CONWAY, Ark. (April 17, 2017) – Claudia Courtway, Assistant Director of International Programs at Hendrix College, recently received a 2017 Fulbright International Education Administrators Seminar Award from the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB).
The
International Education Administrators (IEA) seminars program helps international education professionals and senior higher education officials from the United States create empowering connections with the societal, cultural and higher education systems of other countries. Grantees have the
opportunity to learn about the host country’s education system as well as establish networks of U.S. and international colleagues over the course of an intensive two week grant duration.
Courtway will attend a two-week seminar conducted by the Fulbright Commission in Tokyo this summer. She will be in a cohort of 10 colleagues from institutions around the United States and will be in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hiroshima.
Activities include campus visits with a cross-section of universities and colleges; briefings with faculty and administration, government officials, and leading educational experts at public and private institutions; and tours of historical and cultural sites. Grantees return with
enhanced ability to serve and encourage international students and prospective study-abroad students.
“Participating in the Fulbright IEA Program in Japan will help me build relationships with my colleagues in Japan and equip me to provide more opportunities for our students to study, work and intern in Japan,” said Courtway.
“The timing of this Fulbright IEA Seminar in Japan is perfect because there has been particular energy around Japanese studies at Hendrix the past few years,” she said. “Our Asian Studies Program has seen an increased number of students who are taking classes related to Japan and Asia, and a Japanese language and culture
course was offered this spring.”
“Also, we have a new initiative on our campus this year with the Japanese Language and Culture House, where a group of students live in community, learn about Japanese culture, and cook Japanese food together. The Director of the House is the Japanese Outreach Initiative (JOI) Coordinator,
Aya Murato, and she shares about Japanese culture on our campus and in the community,” Courtway continued.
“Because there is so much interest and excitement on our campus about Japan, it’s important for me to learn firsthand about Japanese higher education, culture, and about internship and employment opportunities for our students in Japan,” she said. “I’m looking forward to building
relationships and collaborating with my colleagues in Japan with the hope of creating greater opportunities for our students to study, intern, or work in Japan and for Japanese students to come to Hendrix. It is my hope that through my participation in this two-week intensive seminar and my research, I
will become better equipped to advise students who want to study in Japan as I become more knowledgeable about sites and programs available to them. I’m honored to be awarded this grant, and I want to learn all that I can so that the Hendrix community and Conway will benefit from my participation in the seminar.”
“I am very excited about Claudia’s participation in this program, which will benefit the College by leading to new and deep transformational experiences for students in an important and interesting part of the world,” said Dr. Peter L. Gess, Associate
Provost for Engaged Learning and Director of International Programs. “Claudia will create new and lasting relationships with international education administrators in Japan.”
“Just as importantly, she will network with and learn from the other participants from throughout the U.S. And I know they will learn a lot from Claudia, as she serves as a great educational and cultural ambassador from Hendrix and Arkansas. Without a doubt, Claudia
will take advantage of every minute of the program, and share with us upon her return.”
Courtway earned her bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Arkansas and her master’s degree in college student personnel and administration from the University of Central Arkansas.
About
Hendrix College
Hendrix College is a private liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas. Founded in 1876 and affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884, Hendrix is featured in Colleges
That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think about Colleges and is nationally recognized in numerous college guides, lists, and rankings for academic quality, community, innovation, and value. For more information, visit
www.hendrix.edu.