Diane Prouty-Harris (From U.S.A), Ph.D. in Education Policy,
Curriculum and Teaching:
"The total educational experience that I received as a graduate
student while at Michigan State helped me more than I can articulate
for the current work and position I have today. It helped prepare
me in all realms of my development including both on an intellectual
and emotional level. I also developed a greater sense of self-confidence
particularly as I realized I was successfully completing a program
of studies considered to be one of the most rigorous in the country
and in the field of education. I continue to find that I gain immediate
respect from other colleagues and peers when they learn I did my studies
at MSU. It's always exciting to meet another Spartan out there who
shares the same pride I feel about being an MSU grad.”
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Scott
Johnston (From U.S.A.), Ph.D. in Teacher Education:
"Speaking from the perspective of an American citizen doing international
research at MSU, I found the collegiality and interaction with other
students -- both domestic and international -- an incredible learning
experience. We supported each other in many ways--social, personal
and academic. My friends continue to be colleagues in many ways."
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Ailing Kong (From
China), Ph.D. in Educational Psychology:
"I found that it is the combination
of opportunities to teach, to do research, and to interact with
professors and fellow students that prepared me with a solid foundation
to meet the demands of my current teaching and research. As a graduate
student, I had the opportunity to teach TE150, TCC305, TE501 &
502 and participate in LEAP and a couple of CIERA's research projects.
I also enjoyed interacting with professors and fellow students in
teaching and research contexts. I taught TE150 under the guidance
of Jack Smith, David Wong, and Ralph Putman at the beginning years
of my study at MSU. Although I taught elementary, secondary, and
college students back in China, teaching American college students
was a real challenge to me. The professors gave me a lot of support
and the regular TE150 instructors' discussions also created the
space for me to share my struggles and learn from other instructors.
I also worked as a teaching assistant for TCC305 with Maenette Benham
and later with Lynn Paine, when they mentored me in how to engage
the students in learning. I also worked as a liaison person for
Team One, where Sharon Feiman-Nemser, Jay Featherstone, and Jenny
Denyer guided me in supporting the student teachers in their teaching
in the real classrooms. Teaching at MSU helped me learn more about
American students and build my confidence in teaching them. Besides
teaching, I also participated in a couple of research projects during
the last four years of my study. I feel that working with Carol
Sue Englert in the LEAP project and CIERA's Summer Reading Project
led by P. David Pearson directly prepared me to become a researcher
and to conduct my own dissertation study. From participating in
those projects, I learned so much about doing research, collecting
and analyzing data from the professors and other graduate students.
In Erickson Hall, there were also seminars and discussions, such
as the Literacy Colloquium, that helped to enrich my learning. I
think what made my experiences at MSU most rewarding are the people
in Erickson Hall. All professors that I came in contact with supported
me in different contexts, whether being in the classrooms, in discussion
groups, in teaching, or in research projects. Those who had a big
influence on me include my advisors, Jim Gavelek and later David
Pearson, who was also my dissertation co-chair, together with Chris
Clark, Carol Sue Englert, Taffy Raphael, Jack Smith, Jenny Denyer,
Maenette Benham, Lynn Paine, and others. They are role models for
me as I now try to support my own students in ways they helped me
in my learning. I also feel thankful to my fellow students in Erickson
Hall who always supported each other and formed various study and
discussion groups that helped to enrich our intellectual life. I
participated in several groups, such as the Writers' Workshop, the
Vygotsky study group, and the critical pedagogy group.
Finally, I must also say that I really enjoyed the international
community in Erickson Hall. The LATTICE project and various other
events organized by or for the international students made me feel
welcome and valued. I wouldn't be able to have such an enjoyable
learning experience without the company of other international students!
They gave me so much support both intellectually and in everyday
life!Thank you, MSU! You have given me so much and I will try to
do my best to make you feel proud of me as well!"
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Suseela
Malakolunthu (from Malaysia), Ph.D. in Curriculum, Teaching,
and Educational Policy:
"The College of Education at MSU is a great institution of higher
learning. The high quality teaching and guidance provided by the faculty
members is excellent. For me it is a place which stimulated my intellectual
growth and through its rigorous academic program brought about tremendous
transformation in my thinking and outlook about education. MSU should
also be congratulated for the continuous support provided for its
international students and alumni." |
Anne
Mungai (from Kenya), Ph. D in Teacher Education:
"There is no campus life like MSU where you get to meet the whole
world. As an international student I enjoyed meeting other students
from all over the world. The many activities provided on campus were
great not just for me but also for my children. For all those professors
and staff who go the extra mile for international students. My involvement
with the LATTICE group is unforgettable and was a great experience." |
Okhee
Lee (From South Korea), Ph. D in Educational Psychology:
"I appreciate both the academic training and personal relationships
with many of the professors and students during my doctoral program." |
Kedmon N. Hungwe (From Zimbabwe), Ph.D in
Educational Psychology:
"I found the College of Education to be a lively learning environment.
I have wonderful memories of the different research groups. From an
international perspective, I enjoyed participating in a research group
with faculty and students with research interests in Africa. There
were other research groups in my department to choose from. At one
time I was participating in three groups.
The Office for International Studies in Education was always supportive
and I remember when we sat with Jack Schwille to set up the Int-Ed
listserv at a time when this kind of communication was not well established.
It was hard to get any postings at that time! Thanks to Jack’s
vision, this channel of communication has continued to serve the community.
I developed enduring friendships with several of the faculty in my
former department and program and they have continued to support me
years after graduation. It was in fact Susan Peters (CEPSE) who encouraged
me to apply for my current position with Michigan Technological University.
What I really miss about MSU is the Red Cedar river. I loved to watch
the water flowing lazily by as I walked to the library."
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Rory
E Douglas (from USA), EdS:
"The privilege of studying at MSU as a UNESCO Fellow from Fall
1994 through Spring 1996 was the realization of a life-long aspiration.
It was also the beginning of one of the most challenging and fulfilling
periods of my life. It exposed me to a whole new world of possibility
and ultimately became the steppingstone into full-time pastoral ministry
at the Vineyard. Going back to college as a mature international student
allowed me to reflect upon my own considerable experience in education
both in South Africa and Namibia, and to share this with fellow graduates
from around the world. I am extremely grateful to all the faculty,
staff, and students with whom I shared this wonderful decade of my
life. I praise God for the blessing that this time has afforded family
and me." |
Qasim M. Alshannag (from Jordan), Ph.D. in Curriculum,
Teaching, and Educational Policy:
"My experience at MSU was grateful, meaningful, helpful, and
thoughtful. While I was at MSU I learned a lot from my professors
as well as from my International colleagues from all over the world.
I got marred over their at Spartan Village (Apartment # 916F), I learned
a lot from being a graduate student and father at the same time. During
my study at MSU, I was granted two children Adalia ( My oldest daughter
was born on 2.12.1995) and Ghayth (My son was born on 3.15.1996).
The support that I got from my advisor Jim Gallagher, Don Duggan-Hass
(My best American friend), Deb Smith, Joyce Parker, Ed Smith, Jack
Schwille, Michel Sid lack, International Office, and others was highly
appreciated.
In Erickson Hall, I was in contact with many professors and friends
who supported me in different contexts, whether being in the classrooms,
in discussion groups, in teaching, or in research Colloquium, that
helped to enrich my learning. I think what made my experiences at
MSU most rewarding are the people in Erickson Hall. I also feel thankful
to my fellow students in Erickson Hall and Teachers from mid Michigan
(Members of LATTICE Project) who always supported each other and formed
various study and discussion groups that helped to enrich our intellectual
life.
Finally, I must also say that I really enjoyed the international community
in Erickson Hall. The LATTICE project was an extra ordinary project
that allowed me to widen my perspectives toward different cultural
issues. In addition to that, I got Thoman fellowship and I worked
in Layman Briggs School at MSU as a Chemistry lab coordinator for
three years, all of these helped me to gain a first hand experience
through interaction with people who have different culture than I.
By the end, I feel more confident of being a Spartan fellow. This
is what my colleagues in Jordan always say! Thank you, MSU! You have
given me so much and I will try to do my best to make you feel proud
of me as well!" May Allah (Good) bless all of you at MSU!
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Sang-Jin
Kang (From Korea): Ph.D in Measurement, Evaluation and
Research Design
"I
came to MSU in the fall of 1984 and graduated in March 1992, which
may be considered as a long term period for graduate study. One
of the reason I stayed at MSU such a long time was that I wanted
to study more and more while I was at U.S.A. Michigan State is a
big university, and there were so many attractive courses I wanted
to took. So, during my graduate studies, I just thought I would
learn much then I would back to Korea immediately after my graduation.
It didn't work in that way though.
As I worked as an research assistant in several projects such as
BRIDGES, the USAID sponsored project under Professor Schwille's
directorship, School Context with Brian Rowan and Steve Raudenbush,
and other projects, I could have more broad research experiences
that were counted in the academic society. Professor Jack Schwille's
support was essential for me to be a USAID consultant in 1989, and
I visited Indonesia for the analysis of their national elementary
school data. I got the first-class air ticket to Indonesia from
Washington D.C. and worked in Jakarta for one month. It was great
and unsual experience as a graduate student could have. I had my
own driver while I was working at the national research institute
(Balitbang Dikbood) in the ministry of education and got paid very
generously.
The most exciting experience happened when I was at job market in
1991-1992 academic year. I found I couldn't get any university position
in Korea in the fall of 1992. So, I applied for several american
universities and research institutes that were not highly ranked.
I got doomed resposes from those institutes that I first applied
for. I met Jack Schwille and asked him what I should do. He recommended
me to the TIMMS project and Bill Schmidt, the director, hiered me
as a post doctoral researcher. My advisor, Steve Raudenbush, was
on sabbatical leave and worked at Harvard during that time. In the
telephone talk with Steve, he said why I was reluctant to apply
for the top rated universities and encouraged me that I was fully
qualified to apply for those universities. I found only research
universities wanted to interview me. Three research universities
invited me for campus visit and finally UC Santa Barbara offered
me the position. Also Bill Schmidt at TIMMS encouraged me to go
there.
Now I think the most valuable experience I had at Michigan State
is the research experience with faculties. I could work with Steve
Raudenbush, Brian Rowan, Jack Schwille, Bill Schmidt face to face
and learned research work from the bottom to the top. Also Steve
Raudenbush, my adviser, was a great scholar and a teacher to me.
I didn't reallize how much the research experience was valuable
for me when I was a student. I want to say now that participation
in the research project and closely working with faculties are the
most valuable learning experiences that a graduate student can have
at Michigan State University." |
Marietha Dos Santos (from France), MA in Education
"My academic and professional background, include a MA(ed) from
MSU, experience with the South African diplomatic service and the
United Nations World Food Programme. During the last 15 years I was
based with my French husband and 2 third culture kids in countries
like Malawi, the Dominican Republic, France and Pakistan. Presently,
I am doing research for D.Litt et Phil thesis in Development Studies.
We are presently based in Brazil...
On my MSU experience.
An extensive repertoire of strategies is needed today that requires
us to deal with a world simultaneously lead by diversity and interdependence.
Developing a conceptual understanding of the new world of learning,
new ways of inclusive leadership in our journey searching for excellence,
equity and equality in education is indispensable, as the minimum
threshold level of skills and competencies for employability is rising.
During my MA studies at MSU, I have reached a new way of how I perceive
myself in context to the world and I came to understand that at the
heart of the learning organization of the millennium, there is the
intention towards a shift of mind, from seeing ourselves as separate
from the world, to connect to the world. At MSU I have been showed
directions to learning in new and different ways, for which I will
always be grateful. Meaningful learning happened often, when I was
brought in a relation with the
instructor and the subject, struggling on issues to take me to a place
of knowledge, where conflict, diversity, ambiguity, and paradox were
embraced in order to examine the different ways of knowing, to clarify
the inner sources of teaching and learning, not having my ignorance
and fear exposed or to dictate the outcomes but to lead me on a road
to find my own truths. That was precious."
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Mohammad
Faaiz Gierdien (from South Africa), Ph.D in Teacher Ed.
Daniel Chazan’s intellectually stimulating support, his patience,
insight and guidance kept me going towards my goal while I was at
MSU. Under his helpful direction my dissertation developed from
its proposal with a narrow focus on teachers' cognition into one
that is well-connected to reform efforts in school mathematics in
South Africa and the United States. Through his mentoring I've unlearned
boundaries between teaching and learning, policy and practice, children
and mathematics, and mathematics and history, to name but a few.
Robert Floden, Lynn Paine and Jack Schwille, have been supportive
of my aspirations. I have benefited greatly from their scholarship.
I shall never forget the late William Fitzgerald of the Connected
Mathematics Project. The same is true for Sandy Wilcox and Susan
Peters. Jack Smith’s group proved a fruitful place where I
developed my research interests. Also, I am especially grateful
to Suzanne Wilson for making me think hard about mathematics as
a discipline and mathematics in the school curriculum.
Today I miss the company of Michael Kehler, Tat Ming, Rajendra
Nagappan, Loyiso Jita, Lillian Muofhe, Helene and Khaled Furani
amongst others. Manelisi proved a good listening ear to my research
ideas. Whitney Johnson, Dara Sandow, Violeta Lazarovic and Irfan
Muzaffar were always interested and interesting. |
Phone-Mei
Chou (from Taiwan), Ph.D in Teaching, & Educational
Policy
"Studying
in MSU is my unforgettable and valuable intellectual journey in
my life. After five years later since I left MSU in August 1999,
my memories about MSU -including of the beautiful campus, and my
dear professors and friends who gave me much assistance and friendship
during my studying-still vivid and joyful. Those learning experiences
provided me with the ground on which I can feel confident for working
as a teacher educator in my country now. Especially, the encouragement
provided from my advisor, Dr. Wilson, helped my in the growth intellectually
and emotionally." |
Jian
Wang (from China), Ph.D in Teacher Education
People often call the place home that they miss most long after they
left it, they always rely on for support wherever they need, and they
often show off their connection to whenever they have chances. Michigan
State University is such a home to my family and me. Almost everything
we have achieved and felt proud of doing ever since we came to US
is directly and indirectly tied to Michigan State University and people
over there. Although my daughter, Lily, knows nothing about MSU yet
because she is only 10 days
old, our decision to bring her to this world is partly inspired by
some of our friends and professors at MSU. My wife, my son, and I
received our best training in the fields that we pursued at Michigan
State. I had my Ph.D. in Curriculum, Teaching and Educational Policy,
my wife, Weiling Yang, received her Masters in Educational Psychology,
and my son, Yang Wang, completed his Suzuki violin program in MSU's
community music school and his elementary education at Spartan Village
Elementary School. Professors and teachers at MSU become our life
long mentors, colleagues, and friends. Although we were all foreign
students in terms of legal status, we rarely had any sense of foreign
during our six years' life at Michigan State. |
Vuyisile
Msila (from South Africa), M.A. in Curriculum and Teaching
A great
place where I made everlasting friendships from people all over
the world. |
Leapetswe Malete (from
Botswana), Ph.D in Sport Psychology
"Nothing
compares to academic programs that take cognizance of the interests
or varying needs of international students especially in a rapidly
changing world. The internationally oriented programs and faculty
at MSU makes the institution stand out in this area. I was therefore
not surprised to find at MSU a big community of international students
from various parts of the world. The experiences I gained from interacting
with my colleagues from the US and various parts of the world enriched
my life and broadened my scope on global matters.
While
the breathtaking beauty of the campus left me with some fond memories
of MSU, it was the interdisciplinary nature of the academic programs,
the great student advising, and the many opportunities I had to
engage in research activities and present my work at on-campus seminars
and major conferences which truly defined my graduate experience
at MSU. For instance, I was able to enhance my graduate preparation
in sport psychology by taking comprehensive coursework in developmental
psychology, research methods and statistics. The great mentoring
I received from many of my professors and in particular my advisor,
Deb Feltz, instilled so much confidence in me and prepared me for
my professional life. The totality of these experiences is what
makes MSU a beautiful campus." |
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