Dr. Fred Carter's trip to Ecuador

May 2009

Dr. Fred Carter, Director of Teacher Services and School Relations, recently joined Dr. Cornell Menking, WKU Chief International Officer, Dr. Blaine Ferrell, Ogden College Dean, and Dr. Albert Meier, WKU Biology Professor, in a university sponsored trip to Ecuador. The WKU group flew to Quito, Ecuador on Wednesday, May 28, 2009 and spent the next ten days visiting with Universidad San Francisco de Quito officials, touring the Mindo Nature Preserve, experiencing the remote Tiputini Biodiversity Station, and visiting other biodiverse sites in Ecuador. The purpose of the trip was to investigate possible WKU partnerships with the university there in terms of scientific research as well as possible faculty and student exchange programs. Dr. Carter also met with officials of a local P-12 school in Quito called Colegio Menor San Francisco De Quito and toured their campus. A partnership was established and a contract has been signed with Colegio Menor whereby WKU student teachers may complete their student teaching requirement in Quito as soon as Spring 2010.

Dr. Fred Carter, Director of Teacher Services and School Relations, made a presentation at the recent Kentucky Association of School Administrators Summer Conference in Louisville, Ky. This July 16, 2009 presentation was entitled “Focus on the Future: Preparing Leaders for an Interconnected World.” Co-presenters included four recent WKU teacher education graduates who had completed their student teaching experience in Barcelona, Spain. These four individuals were Nickie Barker, Heather Bewley, Julia King, and Alexis Williams.

Dr. Fred Carter, Director of Teacher Services and School Relations, represented WKU at the Annual Consortium for Belize Educational Cooperation, (COBEC,) Summer Conference. The conference was hosted by Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Georgia from July 30 through August 1, 2009. Sixteen universities and colleges from the United States were represented along with individuals from eight institutions of higher education in Belize. Conference sessions included such topics as online learning from a global perspective, study abroad opportunities in Belize, the Belize National Articulation Project, future COBEC plans and challenges, and other initiatives. Western Kentucky University currently has a signed agreement with Galen University in Belize allowing for International Student Teaching Placement in Belize.