BRIDGES - Kennedy Center - Brigham Young University

elatively undersupported—at least in terms of time, attention,
and energy. As I have re-read the inaugural remarks made by
President Holland, David Kennedy, and others, it's clear then
that they anticipated quality research on global topics of importance
would be a major feature of the center. And while we've
always done some of that, I'm convinced that we could do a
better job.”
However, research does not occur without funding. “That
was our motivation to seek government funding—something
we've never done before. I'm very pleased that we played a
key role in the grant to establish the Center for the Study of
Europe (CSE), and the associated fellowships for students
[see News section],” declared Ringer. “We're also excited to be
hosting the National Middle East Resource Center. We intend
to provide the kind of support required to become a major
research institution in the United States. We will pursue
grants from the government and from entities such as the
MacArthur Foundation and the Ford Foundation.”
This previously unexplored avenue is sure to generate new
opportunities given the quality of BYU scholars. Though competiton
for funds is fierce, the exercise will help the center
focus, and successful receipt of those funds will allow expansion
of the center’s offerings.
Major research awards lead to the kind of conference and
publication activities the center has already been involved in to
some extent. Each year the center has awarded research grants
through an open competion. This year a solicited grant competition
was added to focus on nation building in the Middle
East. “We hope to drive the research agenda of BYU faculty
and support them as they research key global topics. Our
anticipation is that these solicited grant awards would go
toward the production of books, journal articles, conferences,
and other activities that will establish us as a major player, first
in the Rocky Mountain West and eventually nationwide, in
key international areas,” he said.
“My sense is that there is a lot of creative activity on campus
and we've played some role in fostering that, but we can play a
much bigger role in making sure that quality research is supported
at the university,” he added. “Students receive research
funds, faculty receive research funds, and
if we properly coordinate the related
activities it will add to the momentum
and produce a quality academic
experience for students,
a quality professional
experience for our faculty,
and a quality
enrichment experience
for the
community."
Academic Essentials
From study abroad programs based in Europe—principally
France, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, or London—there is now
only one continent not visited by BYU students: Antarctica.
“Those early programs were big, semester-long programs, and
they were popular programs with seventy to eighty students,”
reflected Rodney B. Boynton, Kennedy Center associate director
and director of International Study Programs (ISP).
At that time, curriculum was built around general education
and administered by Continuing Education. “As with any
other study abroad program across the country, the programs
were viewed as intense, enrichment experiences—not key to a
student’s major. When the Kennedy Center was created, the
connection between study abroad and the academic infrastructure
at BYU stepped forward in legitimacy,” said
Boynton. “They began to be viewed as essential; the highest
desirable experience that students could have connected to
their major. And when President Dallin Oaks reorganized the
academic calendar to accommodate two semesters and two
terms, departments found themselves with four months in
spring/summer to accomplish as much as they could in a
regular semester.”
Program Development
And that's also when disciplines such as political science,
history, and geography realized they didn't have to sacrifice
their faculty during fall and winter. “That opened the door to
greater opportunities for academic departments,” Boynton
said. “We all participate and collaborate on developing these
programs. We're not perfect by any means, and we haven't
achieved everything that we have wanted to achieve, but we
have the structure to promote good participation.”
However, that was not always the case, Boynton elaborated,
“With the creation of the International Vice President's
position [summer 2001], we now have full endorsement from
the highest administrative level for ISP. That's made all the
difference in the world in the way departments and faculty
approach us—in the way deans and chairs view us as collaborators
and full participants in structuring a program that is
what they want their students to experience.”
One challenge is to help departments formulate programs
that are essential to students’ majors. “Some departments
think that they cannot go off campus because it takes too
much time or too much energy; it’s too hard to organize;
they don't know how it fits in; they don't know
how a foreign experience
helps students—whatever
continued on page 38
37