BOZEMAN - A program hosted by Montana State University's Office of International Programs to help train teachers from around the world has also led to a local service organization awarding grants to those visiting educators to benefit their schools back home.

Each year, MSU's Office of International Programs hosts the Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. government and administered by the International Research and Exchanges Board in Washington D.C. Educators from around the world come to MSU to learn about pedagogy, leadership development and technology. Participants are chosen for their dedication to education in their home countries and undergo comprehensive training to enhance their teaching skills and enrich their home institutions.

"We bring 20 to 23 high school EFL teachers from around the world to Bozeman for a six-week training program," said Janelle Rasmussen, director of International Training Programs. "IREX and the State Department work with embassies around the world to select the participants. It's an extremely prestigious and competitive program."

This program has helped international educators find funding for projects. Since fall 2016, FTEA participants have made presentations to the Bozeman Sunrise Rotary about their visions to improve their home communities and schools for a chance to win a grant from the club.

Over the years, 13 FTEA participants visiting MSU have received these grants representing Bolivia, Cote d'Ivoire, Ecuador, Mali, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nepal and Nicaragua. Basu Dev Dawadi from Nepal, for example, was the first FTEA participant to be awarded $2,500 for the Pashupati Mitra Secondary School in Kathmandu. The grant paid for a photocopier, a classroom projector and miscellaneous supplies.

"It's great that MSU reaches out into the community through connections that it has, such as my professorship or members of the Office of International Programs," said Mary Hubbard, current Bozeman Sunrise Rotary Club Member and former professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at MSU. "This has allowed the community to contribute back to the Fellows within the Fulbright program."

This Bozeman Sunrise Rotary club established an ongoing partnership with OIP, and the club expanded its support. The Bozeman club partnered with the Rotary Club of Tripureswor in Kathmandu to benefit education in Nepal, and a proposal created in 2017-18 secured a $5,000 Rotary International grant to support the country's Shree Bhawani Secondary School to build new restrooms to replace those destroyed during an earthquake in 2015.

Following the success of these initiatives, a third proposal collected matching funds from Rotary clubs in Montana, Wyoming and Utah that led to a global grant from Rotary International for $148,000 to provide teacher training, computer infrastructures and classroom teaching aids to six Nepali schools.

Representatives from OIP and the Rotary club traveled to Nepal this past November to witness the impact of collaborative efforts. During the visit, the group met with Dawadi and conducted site visits to four of the six schools supported by the program.

"The partnership between our office and the Bozeman Sunrise Rotary Club illustrates MSU's global commitment," said Dan Miller, dean for global engagement and international programs. "Through collaborative efforts, we've supported educational initiatives worldwide, notably in Nepal, fostering cultural exchange and enhancing educational opportunities between mountainous communities. Hosting teachers from around the globe here at MSU for training through the Fulbright program has made a significant impact. Nepal holds a special place for MSU's community, and our increasing involvement within the country underscores its strategic importance in our global initiatives."

For more information about the Office of International Programs and the services provided, visit montana.edu/international. A new cohort of FTEA Fellows is expected to arrive at MSU in September.

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