On June 4, 2015, the Center for International Programs in conjunction with CETL hosted the inaugural Internal Symposium at the St. Petersburg College (SPC) Clearwater campus. In attendance were over 30 SPC faculty, deans, and administrative staff. In addition, an Indonesian delegation was in attendance as part of a US State Department grant, Community College Administrator Program (CCAP), awarded to Florida State University (FSU) and selected Florida state colleges, including SPC.

“This inaugural event was designed to share the innovative and creative work that SPC faculty and staff are doing to move international initiatives forward. In addition, we invited an international delegation of community college administrators from Indonesia to share information on their educational system and plans for internationalizing their colleges. This was an excellent first step in showcasing SPC’s commitment to internationalization and possible collaboration with Indonesian institutions. This event will be held annually, with the second annual International Symposium occurring in June, 2016.” explains Ramona Kirsch, Director of International Programs.

This inaugural International Symposium included the unveiling of the Strategic International Team’s work throughout the past year, Study Abroad faculty members giving presentations on their experiences and best practices for leading Study Abroad programs, presentation of a library toolkit to assist faculty in internationalizing the curriculum, and a discussion about international faculty exchange and collaborations.

The symposium concluded with a presentation by representatives from the Indonesian delegation, who shared information about their brand-new Akademi Komunitas (community college) model in their home country.

The following SPC faculty and staff presented during the Symposium: Prof. Sara Brzezinski, Dr. Cher Gauweiler, Director Kirsch, Dr. Gail Lancaster, Prof. Roxana Levin, Dr. Nicholas Manias, and Linda Reifler-Alessi.