HOUSTON, April 28, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Since the inception of the Center for International Studies at the University of St. Thomas in 1981, the Center has prepared students for international careers through courses that focused on global issues, area studies and diplomacy.
This year, the Center for International Studies will celebrate its 35th anniversary. The celebration will honor the Center's recent accomplishments and serve to thank those who contributed to the Center's success.
To date, more than 1,100 CIS alumni have embraced the international opportunities provided by the Center.
Begun by founding director Dr. Ann Q. Tiller, the CIS is the oldest granting academic studies in Texas and one of the oldest centers for international studies in the southwest.
CIS's recent accomplishments include securing back-to-back U.S. State Department interns for a nationally competitive, two-year paid internship program; sending a study abroad delegation to Taiwan where students witnessed the election of Taiwan's first female president as official election observers as well as being received by Taiwan's outgoing president; and sending students on a nine-day cultural exchange program to Japan, paid for entirely by Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Director of the Center for International Studies Dr. Hans Stockton is proud of the Center's latest efforts in global participation.
"Reaching such milestones is a major accomplishment for the Center's alumni, faculty and community friends because of the decades-long legacy and tradition that these anniversaries represent," Stockton said.
CIS was also awarded the US Department of Education's International Studies and Foreign Languages grant, separate grants from Taiwan's Ministry of Education to support the founding of a Taiwan and East Asia Studies Program at UST and to fund full-time Chinese language instruction. Former Houston Mayor Annise Parker also presented UST with a Consular Corps of Houston grant for excellent in international education.
Providing Students with Broad Perspectives for a Big World
CIS houses the international studies, international development and geography programs at UST. The Department of International Studies is slated to become the Department of International Studies and Modern Languages in fall 2016. Stockton said incorporating language and culture into area studies can prove invaluable to all contemporary majors and minors.
CIS is the only such center in the Houston area dedicated to educating students on the importance of international affairs while providing them the necessary skillsets for careers in global engagement.
In cooperation with other academic or public affairs organizations, CIS sponsors events and seminars, conferences, symposia and programs on scholarly or current issues in the international field. These special events include the Distinguished Diplomat Lectures, a biennial lecture series held each spring after the federal election.
Graduates of CIS had gone on to careers in the private sector, including energy, medical, finance and translation; pursued graduate studies in law, business and the social sciences; and worked with foreign governments and corporations around the world.
"CIS students are prepared to enter a globalizing world equipped with knowledge of diverse political, economic and social systems," Stockton said. "Whether or not our graduates enter the foreign service of their home country, all of our graduates will become diplomats of one form or another."
The University of St. Thomas, dedicated to educating leaders of faith and character, is a private institution committed to the liberal arts and to the religious, ethical and intellectual tradition of Catholic higher education. St. Thomas is Houston's only Catholic University and was founded by the Basilian Fathers.
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CONTACT:Sandra Soliz
Director of Communications
University of St. Thomas
713-906-7912
solizs@stthom.edu
