Roberta Espinoza, vice provost for Global-Local Affairs, was recently awarded a spot on the Fulbright International Education Administrators (IEA) to France. Joined by 11 American university representatives, Espinoza spent 10 days in France learning about French higher education with stops in Grenoble, Chambéry, and Paris.
“It was an honor to represent LMU in learning about the French higher education system’s approach to developing world class institutions while implementing internationalization strategic plans that focus on the UN SDGs and the ways they intentionally collaborate with U.S. partners around interdisciplinarity, innovation, and creativity,” said Espinoza. “France is very deliberate in their strategies to connect higher education to the future needs of the workforce and the industries they want to grow in the future.”
Fulbright IEA seminars are highly competitive, fully funded opportunities for U.S. higher education administrators to participate in intensive two-week seminars abroad to learn about other countries’ higher education systems. The seminar included campus visits to Université Grenoble Alps (UGA), Université Savoie Mont Blanc, Grenoble Ecole de Management, Campus Condorcet, Collège de France, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, and IUT de Paris – Rives de Seine, in addition to briefings from administration and faculty at public and private higher education institutions.
“An unforgettable moment of the journey was meeting the U.S. Ambassador to France, Denise Bauer, who eloquently shared her profound appreciation for programs like the Fulbright that play a pivotal role in facilitating cultural exchanges that build global bridges,” said Espinoza.
Leading French educational experts and government officials, including representatives from the Multidisciplinary Institute in Artificial Intelligence, French Alternative Energies, the Atomic Energy Commission, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, gave presentations about the French educational system, unique opportunities for academic study and research in France, and industry-university collaboration and innovation. Tours of historical and cultural sites included visits to historic Grenoble and “Le Paris Noir.”
A popular destination for education abroad programs, LMU has offered study abroad programming in France for decades. The LMU Summer in Paris program offers undergraduate students the opportunity to study film, dance, multiculturalism, and the French language while engaging in hands-on learning outside of the classroom.
Espinoza intends to leverage the knowledge acquired from this valuable experience to expand global learning opportunities for LMU students, faculty, and staff.
To learn more about the many ways LMU offers an internationalized curriculum, attend one of the many International Education Week (IEW) events being held on campus from November 13-17. Read more about IEW here.