International Research Network wins recognition for IR Program

Tufts' International Relations program has drawn national attention with the receipt of a prestigious award.

On January 26 the IR program was bestowed with the Andrew Heiskell Award for Innovation in International Education for 2003-2004 .

Tufts was given the award in the study abroad category for its International Research Network (IRN). Director of the IR program Christiane Zehl Romero said that the IRN is an integral part of the study abroad program at Tufts.

Provost Jamshed Bharucha was pleased with Tufts' reception of the prestigious award. "The Andrew Heiskell Award recognizes Tufts' leadership in integrating two powerful experiences in undergraduate education: study abroad and undergraduate research," he said.

Bharucha also said that the award demonstrates Tufts predominance in international studies. "Tufts has a long-standing reputation in the international arena, and we also are ideally suited to providing research opportunities to our undergraduates because of our faculty's combined excellence in teaching and scholarship," Bharucha said yesterday.

Funded by a grant, the IRN "has been developed over the last three years with the Academic Technology department, and is now in its final state," Romero said. The IRN uses one internet site to help students bring together common resources, communicate with professors, and use pre-existing databases. In addition to the research tools, the IRN features former student papers and working faculty papers.

International relations at Tufts incorporates the IRN and its innovations into its program, according to Prof. Romero. Two IR electives are available, INTR 91 and INTR 92, which "prepare students to go abroad and spend time on a research basis, likely senior honor's thesis research," Romero said.

Using the ideas and concepts learned in these classes in conjunction with the IRN, undergraduate IR students are able to participate in research. "Doing research as an undergraduate is good preparation for later study," Romero said. "[It teaches] you to ask questions, look for answers, and independence."

The strength of its study abroad programs improved Tufts' standing in contention for the award, Romero believes. As opposed to the break from academic intensity that many see it to be, Tufts "considers study abroad to be an important and integral part of the educational program, which integrates international research and study abroad into the four year academic experience," Romero said.

The Heiskell award is the first for Tufts from the Institute of International Education (IIE), and could represent an important step in the development of the IR program. "[The award] will allow [us] to get more grants, to publicize the IRN and allow more people to use the network for research internationally," Romero said. "One of the biggest intentions of the Heiskell award is to publicize ideas and to have others copy it. Tufts will be glad to share ideas with other schools."

Provost Bharucha agreed with Romero, stating "other universities will take note of [the IRN] and emulate it."

In addition to receiving the award, a profile of the Tufts IR program is featured as one of the best practices in international education on the IIENetwork website.

The Heiskell Award is named after the late CEO of Time, Inc., and is given to three universities each year in the categories of study abroad, internationalizing faculty, and internationalizing the campus.