NOVA Faculty, Staff Visit Scotland’s Abertay U. in Advance of Summer 2023 Cyber, Criminal Justice Study Abroad

September 2, 2022 / General NOVA News

A group of NOVA faculty and staff visited Scotland from August 20 through 25 to meet with representatives of Abertay University in Dundee and to prepare to send students for a cybersecurity and criminal justice study abroad program during the summer of 2023. Leeza Fernand, associate director of international education and student services; Stacey Bustillos, associate director of international student services; Barbara Hopkins, VP of academic affairs and Paula Ford, dean of IET met with the deputy chancellor of Abertay, international program officers, faculty and other representatives and had the opportunity to discuss details of the program.

Not all American community college students have the opportunity to study abroad, but NOVA understands the life-changing benefit to students and makes these opportunities a priority. Those selected for this program will have the opportunity to study for four weeks virtually, and then take the final four weeks in Scotland. This provides students with competing priorities and financial limitations with an opportunity for an immersive study abroad bootcamp.. The program also enables faculty who wish to teach abroad with a professional development opportunity to build their resume with international experience.

“The most exciting part of the trip was being able to walk in the shoes of the students,” said Leeza Fernand. “We had an opportunity to see their accommodations, participate in the cultural and historical trips they will be taking and meet the faculty that will teach in the program. This endeavor started with a small purpose, but it has expanded broadly, and we see great potential of this partnership being intensified.”

NOVA and its international programs have gained momentum in recent years. After receiving a letter from the Department of State about NOVA’s IDEAS grant, Congressman Gerry Connolly reached out to NOVA to express his congratulations to NOVA for receiving the grant and for their work with students in the region and around world.  

The study abroad and the cybersecurity partnership with Abertay are made possible through a grant from the U.S. Department of State. NOVA was awarded the IDEAS grant, which stands for ‘increase and diversify education abroad for U.S. students,’ in early 2020, but the program was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of the grant is to increase and diversify the number of U.S. higher education institutions that engage in international programs, the population of American students who study abroad and the destinations where they study. Institutions that received the grant are 33 percent minority serving, 20 percent community colleges and 36 percent rural community serving. In 2021, the IDEAS program engaged nearly 3,000 study abroad professionals from nearly 1,100 colleges and universities in the United States, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The 2023 Scotland study abroad program continues to seek faculty members interested in leading the program in summer 2023. If interested, you can find details here. Contact Leeza Fernand with questions at LFernand@nvcc.edu.

Left to Right: Beth Meehan, senior international officer-Americas; Paula Ford, dean of information and engineering technologies and pathway dean of computer science; Leeza Fernand, associate director of international education and sponsored programs and director of community college initiative program; Alastair Irons, deputy principal and deputy vice chancellor, Abertay University; Barbara Hopkins, associate vice president for academic affairs and director of curriculum development; Stacey Bustillos, associate director, international student services; Will Gilzean, international officer-Americas
Left to Right: Beth Meehan, senior international officer-Americas; Paula Ford, dean of information and engineering technologies and pathway dean of computer science; Leeza Fernand, associate director of international education and sponsored programs and director of community college initiative program; Alastair Irons, deputy principal and deputy vice chancellor, Abertay University; Barbara Hopkins, associate vice president for academic affairs and director of curriculum development; Stacey Bustillos, associate director, international student services; Will Gilzean, international officer-Americas

 

Submitted by:
Kathy Thompson, Communications, KAThompson@nvcc.edu