IREX has partnered with Bennett College for Women, one of only two historically black women’s colleges in the United States, and Whittier College, a Hispanic Serving Institution located in Whittier, CA, to develop and introduce Russian and Eurasian studies curricula on their campuses through the Teaching Fellowship Program for Eastern European and Eurasian Studies.
The Teaching Fellowship Program for Eastern Europe and Eurasian Studies is a program that was designed and piloted by IREX in the fall of 2008 to establish and support a new post-doctoral teaching position in Eastern European and/or Eurasian area studies at accredited Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) in the United States for one academic year.
In its first year of the program, IREX selected Bennett College for Women and Whittier College as the two 2009-2010 institutional grantees out of a total of 20 schools from 11 states that submitted applications.
The IREX grants will support and assist the colleges in strengthening their internationalization initiatives and exposing undergraduate students to global cultures and perspectives.
Bennett College for Women (www.Bennett.edu [7]) is a small, private, historically black liberal arts college. The college offers women an education conducive to excellence in scholarly pursuits; preparation for leadership roles in the workplace, society, and the world; and life-long learning in a technologically advanced, complex global society. As a United Methodist Church-related institution, Bennett College for Women promotes morally grounded maturation, intellectual honesty, purposeful public service, and responsible civic action.
Whittier College (http://www.whittier.edu [8]) is a four-year residential liberal arts college that pushes students to question the world around them and figure out their place in it. Located in the heart of Southern California between bustling Los Angeles and beautiful Orange County, Whittier is distinguished by its small size, pioneering faculty, and nationally recognized curriculum. Facilities rival those at large public institutions, but ours is an intimate setting where students and professors unite in an ongoing pursuit of knowledge.
Bennett College for Women’s Press Releases about the partnership with IREX may be viewed through the following links:
http://www.bennett.edu/academics/pdf/releasenewlanguages809.pdf [9]
http://www.bennett.edu/releaseirex.pdf [10]