Center for International Studies, Ohio University

06/04/2026

📷 With the help of a generous gift to the School of International Studies and Languages (SISAL) from the President's Circle Fund last fall to expand global internships for OHIO students, we have Bobcats who are either currently in or traveling to Malaysia, Cambodia, Argentina, Greece, Northern Ireland, and Thailand this summer!

👏💚✈️🌎🤍👏

🎓 Pictured here is AJ Gacnik, a Music Education with Instrumental Emphasis major, who is currently working with Moradok Mai Theatre and Home School in Thailand, a nationally recognized arts organization that empowers youth through theatre, music, and dance while promoting cultural understanding and community engagement. AJ has been keeping us updated on his travels:

"After arriving at Moradok Mai, the next day we drove 14 hours south to Thung Song where we are currently staying for the next 2 weeks. After getting settled here we went to Hat Yai for 2 days for the Hat Yai Jazz Festival where we performed amongst many other international jazz ensembles which an amazing experience and my first time performing on a stage like that. While I knew Thailand to be a pretty country, I'm consistently blown away by all of the beautiful sights, sounds, and smells. The foliage is so vibrant and diverse in ways I've never seen, and the wildlife here is fascinating. Not only are the views great, but the people and food especially have been amazing. Moradok Mai has been a great host to me, and they have helped to make the transition incredibly smooth given the intense traveling we've been doing, and I am so grateful for their hospitality!"

To learn more about international internships, visit this link:

https://www.ohio.edu/cas/international-studies-languages/international-internships

05/26/2026

The Center for International Studies is thrilled to announce that we will be welcoming five new degree-seeking Fulbright students and four new Fulbright Language Teaching Assistants from nine countries in the 2026-27 academic year!

05/18/2026

OHIO alum Afsana Alam (CIS International Development Studies MA, '24) has been selected as a 2026 Harvard Rappaport Policy Fellow!

We're so proud of you, Afsana!

Congratulations to Afsana Alam - 2nd-year PhD student in Public Policy, has been selected as a 2026 Harvard Rappaport Public Policy Summer Fellow, one of 20 fellows chosen from across Greater Boston. The fellowship provides graduate students the opportunity to work in full-time summer placements with Massachusetts state or local government agencies while receiving mentorship from leading public policy practitioners.

Her proposed project focuses on developing a policy framework to better understand pay gap in female-dominated sectors in the context of the Massachusetts pay transparency law. In the coming weeks, she will choose her placement agency and is excited about the opportunity to contribute to policy work at the state or local level.

UMass Boston McCormack Graduate School of Policy & Global Studies

05/12/2026

Calling all in ! 🌐🐈🐾

Join us for our Ohio University Alumni Reception next Wednesday, May 20 at MAMASAMBA in

Larry Hayman and Haley Duschinski are travelling with 11 students on a study abroad trip: Law, Justice & Transitions to Democracy in South Africa - through the OHIO Center for Law, Justice and Culture and the Center for International Studies at OHIO University

Find more information and register here: https://lnkd.in/egTsjhhR

Hope to see you there!

05/11/2026

On April 23, CIS held its last Thursday Forum of the semester with Dr. Adal Rhoubeid, M.D. and PhD Candidate in Peace and Conflict Studies at Kent State University, who presented a film screening and discussion of his documentary: The Fallen Pillars. The documentary followed Dr. Rhoubeid's personal and political journey during Niger's 2016 presidential election.

There were meaningful conversations with attendees on the dynamics of instability in the Sahel, nonviolent change, and civic engagement 🌎

It is always powerful to host our alumni in these settings; Dr. Rhoubeid holds an MA in War and Peace Studies from the CIS 🤍🌎💚

05/03/2026

Congratulations to the Class of 2026.

05/02/2026

What a joyful celebration! 🎓✨

We were honored to gather behind Yamada International House to celebrate our incredible Spring 2026 graduates from the School of International Studies and Languages. From undergraduate to graduate programs, this year’s class has shown dedication, resilience, and global curiosity—and it was a privilege to recognize their achievements together.

Congratulations to our graduates—we can’t wait to see where your journeys take you next! 🌍🎉

04/29/2026

🎉 Congratulations to the students, faculty and staff who were recognized at the 2026 Center for International Studies Awards Ceremony at .university!

✨️ We awarded nearly $30,000 in scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students in our programs. These awards support academic coursework, research, and international experiential learning - and they are made possible through the generosity of our alumni and donors 🙏

⭐️ Faculty and Staff Awards

-Distinguished Service: Dr. Pascal Younge
-Excellence in Teaching: Dr. Garrett Field
-Excellence in Advising: Dr. Rebecca Challenger
-Friend of CIS: Jeffrey Shane

⭐️ Outstanding Student Awards

-African Studies: Stephen Gyesi
-Asian Studies: Ngoc Bic Nguyen
-Communication & Development Studies: Emmanuel Mensah
-International Development Studies: Joy Makua
-Latin American Studies: Cindy Torres
-War & Peace Studies: Saa Michel Tolno
-International Studies BA: Gage McGraw

Thanks to Provost Don Leo, Dean Matthew Ando, Dr. Joanna Michell, Dr. Saumya Pant, Dr. Joshua Hill, Pittaya Paladroi-Shane, Dr. Taka Suzuki, Dr. Diane Ciekawy, and all the faculty, staff and friends who joined us for this celebration. And special thanks to Brianne Dowler and Dr. Catherine Cutcher for the tremendous work they did to make this special night possible.

04/27/2026

Congratulations to our outstanding students from the Center for International Studies (CIS) who were recognized at the Ohio University Student Expo! Their hard work, innovative research, and dedication to global issues were on full display, earning them well-deserved awards.

The Student Expo highlights the best of undergraduate and graduate research across campus, and we are proud to see CIS students making a strong impact. Their projects reflect the depth, creativity, and interdisciplinary approach that define our programs.

Below are the names of the awardees.

- Communications & Media, First Place:
Mary Otaah, Communication and Development Studies
Parvin Kazemimanesh, Communication and Development Studies
Emmanuel Mensah, Communication and Development Studies

- Communications & Media, Second Place:
Adetola Fajembola, Communication and Development Studies
Kudzaishe Masendeke, Communication and Development Studies

Sustainability, First Place:
Ashik Rubaiyat, International Development Studies (in photo above)

04/22/2026

We had a wonderful evening hosting the Moradok Mai Home School, and thoroughly enjoyed the live performances 🎊

Did you know that the School of International Studies and Languages at Ohio University has a Cultural Arts Internship at Moradok Mai Theater in Thailand? Click here to learn more: https://lnkd.in/gk6g8RYC

💚🌎🤍