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Jeffrey Chown named as recipient of 2012 Outstanding International Educator Award

November 13, 2012
Jeffrey Chown

Jeffrey Chown

Board of Trustees Professor Jeffrey Chown, from the Department of Communication, has been selected as the recipient of NIU’s 2012 Outstanding International Educator Award.

The announcement was made during Monday’s annual International Recognition Reception, one of many events on campus marking International Education Week (IEW).

A worldwide authority on Irish films, Chown founded NIU’s Media and Culture program at Dublin City University in 1991.

“In this immersion experience, Jeff shares with NIU students the many insights into Irish culture and film that he started developing as a Fulbright scholar in Ireland,” said Deborah Pierce, associate provost for the Division of International Programs, which sponsors IEW on the NIU campus.

“A colleague at the National University of Ireland noted that, in Dr. Chown, NIU has one of its finest international ambassadors,” Pierce said. “The more than 400 alumni of the Dublin program would certainly agree.”

NIU faculty have also benefited from the program, gaining exposure to study abroad by serving as co-directors with Chown. The NIU communication professor also publishes research on Irish film and culture and hosts Irish scholars visiting NIU.

Deborah Pierce

Deborah Pierce

International Programs also tapped NIU’s Department of Literacy Education as the 2012 Outstanding International Department.

Three literacy education professors are serving as mentors this semester to government scholars from Indonesia. The scholars came to NIU to develop their dissertation research in teaching English.

The department also is working with International Programs, the Center for Southeast Asian Studies and the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences to establish a double-degree program in English language education with two universities in Indonesia.

“Faculty members from the Department of Literacy Education have responded with flexibility and enthusiasm to opportunities to create special programs meeting the needs of diverse groups of global participants,” Pierce said. “Through their creativity and energy, our literacy education colleagues have made strong contributions to Global NIU.”