Registration
(Snacks will be provided)

Opening, Dr. Jerry Steward
(Student Performance)

"Approaches and Resources for Teaching Multicultural, International, and Low-Income Students," Professor Kim Jameson and Professor Mark Schneberger"

Dinner & Keynote Speaker - Mr. Charles W. Blackwell

Keynote Speaker - Dr. Joshua Landis

Joshua Landis is the Director of the Center for Middle East Studies and an Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma. He writes on Syria and its surrounding countries. His recent articles have covered the Syrian stock market, economic reform, Islamic education, opposition movements, the Peace Process, and his book, “Syria’s Democratic Experiment” is forthcoming from Palgrave-Macmillan.  He writes “SyriaComment.com,” a daily newsletter on Syrian politics that attracts some 50,000 readers a month and is widely read by officials in Washington, Europe and Syria. Dr. Landis consults frequently in Washington and Europe. He has spoken recently at the Brookings Institute, USIP, Middle East Institute, and Council on Foreign Relations.  He is a frequent analyst on TV and radio and has appeared on the Lehrer News Hour, Charlie Rose Show, CNN, NPR, BBC and is quoted regularly in leading papers.  He was educated at Swarthmore (BA), Harvard (MA), and Princeton (PhD). He has lived over 14 years in the Middle East and speaks Arabic and French fluently. He has been awarded a SSRC and three Fulbright Scholarships for study in the Middle East and travels there regularly.

Keynote Speaker - Mr. Charles W. Blackwell

Charles W. Blackwell is the CEO and Director of First American Business Center in Washington, D.C.  He also serves his people as the Chickasaw Nation Ambassador to the United States of America. He is Chickasaw/Choctaw and an enrolled citizen of the Chickasaw Nation.  Mr. Blackwell received his law degree from the University of New Mexico in 1972.   In 1984, he established the Native Affairs and Development Group in Washington, D.C., a group devoted to promoting successful business relationships between the private and tribal business sectors.  He has received numerous awards for his work in this area.  Most recently, he was honored in 2007 with the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency's National Director's Legacy Award for Lifetime Achievement.  Mr. Blackwell lectures periodically on Indian Law at law schools around the country.  He believes that strong independent economies and excellent education systems are necessary for the survival of sovereign tribal nations.  He works tirelessly to build businesses and academic environments which establish and sustain these economies.  In all phases of his life and work, Mr. Blackwell applies the traditional warrior principles of strength, wisdom, courage, and generosity.
 

"Approaches and Resources for Teaching Multicultural, International, and Low-Income Students," Professor Kim Jameson and Professor Mark Schneberger

This session will provide information, handouts, and tips associated with approaches and resources for working with the multicultural, international, and/or low-income student. The session will provide insight and brief training on cultural differences and diverse learning styles, and the affects of generational poverty on student success.  The workshop will also explore and provide hands-on practice with Biggs’ three levels of teaching multicultural and international students to move educators from Level 1 “teaching as assimilating” and Level 2 “teaching as accommodating” to Level 3 “teaching as educating." A Website link and information will be provided as well.

Ms. Jameson has taught Composition, Multi-cultural Composition, Success in College and Life, Literature, Learning Skills, and Humanities courses at the College level, tutored E.S.L. and international students, taught in the High Schools, served as a Tutoring Center Assistant Coordinator and Computer Lab Assistant Director at the University of Central Oklahoma, and Composition Coordinator at Oklahoma City Community College. She currently serves as Department Director of Language Arts at OCCC.

Recently, her practical experience includes development of “Pathway to Success” Instructor Training for Multicultural, International, and Low-Income Students. This ongoing workshop consists of nine sessions which provide material that assists in providing our high risk, high promise students a “Path to Success.”

Professor Mark Schneberger Bio: Mark A Schneberger is professor of English and Multicultural English program coordinator at Oklahoma City Community College. He has more than a decade of experience teaching international and multicultural students and has designed programs to meet their special learning needs. He is a member of national, regional and local multicultural and international education associations including, OKTESOL  (Oklahoma Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages), SIETAR (Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research), National TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) and OABE (Oklahoma Association of Bilingual Education) 2008-present. Additionally, he has had extensive training working with both the Hispanic and Somali student populations.

Coming Soon

"Science, H1N1 and Diseases," Dr. Daniel Boatright

Dr. Daniel Boatright Bio: Along with his duties as Senior Associate Dean of the College of Public Health, and Presidential Professor of Occupational and Environmental Health, Dr Boatright is the Public Health Practice and Distance Education Program Coordinator. Dr Boatright is also Director of the Southwest Center for Public Health Preparedness, and has worked extensively in the area of public health preparedness and response, to include leading an environmental health team deployed to the Astrodome during the events surrounding hurricane Katrina.  Since joining the University of Oklahoma in 1990 Dr Boatright has competitively secured and directed the expenditure of more than $20,000,000 in external funding as Principal or Co-Principal Investigator on grants and contracts. 

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health in the United Kingdom, and a member of Delta Omega Public Health Honor Society.

Dr Boatright served six years as Chair of the Environmental and Occupational Health Council and, is presently Co-Chair of the Practice Council, of the Association of Schools of Public Health, and serves on the ASPH Practice Committee.  He Chairs the Advisory Committee of Council Chairs for ASPH, and is Co-Chair of the Centers for Public Health Preparedness group of ASPH. He is a member of the Environment Section Council for the American Public Health Association. Dr Boatright also served three terms with the National Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council. He was among the inaugural group of health professionals recruited to serve on the Public Health Advisory Board of Pfizer Corporation, and in 2004 he was elected to the Board of Public Health Advisors of NSF Corporation where he continues to serve.

Dr. Boatright has held credentials as a Visiting Scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory for over ten years, and he served four years as Chair of the Oklahoma Governor’s Council on the Environment; he continues to serve on a wide variety of national boards, committees and councils. He is actively involved with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Energy and other federal agencies, working in the area of public health workforce preparedness related to counter-terrorist and threat reduction associated with potential chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear events. He holds a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D., all in environmental health, and has in excess of 37 years experience working with industry, federal and state agencies, the military, and municipalities in all aspects of developing, implementing, and managing effective environmental health and safety management programs.

"International Students," Ms. Sunny Garner

Coming Soon

Professor Presentation(s)

Coming Soon

"The World Languages and Culture Center," Professor Abra Figueroa and Ms. Chiaki Troutman

This session features a tour of OCCC’s World Languages and Cultures Center.  Opened in 2008, the WLCC is a state-of-the-art learning center for the study of languages, cultures, and all things international.  The facility is equipped with software for the study of eleven languages, satellite television in seven languages, live tutoring in French and Spanish, an extensive collection of international films, and many other resources and reference materials.  The lab provides events/activities for students who share an interest in international studies.

Abra Figueroa Bio: Abra Figueroa holds a Master of Arts degree in Bilingual/ESL Studies from the University of Massachusetts, and a Master of Education degree in Teaching and Curriculum from Harvard University. She has lived and studied in Europe, Africa, and Asia. She worked as a professor of ESL with the United States Peace Corps in Morocco and with Oklahoma State University in Japan. In addition to her responsibilities as Professor of Modern Languages at OCCC, she currently serves as Coordinator of English as a Second Language.

Chiaki Troutman Bio: Chiaki Troutman holds a Master of Arts degree in TESOL from Oklahoma City University.  She has over ten years of English as a Foreign Language teaching experience in her home country of Japan.  She has served professionally as an adviser to Japanese students pursing university studies in the United States.  She came to OCCC in 2008 when the WLCC was created.  She helped to open the facility and since has served there as Lab Assistant and lead staff person.  She coordinates operations, supervises language tutoring, and works with students and the community.

"Digital Design for a Global Audience," Professor Akram Taghavi-Burris

As the world becomes more connected than ever, digital designers are faced with the task of designing content that can communicate their message to individuals around the world. Because cultures around the world interpret verbal expressions, images and colors differently, designing for a global audience can be very trying for a designer. In this session we will exam some of the different cultural design trends, problems and solutions in digital design, taking a close look at both web and video game design.

Akram Taghavi-Burris Bio: Akram Taghavi-Burris currently holds the positions of Program Director and Professor of Computer Aided Technology Digital Media Options, which includes degrees in Multimedia, Video Game Design and Computer Animation. Akram is currently finishing her Master's in General Education at the University of Central Oklahoma and holds a B.S. in Education from the University of Central Oklahoma, an A.A.S in Computer Aided Technology from the Oklahoma City Community College, as well as a Certificate of Mastery in both Multimedia and Web Design from Oklahoma City Community College.

Akram has worked for over 10 years as a multimedia professional. Her strength are in web design, Flash animation, photo editing and 3D modeling. As an educator, she is dedicated to giving the help and direction students need to learn their topics.

"International Students on U.S. Campuses: How to Turn Their Presence into a Position Global Awareness Machine," Professor Dr. Germain Pichop

Every year, thousands of people leave their native countries and move to foreign places in search for a better education. The U.S. has traditionally received a sizable portion of these foreign nationals, who bring with them not only their hunger for U.S. knowledge, but also rich traditions, cultures, and knowledge. The campus community presents a rich opportunity for cultural exchange for all.

As the globalization of our economies continues to grows, colleges and universities are looking for ways to increase to global awareness in their campus communities. International students appear to be the key to improved global awareness strategies whose implementation would require little to no additional resources.

Dr. Germain Pichop Bio: Dr. Germain Pichop, a Fulbright Scholar, is the Business Department Chair and Co-Director of the Center of Excellence in International Business at Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC). Prior to joining OCCC, Dr. Pichop worked as an economist for the Africa Regional Program of The World Vegetable Center (AVRDC), where he coordinated socio-economic research activities across 15 African countries, and to a few Asian countries as well.

Germain Pichop was born, raised, and educated in Cameroon (Africa). He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Economics and Business Management from The University of Yaoundé (Cameroon) in 1994. He also studied at the International Relations Institute of Cameroon (IRIC) where he obtained a Master's Degree in International Marketing and International Affairs (1996). In 1997 he served as intern at the Cameroon National Cocoa and Coffee Board (NCCB), where he was exposed to the complexities of the international trade of cocoa and coffee. He was awarded the Fulbright grant in 1998 to pursue a doctoral program in Agricultural Economics at Oklahoma State University.

After graduating with his PhD in 2003, Dr. Pichop worked as Research Associate at the Department of Agricultural Economics at Oklahoma State University, until he began teaching Economics as a Professor of Business/Economics at Oklahoma City Community College. Germain Pichop is a recipient of the Leadership Recognition Award at Oklahoma State University (2000) and a SIFE Sam M. Walton Free Enterprise Fellow.

"A Journey to Nepal to See Globalization," Professor Gyanendra Baral

In this PowerPoint presentation, attempts will be made to help understand how a developing country, Nepal, is struggling to find its place in the global village. Social, economic and political aspects of Nepal will be revealed in the context of effects of globalization in terms of trade, information technology, culture and immigration. Nepal's example may help us compare and contrast effects of globalization in advanced economies and other developing economies.

Professor Gyanendra Baral Bio: Gyanendra Baral is currently a Professor of Business and Economics at Oklahoma City Community College. He holds a A.B.D. in Economics from the University of Memphis; a Masters in Local and Regional Economic Development from the Institute of Social Studies, The Hague, Netherlands; a Masters in Economics from Tribhuvan University; and a B.A. in Math and Economics from Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.