On January 25, U.S. Fulbright Grantee Kelli Wilbert attended a collaborative dinner at the Little Texas Restaurant in Iasi hosted by Ms. Edwina Sagitto, Cultural Attache of the U.S. Embassy. Kelli was joined by two of her fellow colleagues in the English Department at Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Dr. Odette Blumenfeld and Dr. Veronica Popescu,  Peace Corp Volunteer Jocelyn Wromas, Ms. Monica Dragan of the Information Resource Center,  Ms. Ioana Damian of the U.S. Embassy, Adriana Maftei  of the American Corner Iasi and Dr. Lacramioara Stratulat of the Complexul Muzeal National Moldova.  

The Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program (TEA) is a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, and implemented by IREX, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization.

The Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program (TEA) provides international teachers with unique opportunities to develop expertise in their subject areas, enhance their teaching skills and increase their knowledge about the United States. The six-week program consists of a non-degree, non-credit customized academic program, including seminars on new teaching methodologies, curriculum development, lesson planning, and instructional technology. Fellows will also participate in a practicum in a U.S. secondary school near the host university to work closely with U.S. teachers and teach and present to U.S. students. Cultural enrichment, mentoring, and support will be provided throughout the program. The international participants will travel to the United States in two cohorts of 88-90 teachers each in spring or fall 2013.

Upon returning home, TEA program alumni are eligible to apply for small grants for essential teaching materials, follow-on training for other teachers, collaborative projects between schools in their home country and the United States, and other activities that build on their U.S. experience.

In Romania, the program is administrated by the Romanian-U.S. Fulbright Commission.

Testimonial by Cristina Modreanu, Visiting Scholar NYU Performance Studies Department

It took me a while until I realized that I am in the middle of an experiment which is likely to change forever my view on life and my professional approach. My Fulbright experience is in all ways an enlightening one: since I first entered the Performance Studies floor at Tisch School of the Arts on Broadway I started learning how the learning process can be designed to be not only instructive but also enjoyable. The amazing professors at NYU are determined to use any strategy and new technology in order to help their students enter their professional life as ready as possible. What is called “educational process” is in fact a wonderful, difficult, but enriching journey that everyone is taking in order to become someone else – a better person. Michel Foucault’s “technologies of the self” are not only mentioned often, but also put into practice.

Florea, S. and Wells, P. J. Higher Education in Romania

Silvia Florea, Fulbright alumna and Co-holder of the UNESCO Chair of Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu and Peter J. Wells, Head of the UNESCO.CEPES (European Center for Higher Education) have co-authored the first monograph on Higher Education in Romania, in the UNESCO English series. The monograph is a welcomed addition to UNESCO 's library of knowledge, providing policy makers and researchers with a detailed account of the recent reforms undertaken for the modernization of a system of higher learning with a rich tradition stretching back over 350 years.

Dr. Marius Profiroiu, Fulbright Senior Alumnus 2010-2011 and a Professor of Public Policy and Administration at Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies has informed us about the launch of the Institute of Strategic Studies (ISS), a think tank promoting the experts’ civic involvement and  participation in decisions to influence the Romania’s future. ISS aims to make a contribution to the initiation, coordination and structuring of public policies at national level.

The launching event, to take place at Marriot Hotel, Bucharest, on December 15, will host the debate entitled The Reform and the Crisis of the Public sector in Romania: What is next?, addressing the latest trends on performance of the public system within the new economic and social context.

Dr. Profiroiu emphasizes that an important contribution to this project was brought by several academics from Martin School of Public Policy and Administration (his host university during the Fulbright stage) who encouraged and supported him to put these ideas into practice. We are also glad to notice that Dr. Calin Hintea, a Fulbright Senior Alumnus and a professor at Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj, is among the ISS initiators.

On the 21st and on the 25th of November, 2011, U.S. Fulbright Grantee Katelyn Browher organized an event at American Corner Constanta entitled “An American Thanksgiving: Thanksgiving Traditions of the United States”. Katelyn discussed with the students the history of the holiday, as well as some of the lesser-know traditions, such as the presidential turkey pardon, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and Black Friday. The activity focused on the history and modern traditions of the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States.

On December 4, U.S. Fulbright grantee Laura Evers was involved in an event entitled Global Village. Organized by AIESEC Suceava (http://aiesec-suceava.ro/), Global Village took place at Iulius Mall from 1pm - 7pm and featured the food, music, and dancing of ten different countries. Laura represented the United States, and with three high school team members organized a presentation on American society, in addition to preparing traditional American food.

“After about a month of teaching at the University of Bucharest, I was pleased to receive an invitation to lecture at Lucian Blaga University in Sibiu. As much as I am enjoying the rich cultural and intellectual life in Bucharest, i also appreciated the opportunity to travel to another city in Romania, especially one as beautiful as Sibiu.

My lecture was titled: “Love in the Bible: the Original Reality show.” It was attended by approximately 100 students, faculty and staff. In the course of the presentation, I also referred to my recently published Encyclopedia of Love in World Religions (cover photo attached) and explained its genealogy, scope, and my on-going scholarship on love and religion. One of the professors in attendance invited me to his class in Comparative Literature which met immediately after my lecture. There were approximately twenty students in his class and we continued to discuss issues pertaining to love in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. After both presentations, I enjoyed my conversation with Dr. Alexandra Mitrea, Dean and Professor of American Studies, and two other Fulbrighters who are teaching and conducting research in Sibiu. I am grateful for the Fulbright Program for enabling and encouraging such deep and profound cross-cultural dialogue.”

On October 6-7, the Romanian - U.S. Fulbright Commission marked the beginning of yet another year for American Juniors and Seniors in Romania. The event offered the participants the opportunity to meet face to face. They were briefed on their new environment by high officials of the U.S. Embassy and met members of the Romanian Fulbright Board of Directors, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, American and Romanian Fulbright alumni, professors and researchers. The second day of the event included a trip to Sinaia and Azuga, where the grantees had the opportunity to connect as a group in an informal environment. More pictures here.

Diana Melian and Radu Velica, two of the Romanian Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program (TEA) grantees are affiliated with Claremont Graduate University. An article about their experience and activities was published in Claremont Courier, a local U.S. newspaper.

To read the article, please follow the link below.

 Claremont Courier Article

“A Myriad of Activities in TEA Program at Utah State University

The days are rolling on unnoticeably in the hectic American life here in Logan, Utah. During the workshops we have had so far, we covered a diversity of topics, from curriculum, lesson planning, class management, to leadership and the use of technology in class. At week-ends, we had the chance to explore breath-taking places, such as Antelope Island, Bear Lake, Salt Lake, Timpanagos cave, which reminded us, the participants, that nature is worth fighting for to be preserved and respected.

On September 23-24, the Romanian-U.S. Fulbright Commission in collaboration with the Embassy of the United States, the Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (UEFISCDI) and National School of Political Studies and Public Administration organized an event entitled 'Workshop for Improving the Romanian Higher Education System. Focus on: Internationalization of Campuses'.

On September 8-9, the Romanian-U.S. Fulbright Commission in collaboration with the Embassy of the United States and the Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (UEFISCDI) organized an event entitled 'Workshop for Improving the Romanian Higher Education System. Focus on: Research Management'. The event is the second in a series of three workshops to address topics of interest for improving the Romanian higher education system, such as Management of Student Services, Management of the Internationalization of Campuses and Research Management.

The 3rd Fulbright Anniversary Volume - Fulbright Ripple Effect on International Education. Looking Ahead from a Romanian and American Perspective - launched on April 16 is available online. The 3rd volume in the Anniversary series published in 2010 and 2011, celebrating the 50 years of Fulbright presence in Romania, is actually an invitation to younger generations of students, graduates, academics and professionals to join the ranks and continue this tradition of educational and cultural exchanges.