Identifier

UA 30

Dates

1971-2018

Extent

5.84 linear feet [5 record boxes, 2 document cases]

Abstract

The International Affairs office assists the university and its constituents in gaining an international perspective are initiated, coordinated, and managed. This collection is composed of administration files compiled by the Director of the Office of International Affairs, and records dealing with agreements, exchange activities, faculty development seminars abroad, and visits by officials of participating international universities.

Historical Note

The Office of International Affairs serves as the administrative unit at SDSU where programs and activities designed to assist the entire university and its constituents in gaining an international perspective are initiated, coordinated, and managed.

The Office of International Affairs was established in 1988 as the Office of International Programs with Dr. David Hilderbrand as its first director. Dr. Hilderbrand served until fall 1993, when he was appointed Director of SDSU Sioux Falls Programs. During Dr. Hilderbrand's tenure, it concluded its first international agreements, establishing exchanges with Yunnan Normal University, in Kunming, China; with Chungnam National University, in Taejeon, South Korea; and with Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, England, among others.

In November 1993, Associate Professor Harriet Swedlund became Acting Director of International Programs and later, in May 1994, became Director. She served in that capacity until her retirement from SDSU in fall 2003. Under Swedlund, OIA saw dramatic growth, both in numbers of students and faculty traveling internationally, as well as in the number and scope of international agreements concluded with overseas partner institutions. During her nearly 10 years of service to OIA, she oversaw the development of agreements with more than a dozen different international institutions and with two consortia partners: the College Consortium for International Studies (CCIS) and the Cooperative Center for Study Abroad (CCSA).

The Office of International Affairs third and current director is Dr. Karl J. Schmidt. Trained in international affairs and history with a specialty in Asia, Dr. Schmidt came to SDSU in September 2003 from Missouri Southern State University, where he was Associate Professor of History and International Studies. Holding a joint appointment between the MSSU Department of History and the Institute of International Studies, Dr. Schmidt taught courses in the history of India and China, as well as international studies, and developed both summer study programs and faculty seminars to India. Under the current director, SDSU has seen an increase in the number of semester-abroad students, and has joined the American Council on Education's Internationalization Collaborative, the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), and the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP).

The Office of International Programs officially changed its name to the Office of International Affairs in September 2005 to better reflect the diversity of its activities.

Content Notes

This collection is composed of administration files compiled by the Office of International Affairs, and records dealing with agreements, exchange activities, faculty development seminars abroad, and visits by officials of participating international universities. The bulk of this collection is records dealing directly with Manchester Metropolitan University in Manchester, England. Chungnam National University in Daejeon, Republic of Korea, Yunnan Normal University in Kunming, People's Republic of China and other study and exchanges abroad with various countries.

The Administrative material is composed of administrative files compiled by the International Programs Office. Included are reports, clippings, and correspondence. The bulk of this series consists of material dealing with the internationalization of the university through teaching learning styles of various countries and regions throughout the world, newsletters published under various titles and formats over the years and posters used to advertise various programs available through the department.

The study, exchanges, and travel abroad material is composed of records dealing with agreements, exchange activities, faculty development seminars abroad, and visits by officials of participating international universities. The bulk of this collection is records dealing directly with Manchester Metropolitan University in Manchester, England. Chungnam National University in Daejeon, Republic of Korea, Yunnan Normal University in Kunming, People's Republic of China and other study and exchanges abroad with various countries.

The Manchester Metropolitan University material is composed of files dealing with agreements, exchange activities, faculty development seminars abroad, nursing health care and pharmacy exchange, and official visits. The oversize material is housed in oversize containers. The photographs were removed from the files and added to the UA 30.1 photograph archives as noted in the files.

The Chungnam National University material is composed of correspondence, lists of exchange professors and graduates, written experience of faculty, and photographs. Additional documentation of exchange activities can be seen in lists of visitors and students who exchanged, the itineraries for official visits, and social events held in honor of guests and professors which are found in separate files.

The Yunnan Normal University files is composed of correspondence, photographs, a list of the individuals who were exchange professors, and reports written by exchange professors documenting their experiences.

Material related to other exchanges and study abroad consists of material compiled for study abroad and exchanges with Africa, Australia and New Zealand, Bolivia, Canada, China, England, France, Germany, India, the International Arid Lands Consortium, Japan, Korea, the Middle East, Mexico, the Netherlands, the Pacific Rim, Poland Russia, Sweden and Denmark, and Switzerland. This material is arranged by country. The following scope notes were written with the assistance of Harriet Swedlund, former director of International Program at South Dakota State University.

SDSU Archives and Special Collections

Follow this link for more information:

https://www.sdstate.edu/sdsu-archives-and-special-collections/university-archives

Language

English

Publisher

South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library, Brookings, South Dakota.

Rights

Copyright restrictions apply in different ways to different materials. Many of the documents and other historical materials in the Archives are in the public domain and may be reproduced and used in any way. There are other materials in the Archive carrying a copyright interest and must be used according to the provisions of Title 17 of the U.S. Code. The Archive issues a warning concerning copyright restrictions to every researcher who requests copies of documents. Although the copyright law is under constant redefinition in the courts, it is ultimately the responsibility of the researcher to properly use copyrighted material.

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