UTM has appointed Dr. Paul Crapo, chair of the department of Modern Foreign Language, as director of the Center for Global Studies and International Education. This center was formerly known as the Center for Global Studies, where Crapo had served as director since 2002.

With the new title comes an increased responsibility for the center. The Center for Global Studies has past been responsible for travel study and study abroad programs, but with the addition of the International Education they will also assume the responsibility of coordinating partnership programs involving institutions in numerous countries.

As part of Crapo’s new responsibilities for the center he plans to help in the development in the interaction and contact between students from Tennessee and the Mid-South with international students, to aid in the development of travel-study trips for UTM undergraduates in the US and abroad, to promote UTM study abroad programs and to make major efforts to encourage the student body to avail themselves of these experiences.

Crapo will also assist International Programs in recruiting students for the Tennessee Intensive English Program from countries all over the world.

In addition to this he is working with faculty in nine academic areas to implement a new minor in Canadian Studies (18 hours) and to also formulate a minor in Latin-American studies which would be implemented in the 2006-07 academic year.

“Canadian Studies is extremely important to our society. It is our country and state’s most important trading partner, and this minor will offer UTM students a broad overview of Canada and its importance to the US,” said Crapo.

The Center for Global Studies and International Education wants to internationalize the students, faculty and programs of UT Martin, and to assist all campus units in developing and implementing international projects,” said Crapo. “Through this we feel confident that the Center will positively impact the undergraduate careers of a large number of UTM students with every passing year.”

“The new efforts of the center will literally encourage every UTM student to pursue their studies, in programs appropriate for them, all over the globe and to help us achieve Chancellor Dunagan’s goal of ‘making the world our classroom,’” said Crapo.

To learn more about the Center for Global Studies and International Education’s growth and opportunities contact Dr. Paul Crapo at paucrapo@utm.edu.