Michael Rainaldi Honored with YB Staff Award</h1> <article> <h1>Michael Rainaldi Honored with YB Staff Award</h1> <p>hhempste — Tue, 26 May 2020 18:22:12 +0000</p> <span>Michael Rainaldi Honored with YB Staff Award</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-05-26T14:22:12-04:00" title="Tuesday, May 26, 2020 - 14:22">Tue, 05/26/2020 - 14:22</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Director of International Programs and <a href="/study-away">Study Away</a> Michael Rainaldi’s leadership and dedication to students is one of the reasons he was selected for the 2020 YB Staff Award.</p> <p>The <a href="/human-resources/awards-recognition">Yeworkwha Belachew (YB) Staff Award</a> is given each year to an �鶹��Ƶ College staff member who has gone “above and beyond” in service to the college. The award is named in honor of the extraordinary service of Yeworkwha Belachew, or YB, as she was known to the �鶹��Ƶ community. The YB Staff Award was established to recognize a non-faculty, institutional employee of the college who demonstrates daily commitment and performance in advancing �鶹��Ƶ’s strategic goals through exemplary service to the college.</p> <p>In his role, Rainaldi supports �鶹��Ƶ students in their pursuit of meaningful intercultural experiences. “Study away is an essential part of an �鶹��Ƶ education,” says Rainaldi. “My role as director overlaps with all the various areas of the liberal arts experience in a study away context. That does, of course, involve academics, but it also involves advising, housing, cultural adjustment, visas, finances and scholarship, student life, and risk management.”</p> <p>In addition to his typical work with students, Rainaldi recently navigated the difficult task of providing guidance to students studying abroad during a period of upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. He explains that the past few months have been incredibly challenging, not only for him but for the students who were required to return home before the conclusion of their time abroad. </p> <p>“Supporting the transition away from those experiences was immensely challenging on an emotional and professional level,” he says. “It was heartbreaking for me, and surely more so for our �鶹��Ƶ students. Yet, it was also inspiring to see how well they managed this extraordinarily difficult time.”</p> <p>For Rainaldi, the most enjoyable part of his role is when students share their experiences abroad. “So much of my work involves getting students off campus,” he says. “Any time I have the opportunity to learn about their experiences motivates me to continue supporting other Obies in their pursuit of study away.”</p> <p>Receiving the YB Staff Award is meaningful for Rainaldi. He explains that Belachew embodied �鶹��Ƶ’s commitment to overcoming challenges through education and dialogue. “Improving the world’s imperfections, including those in ourselves and here in the U.S., is one of the tenants of international education,” he says. </p> <p>While reflecting on the experiences of the students who studied away in spring 2020, Rainaldi shares words of encouragement. “Returning home from study away is challenging enough, but to have done so under these circumstances takes immense courage and resolve. It might not feel like it right now, but all of you have become stronger and more resilient as a result. If you haven’t already recognized this growth in yourselves, you soon will. This semester will be remembered for a lot of reasons, and I encourage each of you to remember it with pride and dignity.”</p> <hr> <p><br> Read what some of Rainaldi’s nominating colleagues had to say about him. </p> <p>“Mike Rainaldi is richly deserving of the Yeworkwha Belachew Staff Award. His work exemplifies the best of YB’s dedication, commitment, and care. Mike truly loves travel and study abroad and is an enthusiastic advocate for it. He maintains a student-centered office and is highly responsive to students’ questions and concerns about international study.”</p> <p>“As you know the health, safety, and well-being of our faculty, staff, and students is of paramount importance. Following the escalating tensions between the United States and Iran, Mike identified �鶹��Ƶ students who were in the Middle East, checked in with them regarding their safety and documented a thorough emergency response protocol based on safety assessments from four different global threat assessment organizations. Mike's leadership is consistent with higher education industry standards for health, safety, and security protocol in international programs.”</p> <p>“Students deeply appreciate Mike’s counsel and direction as they make decisions on whether, when, and where to study abroad.”</p> <p>“COVID-19’s devastating impact on international travel has tested every member of the �鶹��Ƶ community as well as our friends and neighbors around the world. �鶹��Ƶ’s excellent response to this unprecedented public health emergency required Mike Rainaldi’s expertise and professional judgment to ensure our students’ safety. Mike has been a leader on campus in responding to this pandemic, providing ongoing detailed information about global conditions throughout the rapidly changing circumstances.”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-05-26T12:00:00Z">Tue, 05/26/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Hillary Hempstead</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2551">Staff</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2376">Study Away</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2410">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2359">Administration</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Director of International Programs and Study Away Michael Rainaldi.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Courtesy of Michael Rainaldi</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>A Conversation with Leo Hochberg: Student Research in Lebanon</h1> <p>hhempste — Mon, 25 Nov 2019 20:25:22 +0000</p> <span>A Conversation with Leo Hochberg: Student Research in Lebanon</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2019-11-25T15:25:22-05:00" title="Monday, November 25, 2019 - 15:25">Mon, 11/25/2019 - 15:25</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>This past spring, senior politics and Middle Eastern studies double major Leo Hochberg spent a semester studying away in Lebanon at the American University of Beirut. After the semester concluded, Hochberg remained in the capital to intern with the <a href="http://lb.boell.org/en/foundation">Heinrich Boell-Stiftung Foundation</a>, where he conducted research on the Syrian refugee crisis and wrote a 23-page report “<a href="http://lb.boell.org/en/2019/11/08/no-longer-just-humanitarian-crisis-politicization-syrian-refugees-lebanon">No Longer Just a Humanitarian Crisis: The Politicization of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon</a>.” The report is based in part on fieldwork he carried out in Lebanon, along with secondary research. </p> <hr> <p><br> <strong>You published research on the Syrian refugee crisis. How did you become involved with this area of study?</strong></p> <p>�鶹��Ƶ and the courses that I have taken here have definitely been an essential part of the path that led to my summer research. I'm a politics and Middle Eastern studies double major, so by the time I left to study abroad in Lebanon for the spring semester of 2019, I had already taken a lot of relevant courses. Classes taught by Assistant Professor of Politics <a href="/sarah-el-kazaz">Sarah El-Kazaz</a>, Professor of Politics <a href="/eve-sandberg">Eve Sandberg</a>, and Associate Professor of History <a href="/zeinab-abul-magd">Zeinab Abul-Magd</a> were definitely among the most influential in my decision to study abroad in Lebanon, although many other professors, friends, and administrators were essential in helping me make the decisions that I've made in the past year. After I studied abroad at the American University of Beirut, I stayed in Beirut for the summer to intern with the Heinrich Boell-Stiftung foundation, which is where I did my research and wrote the paper.</p> <p><strong>You’ve worked closely with a few professors to pursue course work in Middle Eastern studies. What’s that partnership been like?</strong></p> <p>Professor Abul-Magd has been my advisor here at �鶹��Ƶ for several years, and she's definitely been my primary point person among �鶹��Ƶ's faculty, as well as a great friend. She provided a lot of logistical support and guidance in crafting my Middle East and North Africa Studies major, which is an individual major. She was also essential to the process of going abroad and finding opportunities in Beirut. I began working with Professor <a href="/steve-crowley">Steve Crowley </a>after I returned from Beirut, and he's been essential in helping me plan my next steps and a great source of advice and guidance as I prepare for post-grad life. Right now, Professor Crowley and I are doing a private reading together in which I'm writing new articles and shopping them to newspapers for publication.</p> <p><strong>The research you did on Syrian refugees was fairly extensive, particularly for an undergraduate student to complete. How did that come about? </strong></p> <p>The research question that I chose, "How did Syrian refugees in Lebanon become so politicized?" turned out to be a pretty complex topic, and a shorter piece would have risked simplifying a problem that requires a deep dive to answer effectively. The foundation was also able to get me interviews with an ex-minister of parliament, several well-known lawyers, Syrian refugees, and a lot of civil society professionals, so it took quite a lot of writing to channel all of those perspectives. Lastly, the research component was the primary aspect of my internship, so in a two-month period I had plenty of time to dive into professional research interviews and secondary literature analysis.</p> <p><strong>How did your position with the foundation aid your research?</strong></p> <p>The Heinrich-Boell Foundation provided me with a living stipend and expenses for travel to and from research interviews, but beyond the funding they also provided a lot of guidance and connections that I used in my work. For example, they connected me to their network of NGOs and refugee-support professionals throughout the country so that I could include expert perspectives in my paper. They also helped connect me with Syrian refugees who they support as a foundation so that I could include their anecdotal experiences. The head of the Boell-Stiftung office in Beirut, Joachim Paul, was my supervisor and primary editor, and the whole thing would have been impossible without his guidance and support.</p> <p><strong>What’s on the horizon for you?</strong></p> <p>I have lots of plans to continue researching and writing about human security topics in the Middle East. For example, I recently started writing a <a href="https://oberlinreview.org/staff_profile/leo-hochberg/">weekly column</a> in the <em>�鶹��Ƶ Review </em>about the Middle East and international security, and I'm also writing a longer research paper for my private reading with Professor Crowley about prospects for justice for victims of ISIS in Iraq and Syria, which I hope to submit for publication in an undergraduate journal of international politics or Middle Eastern studies next semester. Lastly, I plan to spend winter term in Istanbul doing a new research project for a Turkish think tank. So, there are a lot of opportunities on the table.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2019-11-25T12:00:00Z">Mon, 11/25/2019 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2410">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2376">Study Away</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25446">Middle East and North Africa Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25416">Politics</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/steve-crowley" hreflang="und">Steve Crowley</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/zeinab-abul-magd" hreflang="und">Zeinab Abul-Magd</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/politics" hreflang="und">Politics</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Leo Hochberg, senior politics and Middle Eastern studies double major.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Tanya Rosen-Jones ’97</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Advancing Academic Exchange with Cuba</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:19:24 +0000</p> <span>Advancing Academic Exchange with Cuba</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:19:24-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:19">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:19</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Since the early 1960s, travel restrictions have greatly limited Americans’ ability to visit Cuba, making an American student’s desire to study abroad in the country just more than 100 miles south of Key West, Florida, extremely challenging. In recent months, however, <a href="/news/imagining-havana">a number of students</a>, faculty, staff, and alumni have gained access into Cuba to study life and culture in the socialist nation.</p> <p>David Kamitsuka, associate dean of the curriculum for the College of Arts and Sciences and associate professor of religion, and Ellen Sayles, associate dean of studies and director of programs for international study, are the two most recent travelers to Cuba from the �鶹��Ƶ community. Their visit has the potential to pave the way for even more Obies to enter the country where <a href="http://www.iie.org/Research-and-Publications/Open-Doors">fewer than 2,000 American students study</a> each year.</p> <p>Kamitsuka and Sayles traveled to Cuba as part of a delegation from 12 colleges and universities organized by the <a href="http://www.iie.org/Who-We-Are/News-and-Events/Press-Center/Press-Releases/2015/2015-10-20-Cuba-Delegation">nonprofit Institute of International Education (IIE)</a> as part of its broader IIE Cuba Higher Education Initiative. According to Sayles, the purpose of the delegation was to help the U.S. representatives better understand Cuban higher education and to meet important university and ministry representatives who could help facilitate future partnerships.</p> <p>“This trip was about figuring out ways to establish stronger educational ties in Cuba now that the political landscape is changing between the U.S. and Cuba,” Sayles says. “The trip was not intended to actually form partnerships but to help us understand the educational layout and meet the important people.”</p> <p>Those people included acting Ambassador of the United States to Cuba Jeffrey DeLaurentis; Margaret Crahan, director of the Cuba Program at the Institute of Latin American Studies at Columbia University, who is on the advisory board for the IIE Cuba Higher Education Initiative and is serving as a mentor to �鶹��Ƶ College in the months moving forward; and rectors (presidents) and faculty from the University of Havana and the Instituto Superior de Arte Cuba.</p> <p> </p> <figure> <figcaption class="caption"><em>"People often say [going to Cuba is] like going back in time. OK, they have 1950s cars, but they are not back in time; they are very much present." David Kamitsuka Photo courtesy of Ellen Sayles.</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>“The American ambassador, whom we met with twice, told our group he expects substantial changes in U.S.-Cuban relations in the next year,” Kamitsuka says. “He said his goal is to make the deepening of collaboration and exchange between the U.S. and Cuba an ‘irreversible process.’”</p> <p> </p> <p>Now that Sayles and Kamitsuka have returned to the states, the next step in building connections with Cuban universities is to determine how the college can best advance academic exchange and joint research focused on enhancing understanding of one another’s cultures and addressing issues of mutual interest.</p> <p>“We have a small working group that includes faculty who have interest in Cuba as part of their research or scholarly focus. We will be working with that group to figure out how we want to go forward. What type of partnerships are the Cuban institutions interested in pursuing? Are there curricular initiatives that could involve Cuba? Do we want to develop more winter-term trips? Do we want to invite researchers to come here? We have a lot to think about and a lot to explore,” Sayles says.</p> <p>Both Sayles and Kamitsuka emphasize that developing the college’s strategic plan for partnering with Cuban universities will be a lengthy process. “We were told repeatedly that we can’t expect things to happen quickly. We have to work carefully, and you have to know what it is you really hope to gain from a partnership and how a partnership will benefit the university in Cuba as well,” Sayles says. She estimates the working group will likely have a better idea of the college’s study abroad strategy for Cuba by the end of the academic year.</p> <p>However, that doesn’t mean students do not have opportunities to study in Cuba now. “The higher education policy on students going to study in Cuba was changed a year ago, and so more students have been going to Cuba for semester programs. We have two students there now and four going next semester,” Sayles says. There is also a <a href="/news/imagining-havana">proposed winter-term trip in 2016-17</a> called Reimagining Havana with Professor of �鶹��Ƶ Ana Cara.</p> <p>“Cuba is in a moment of great promise and great uncertainty. Students who study in Cuba will be eyewitnesses to real national transformation. I’m hopeful that we can establish relationships with institutions in the next few years because that is a wonderful opportunity,” Kamitsuka says.</p> <p>For more information on studying in Cuba as well as other international destinations, see the <a href="http://new.oberlin.edu/office/study-away/index.dot">Office of Study Away website</a>.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2015-11-18T12:00:00Z">Wed, 11/18/2015 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Lisa Gulasy</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2376">Study Away</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/david-kamitsuka" hreflang="und">David Kamitsuka</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">A sign hangs outside of a building at the University of Havana. Photo courtesy of Ellen Sayles.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> </main></body></html>