Awards recognize NIU faculty,
departments for contributions
to international education

Professors Dwight King in political science and Madan Annavarjula in business management are the 2005 recipients of the Outstanding International Educator Award at NIU.

The award winners were announced Wednesday, Nov. 16, during the annual International Recognition Reception.

The Division of International Programs presents the Outstanding International Educator Award annually to NIU faculty members who have contributed significantly to international education through teaching, research, public service and student service.

King is director of the NIU Center for Southeast Asian Studies and is an expert in the political affairs of Indonesia, an island republic with the world's largest Muslim population. He is fluent in Malay, Indonesia's official language, and has served as adviser to former President Jimmy Carter during efforts to monitor the country's elections.

King actively recruits Indonesian students to NIU, and many of his former students have returned to their native country to assume key political posts. He is a strong advocate of study abroad, has taught more than 50 courses on international matters and has supervised 12 Ph.D. dissertations focusing on international topics.

“Professor King's expertise in Indonesian politics has made NIU very prominent in that nation,” said Deborah Pierce, executive director of the Division of International Programs. “It's a joy to go to Jakarta and hear Dwight's former students and others talk about the many contributions of 'Pak (Professor) King.' ”

Annavarjula has been a driving force behind the internationalization of curriculum in the College of Business. A prolific scholar in the area of globalization and business performance, he is a frequent presenter at international conferences. He teaches courses at NIU in international management and capstone courses in business strategy, and also has taught abroad at the Helsinki School of Economics in Finland and at Sacred Heart University in Luxembourg.

Annavarjula regularly recruits, trains and leads NIU students on study-abroad programs. He is being inducted into the NIU chapter of Phi Beta Delta, the honor society for international scholars, and recently won a grant to develop a course in international management, with an emphasis on Southeast Asia.

“Professor Annavarjula is highly dedicated to encouraging study abroad and to fostering international perspectives in the management curriculum,” Pierce said. “He makes significant contributions to internationalization at NIU and in the College of Business.”

Several special awards also were given out during this year's International Recognition Reception. The Center for Southeast Asian Studies was given a Lifetime Achievement Award as an outstanding international department, while the departments of Counseling, Adult and Higher Education and Foreign Languages and Literatures were honored for their contributions to internationalization of the campus.

Provost Ivan Legg, who is set to retire in June 2006, was awarded a special plaque recognizing his lifetime of service to international perspectives and diversity in education.

“It continues to be a joy and an honor to work with Ivan,” Pierce said. “His commitment to diversity and to internationalization is sincere and constant. Having lived the international experience, he promotes it enthusiastically at each opportunity on campus and off.”

11-21-05