Swiss
Wins Friends’ Excellence in Teaching Award
Yves Plancherel, a graduate student in the Geosciences
Department, has won the Excellence in Teaching Award
presented annually by the Friends of Davis International Center
to the outstanding international graduate assistant for excellence
in teaching undergraduates. Yves, a thirty-one
year old from Switzerland, has been a graduate assistant for the
past two years to Dr. Gregory E. van der Vink, a visiting faculty
member in the Department of Geosciences and the Princeton University
250th Anniversary Visiting Professor for Distinguished Teaching.
For detailed information about Yves Plancherel
and the Excellence in Teaching
Award, click here.
Sunny’s Helpers
For the past several years, Sunny Onish, leader
of the Group Conversation Program sponsored by Friends of Davis
International Center, has utilized assistants in helping to manage
the conversation program. In each case, the “helpers”
were originally international students enrolled in the conversation
program. Each one ‘graduated’ to becoming her assistant.
The first ‘graduate’ was Helga Wellhoefer from Germany
who spent four years as a student in the group conversation program
before becoming an assistant for three years. This past year she
‘retired’ to pursue additional interests. Next in line
is Godze Ucar from Turkey, a group student for
six years, including the last two as an assistant, who worked alongside
Helga. Godze will step down for the spring semester as she is now
a full-time fashion student at Burlington County College. Next fall,
her schedule will permit her to return to the group conversation
program.
A more recent helper is Heike Reinhart, also a
young woman from Germany, who participated in the conversation program
as a student for over three years before becoming an assistant this
past year. The latest addition is Catherine Bianco
from Switzerland who has been a group student for 18 months and
now works as an assistant.
As Sunny explains, “These young women are role-models for
our international students who see that their English can become
so much improved that they, too, could become my assistants.”
Book Club Update
Under
the inspiration and guidance of Ilse Lazovic, a group tutor in the
conversation program, the Friends’ Book Club became a reality
a few years ago. Each month a group of international students meets
to discuss an assigned book which they have chosen and then read
the previous month.
Since the discussions are conducted in English and the books are
in English, the book club becomes an excellent way for the students
to improve their reading and conversational skills.
Currently, there are fifteen students who represent Turkey, Russia,
German, China, Japan, Colombia and Spain. The assigned book for
the next club meeting in December is Anita Shreve’s Seaglass.
Also at the next meeting, Ilse will suggest several book choices
for the assigned reading and then the group will ‘democratically’
vote their choice.
Participant Gozde Ucar of Turkey is very happy
to be part of the club. “Because we are all reading the same
book, it gives us something in common to talk about, since we all
come from different countries and speak different languages.”
She goes on to say, “Knowing I have a deadline helps to motivate
me to read!”
For further information, contact Ilse at plazovick1@comcast.net