III—Project Implementation
Upon return from the international experience, faculty members continue implementation of their collaborative projects. They meet as a group on an ongoing basis to share progress on their individual projects and to explore other opportunities for collaboration.
Outreach NOW magazine article about Virginia Tech’s International Faculty Development Program (PDF)