YSU forms international faculty group

YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State University is forming an International Faculty Association.

“The main idea of the association is to facilitate and to be a source for the efforts and the contributions of international faculty to YSU’s image, growth and expansion,” said Gunapala Edirosooriya, professor in the YSU Department of Educational Research, Foundations, Leadership and Technology.

An organizational meeting and reception for the new association was this week.

Jef Davis, director of the YSU Center for International Studies and Programs, said the International Advisory Council was formed in late 2006 by the late Dr. Robert Herbert, YSU provost, to provide guidance and support to CISP and to assist in improving the institutional climate of the university to make it more receptive to international activities.

The council is the force behind the formation of the International Faculty Association.

IFA will provide a forum for issues affecting YSU faculty from other countries, Davis said.

It also will act as a source of input for YSU international recruitment, planning, services and activities and a source of support for new international faculty and their families.

In addition, Davis said the association will be a resource for YSU faculty who wish to participate in international exchange opportunities.