June Delegation: (l-r) Assistant Professor of Anthropology Julie Reyes, Executive Director of International Studies Ali Thobhani, Associate Professor of African and African American Studies Jacqueline McLeod, International Studies Administrative Assistant Kelly Huang, and Chair of Special Education, Early Childhood Education, Reading and Educational Technology Cynthia Lindquist.

Metro State President Stephen Jordan will lead a delegation to Ethiopia July 22 - Aug. 2. It will be the second College delegation to visit the country this summer under the Metro State Aksum University (AkU) partnership. The first delegation spent the month of June there.

The June trip was funded under a $272,425 U.S. Department of State grant awarded to the College last summer to solidify the partnership, established in March 2009.

During his trip, Jordan will deliver the AkU’s commencement address on July 30, participate in the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Gessesso Elementary School in Adowa (College helped with fundraising for the school), and explore opportunities under the partnership. Joining Jordan are:

• Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Vicki Golich
• Interim Associate to the President for Diversity Myron Anderson
• Dean of Letters, Arts and Sciences Joan Foster
• Professor of Anthropology Jonathan Kent
• Associate Professor of Physics Kamran Sahami
• Executive Director of International Studies Ali Thobhani
  
  

  Top: Ali Thobhani and Cynthia Lindquist visit Gessesso Elementary School. Bottom: Thobhani delivers a presentation to Aksum University faculty and students.

  June trip to Ethiopia lays groundwork for student opportunities
  Staff and professors newly returned from Ethiopia report the month-long trip as both productive and useful.
  
  Thobhani, who led the trip, described the mission as “extremely successful. We accomplished all aspects of the trip that we wanted to accomplish.” For instance, the five-person delegation worked on developing Metro State’s partnership with AkU, including plans for study-abroad.
  
  
  Since the partnership was established, the College has led a book drive, collecting seven tons of books for AkU, hosted the Mayor of Axum and participated in fundraising activities to help build a new elementary school in Adowa, Ethiopia. The school is expected to open in September and serve about 60 students.
  
  
  Stuart Monroe, a Metro State computer information systems professor, is on a one-year assignment at AkU teaching business courses and supervising the construction of the elementary school.
  
  Another component of the partnership includes a study-abroad opportunity for 15 Metro State students, who will be selected by November 2011 to study anthropology, African American history and an Ethiopian language at AkU next summer. Students interested in applying should e-mail English Professor James Aubrey at aubreyj@mscd.edu.
  
  Cynthia Lindquist, chair of special education, early childhood education, reading and educational technology, was also part of the Metro State delegation and says the trip was “an amazing experience.”
  
  

  (l-r) Jacqueline McLeod demonstrates Ethiopian coffee ceremony and Julie Reyes plays an Ethiopian church drum.

  A lot of ground work was put in place for Metro State students to study at AkU next summer, says Lindquist. “We set up some service learning projects for the students to do when they’re there at a local orphanage and elementary school,” she says. “We spoke to the school’s president and vice president to firm up the partnership. It was a very productive trip.”
  
  A “good portion” of the state department grant money will go to AkU to help it prepare to host the 15 Metro State students. “The grant will help give the school some much-needed funds and make it a better experience for our students who go there next summer,” she says.
  
  Other members of the delegation included:
• Associate Professor of African and African American Studies Jacqueline McLeod
• Assistant Professor of Anthropology Julie Reyes
• Office of International Studies Administrative Assistant Kelly Huang

Thobhani says future work with AkU might involve Metro State education students completing their teacher internships at the new elementary school. “We think that would be a great opportunity to explore.”