UMKC in the spotlight as Kansas City hosts international conference this summer

UMKC hosts nearly 1,000 international students and scholars who give our campus a global flavor and contribute to our rich, intellectual community. UMKC sends approximately 300 students abroad to study in 49 countries. 11 of our students have won the prestigious Fulbright Award (we have six applicants this year) and 35 faculty members have also won this award. International education and scholarship contributes to the richness of our campus and our community.

Kansas City will be the host city for the NAFSA 2010 international conference
NAFSA: Association of International Educators, the leading organization for international education, selected Kansas City to host its 69th annual international conference this summer, May 30-June 4, 2010.

World-class keynote speakers
Plenary speakers are Salman Rushdie, celebrated and controversial author, and Nicholas Kristof, Pulitzer-prize winning journalist and human rights activist. 8,000 participants from around the globe are expected to attend this conference.

Mark your calendars
Mark your calendars for this conference—especially Monday, May 31 for the campus-wide reception. This year’s NAFSA Conference provides UMKC with a unique opportunity to showcase our campus and programs to international advisors, sponsors, and ambassadors.

- Linna Place, Ph.D., Interim Director, International Academic Programs and Sandy Gault, Director of International Student Affairs

Learn more about the annual conference in Kansas City. For more information about UMKC’s involvement in the conference please email international@umkc.edu.

Instructional Technology Conference

The UMKC Information Access - Instructional Technology Services department held its first Instructional Technology Conference this month. Faculty members were given the opportunity to collaborate across schools and to increase their knowledge and experience with the latest online learning technologies. The 2-½ day conference provided hands-on technology training sessions and workshops provided by faculty members who demonstrated their experiences with online learning. Some of the topics included virtual classrooms, coursecasting, improving departmental communication and implementing authentic tasks in web-based learning in addition to blogs, voice tools and online assessment.

We would like to thank the following UM System faculty members for presenting at the conference:
· Keynote Speaker: Robert Keel, Professor-UMSL Department of Sociology
· Cindy Amyot, Professor/Director of Distance Education & Faculty Development-UMKC School of Dentistry
· Kim Bray, RDH MS, Professor & Director-UMKC School of Dentistry, Division of Dental Hygiene
· Laura Gayle Green, MA MLS, Librarian IV, Head of Music/Media Library-UMKC Miller Nichols Library
· Molly Mead, Coordinator of Information Technology, UMKC School of Education
· Rebecca Power, Reference Librarian-UMKC Miller Nichols Library
· Robert Riggs, Lecturer-UMKC College of Arts & Sciences, Department of Physics
· Donna Russell, Assistant Professor of Learning Technologies, Educational Psychology and Curriculum and Instructional Leadership-UMKC School of Education

Due to positive feedback and a high demand for the first conference, a second conference is being planned at this time. An announcement will be sent through the Information for UMKC Blackboard Instructors Blackboard site in the near future with details about the next conference.

-Written by Erica Schurter, Instructional Technology Services