The Office of Global Education & Affairs (GEA) assists the college in preparing students to successfully compete in the job market, improve their quality of life, and embrace cultural diversity. The GEA seeks to increase global awareness throughout the college, while serving the international needs of the local community. The office assists faculty and staff in coordinating student study abroad programs. Through its history, the GEA has produced study abroad and professional development opportunities in the United Kingdom, India, Mexico and Italy.
The GEA office houses the Office of International Students (OIS). The OIS assists international students in finding housing and host families, dealing with health insurance issues, and assisting in opening bank accounts. OIS also provides other community information, general advising from academic peer support to student activities, and on-campus student employment information. The OIS is located in Building 110, Room 208. The office can be reached at (386) 506-3141.
The GEA houses the Director of International Projects and the Center for International Business Education (CIBE). The GEA is responsible for developing international academic exchanges and linkages for the college, coordinating college study abroad programs, assisting in recruiting international students, seeking outside funding for and administering international education (IE) activities at the College, coordinating faculty and staff exchanges, assisting in IE curriculum development activities, and acting as liaison to public and private domestic and international agencies and associations.
Over the past several years the GEA has administered several projects for the College including a Workforce Development Project, funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and AACC with the Universidad Regiomontana in Mexico to develop import/export programs and the Tertiary Education Linkage Program, funded by USAID and administered by the United Negro College Fund, as part of a consortium with Bethune-Cookman University and the University of Central Florida with Vista University in South Africa for curriculum development activities. Both of these projects have allowed the college to send faculty, staff and students for an overseas experience.
In addition GEA has continued its work with the government of the Dominican Republic, the Office of the President, the Secretary of Higher Education, Science and Technology, and a business association there to develop a community college in Eastern Santo Domingo: The Instituto Tecnico Superior Comunitario (The Superior Technical Community Institute). Activities were formally initiated in March 2007 with the signing of a contract with the Dominican government for $1.7 million sponsored by the Inter- American Development Bank (IDB). The inauguration of the Institute took place during the summer of 2008 and classes are expected to begin in 2011. A similar project was initiated in November 2007 with the signing of a contract with Government of the Bahamas, also sponsored by a $1.01 million IDB contract with the government of the Bahamas to restructure its Bahamas Vocational Technical Institute over a period of three years. That project includes the structuring of the BTVI to more closely reflect a US style community college.
Through GEA efforts, Daytona State College is continuing its participation in the North American Mobility program, in Hospitality Management, Tourism and Culinary Arts (NAMP). This is the College’s 14th year of involvement with the NAMP program, during which more than 30 students have been exchanged with partner schools throughout Canada and Mexico. Additionally, in cooperation with the Center for Business & Industry, the Visual Arts/Graphics Department and the Tryone/Donegal Partnership in Ireland, the College recently completed its seventh year serving as host to more than 126 students from Ireland and 14 instructors for a 10-week program in Digital Media.
The College is entering its fourth year of participation in the Community College Initiative Program (CCI), funded by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (USDOS/ECA) and administered by Community Colleges for International Development (CCID). By the conclusion of the 2010-11 academic year Daytona State College will have trained 63 students from the nations of Brazil, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Costa Rica, Ghana, Nicaragua, Panama, South Africa, El Salvador and Guatemala in the fields of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Information Technology, Digital Media, Interior Design and Automotive Technology through one year scholarships awarded to participants of this program.
Closely related to the CCI program are the Fellowships in Technical Education, administered by Community Colleges for International Development (CCID) and jointly funded by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (USDOS/ECA) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID). This program brings professors and senior administrators from technical schools in Egypt to Daytona State College where they are introduced to our best practices in an effort to transform these technical schools to more closely reflect the United State’s community college system.
The GEA is housed in Building 110 on the Daytona Beach campus our offices are in rooms 206, and 208. The Department’s staff can be reached at (386) 506-3141, 506-3837.
