EMU HOME Cover Story It's a big world out there, but one new office on campus aims to bring it closer. The Ambassadorial and Consular Corps Liaison Office (ACCLO) was launched in September to create internships for EMU students, build Dec. 7, 2010 issue partnerships and connect EMU to international communities in Michigan EMU launches Ambassadorial and abroad. and Consular Corps Liaison Office to cultivate international connections "Today, more than ever, our students are entering an international world," said EMU Provost Jack By Amy E. Whitesall Kay. "The opportunities that arise from learning about different cultures and different countries are just so important .... Today they need to be citizens of the world, not just citizens of a country or a community." The office evolved out of conversations between MAKING NEW FRIENDS: During the recent Honorary Consul of Spain Ambassadorial and Consular Corps Liaison Coral Lopez-Gomez and Office's International Gala, EMU Provost Rosemary Weston-Gil, Jack Kay (back, standing) poses with department head of EMU's (seated, from left) Malverne Winborne, World Languages EMU's director of Charter Schools; Walter Department. Lopez- Wemueller, honorary consul of Gomez, who teaches Switzerland; and Audley Smith, honorary languages at EMU and the counsel of Namibia. The ACCLO was University of Michigan, launched in September to create and is program chair of internships for EMU students, build the Consular Corps of partnerships and connect EMU to Michigan (CCM), international communities in Michigan and envisioned a natural abroad. partnership between the Corps and the university community. She and Weston-Gil presented the idea to Kay, who jumped on board without hesitation. "The consuls were very enthusiastic about having the academic link," Weston-Gil said. "It's part of their consular mission to develop not only the business connections, but also academic and cultural ones." The Consular Corps of Michigan includes consuls representing 39 countries. It issues passports and visas, accompanies visiting ambassadors and promotes business relationships with the countries it represents. But its connections with communities in Michigan and abroad also create opportunities for EMU. The liaison office enhances the university's growing focus on internationalization, Weston-Gil said. By joining forces with the Consular Corps, EMU taps into a framework for internships and programs related to everything from trade and international affairs to business, politics, culture, education, art and music. The office operates within the Department of World Languages, a natural intersection of international activities at EMU. "World Languages is like a gateway," said Weston-Gil. "We bring people in through our English as a Second Language (ESOL) program. International students often make a stop at World Languages. And we launch students to all points of study abroad." In the few short months since the ACCLO launched, it has already set up one internship and hosted two events - a visit by Mexican musicians Cuauhtemoc Garcia Verdugo and Elena Palomar Manzano, who performed in celebration of Mexico's bicentennial; and an Oct. 22 gala reception to celebrate EMU's affiliation with the Consular Corps. The reception, which Weston-Gil said would be an annual event, brought together members of the Consular Corps - both honorary consuls and the higher-ranking consuls general - and EMU faculty, staff, students and administrators. "From a social and networking perspective, the celebration and having so may consuls general here made for an incredible evening," Kay said about the gala. "We learned so much about each other and established so many great contacts." EMU HOME 1:eaturc Women in Philanthropy, a recently-founded group at Eastern Micbigan University, has announced $41,000 in grants and awards designa::! to benefit students at the University. Dec. 7, 2010 issue Women in Philanthropy group The grants distributes first represent the grant gifts first-ever monies committed by the group, By Geoff Larcom made up of 41 members of the EMU campus community. "Through our support of these 10 projects from across the University, we FIRST FUNDS GRANTED: Women in Philanthropy, a hope to make group at Eastern Michigan University, recently an impact on distributed $41,000 worth of grants to 10 projects a variety headed by EMU faculty. Funding comes from a of educational $100,000 donation (above) members of the group processes for made during a kick-off event for EMU's $50 million our students comprehensive campaign during April. Picture:! (from in the coming left) are Jaclynn Tracey, chair of EMU's Department year," said of Leadership and Counseling; EMU President Susan Donna Martin, Linda Pritchard, interim director of EMU's Schmitt- Women and Gender Studies program; and Karen Oliver an Paciorek, an EMU professor of early childhood emeritus education. professor and co-president of the group. Each member of the group is asked to make a gift of $1,000 per year for a minimum of three years to the Women in Philanthropy at EMU fund The group seeks to strengthen ties between women and EMU, to increase gifts by women to EMU, to educate about the power of personal and collective philanthropy, and to distribute financial awards to the University community. The proposals came from EMU faculty members and University-spor sored student groups, and are all focused on special learning experiences. The projects and proposals being funded, along with the amount and sponsors, include: "Hevruta Discussions and the American Government Classroam," Professor Jeffrey Bernstein, $2,130. "Scholarship Funding for 'Representing the Holocaust,' a Stucy Abroad," Professor Martin Shichtman and Professor Carla Damiano, $5,000. "Let's Watch: Playing with and Learning through Our Stories,• Professor Anita Rich, $5,000. "Bridges to Understanding," Disability Empowerment Advocacy League, $3,170. "Open Book Catalog and Intensive Summer Workshop at EMU Parsons Center," Professor Leslie Atzmon and Professor Ryan Molloy, $5,000. "Creating a World of Active Citizens: Alternative Spring Break," VISION, $5,000. "Honors Diversity Ambassadors," Professor Rebecca Sipe, $5,000. "Building a Summer Research Experience in the Chemistry Department," Professor Maria Milletti and Professor Harriet Lindsay, $5,000. "Engaging Communities through Student-Led Philanthropy," Professor Claudia Petrescu, $5,000. "Women in Music Lecture Series," Tau Beta Sigma, $700. The 41 members of the group each had a voice in determining the outlay of the funds, which are administered through the EMU Foundation, Schmitt-Oliver said. The group reviewed 28 proposals from faculty, staff, students and student organizations totaling $115,000. The group had $41,000 available to award this year. "We have chosen to distribute every penny of it," said Jaclynn Tracy, co­ president of the group and a professor and head of the department of leadership and counseling in the College of Education. "This is great for the first round of awards." The group hosted its inaugural membership dinner and breakfast presentation Nov. 16-17. Tracy Gary, author of "Inspired Philanthropy" and executive director of Inspired Legacies, a philanthropic organization, was the keynote speaker. Gary was the beneficiary of extensive family wealth. Along with the wealth, Gary was instilled, from an early age, with a value system focusing on the power and obligation of giving back. Gary is a leader in developing women's foundations, and has personally raised $750 million for philanthropic work, with a lifetime goal of $1 billion. She is one of the founders of WomenMovingMillions.net, which works to transform the world and people's lives through women's philanthropy. The $41,000 in awards are part of EMU's overall $50 million fundraising campaign, called "INVEST. INSPIRE. The Campaign for Eastern Michigan University." Last April, the group presented a check of $100,000 to the campaign at its official kickoff event. The campaign, the largest comprehensive campaign in Eastern's history, has raised $36.5 million to date. For more information on Women in Philanthropy or about the campaign, see the WIP-EMU website or call (734) 484-1322. - Rhonda Delong contributed to this story. EMU HOME In 1980, while a 24-year-old graduate student, Aaron Lansky decided to save the world's Yiddish books. Dec. 7, 2010 issue Driving dented, old trucks and wearing sweatshirts and faded jeans, Author who saved Lansky and his colleagues traveled the country rescuing unwanted and Yiddish literature to abandoned Yiddish books. speak at EMU Dec. 7 "It was a huge and sometimes overwhelming responsibility," Lansky By Geoff Larcom writes now. "How could we take care of so many books, remember so many stories, preserve so much history?" Yet he succeeded. Lansky and his colleagues collected more than 1.5 million volumes. Many, he recalls, were saved at the last minute from attics, basements, demolition sites and dumpsters. The efforthas been described by scholars as "the greatest cultural rescue effortin Jewish history," fueling the renaissance of Jewish literature In America. Today, the organization Lansky founded, the National Yiddish Book Center, located in Amherst, Mass., has 35,000 members, making it one of the largest Jewish cultural organizations in the United States. YIDDISH CHAMPION: Thirty yea s ago, Aaron Lansky Lansky will bring his remarkable story � decided to save the world s to Eastern Michigan University Yiddish books. He will discuss Tuesday, Dec. 7, at 7:30 p.m. in the . t hat experience uring h"is talk , Student Center Auditorium. His talk, d · entitled "Gevalt!: The Last- entitled "Gevalt!: The Last-Minute Minute Rescue of Modern Rescue of Modern Jewish Culture," is Jewish Culture," Tuesday, Dec. free and open to the public. 7, at 7:30 p.m. in the Student Center Auditorium. Lansky will discuss the story detailed in his 2004 book, entitled "Outwitting History. The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescued a Million Yiddish Books." "It tells the story of how a small group of young people saved Yiddish books from extinction," Lansky writes in the foreword.