Global Education

Thursday, August 29, 2019

OSU school counts its impact around the world as it marks 20 year

The School of Global Studies and Partnerships at Oklahoma State University is celebrating 20 years of global education and preparing students for careers with the U.S. government, international nonprofits and multinational organizations. Since its inception, more than 500 students from around the world have earned master’s degrees in international studies and are working to make a difference in more than 56 countries through organizations such as HelpAge International, UNICEF and Walmart.

“We are proud of our alumni and the impact they have both here and abroad,” Dean Dr. Randy Kluver said. “We continue to be dedicated to developing global leaders who are making a difference in the fight against global hunger, poverty, sustainability and humanitarian crises.”

In April 1999, OSU established the School of International Studies to direct international endeavors and prepare students for global careers. The Oklahoma A&M Board of Regents restructured the unit in late 2016 into the School of Global Studies and Partnerships.

In January 2018, Dr. Jami Fullerton, a longtime OSU professor and the Peggy Welch Chair in Strategic Communications, became the director of academic programs. Since then, the program has doubled in size and will welcome about 25 new graduate students this fall.

“Students are drawn to our program because of the skills they develop and connections they make,” Fullerton said. “We’ve been successful at placing students in internships with the U.S. Department of State, multinational NGOs and corporations.”

Pending approval from the OSU/A&M Board of Regents and the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, the School of Global Studies’ new curriculum will go into effect this fall. The curriculum features an interdisciplinary approach. Additionally, the school has brought in its first two full-time faculty members: Dr. Marten Brienen, an expert in crisis management and Dr. Eugene Bempong Nyantakyi, a global trade economist from the World Bank.

The school houses the Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies Program, which examines critical environmental, economic and developmental issues facing Iran and the Persian Gulf region. The program awarded its first of four professorships this year to Dr. Saleh Taghvaeian, an assistant professor and state extension specialist in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering who is an expert in water issues in the region.

Earlier this year, the school welcomed the Tulsa Global Alliance to the OSU-Tulsa campus. This partnership will allow OSU students in both Stillwater and Tulsa the opportunity to interact with international visitors and leaders who visit the state. The school also plans to offer its master’s in global studies at OSU-Tulsa, including its graduate certificate in global trade, pending approval.

“OSU has an incredible international heritage, and the 20th anniversary of the School of Global Studies and Partnerships is a large part of that,” Kluver said. “We believe these changes will help us use our resources to provide students, faculty and staff across the university with the best tools to succeed as we continue to build on OSU’s global legacy.”