As part of the recent campus celebration of International Education Week, the Mu chapter of Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Scholars held its 26th annual meeting and member induction ceremony. Forty new faculty, staff and student members were inducted, and the World Affairs Council of Charlotte received a 2013 honorary membership.
New members were recognized for their excellence in international research, international study and for contributions to the internationalization of UNC Charlotte and the larger Charlotte community.
Eleven faculty and staff members were among the inductees; they were Takiyah Amin and Daniel Knight (dance), Michèle Bissière (languages and culture studies), Pilar Blitvich (English), Yuanan Diao (mathematics and statistics), L. Michele Issel and Gary Silverman (public health sciences), Pamela Shue (special education and child development), Cheryl Tarr (Office of International Programs/English Language Training Institute) and Angela Mae Wright (Office of International Programs/ Education Abroad).
The chapter also inducted 29 international students at UNC Charlotte who have studied abroad during their academic careers or who have been engaged in significant international experiences in the United States.
Mu chapter president Michael Thompson, associate professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences, presented the 2013 honorary membership to the World Affairs Council of Charlotte. Ljubomir Stambuk, president and CEO of the World Affairs Council of Charlotte, accepted the honor and delivered the ceremony’s keynote address.
According to Thompson, the World Affairs Council of Charlotte was recognized for its many and diverse programs that focus on education and world affairs.
“The council seeks to provide leadership for global thinking, believing that a broad perspective is necessary for effective competition in the global economy and for responsible citizenship in an increasingly interdependent political world,” said Thompson. “The council was founded in 1983 as an outreach program of UNC Charlotte and the Office of International Programs and a strong partnership continues to be evident.”
The Mu chapter of Phi Beta Delta was founded at UNC Charlotte in 1987 as a charter chapter of the national society that has as its purpose the recognition of the international experience as reflected in research, study and service.