WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Nov. 5, 2019 — West Liberty University’s Professor Miriam Roth Douglas had a chance to participate in a Fulbright Scholar Alumni program recently to foster cultural exchange.
“We gathered to share an important day in German history, the official day that the wall came down on Nov. 9, 1989 and the official German Day of Unity celebrated on Oct. 3, 1990,” explained Dr. Miriam Roth-Douglas, who is from Germany.
The Fulbright U.S. Scholar program assists higher education institutions to expand cultural and academic exchange programs. It awards about 700 scholarships annually for study, research, teaching and continuing education in the USA and Germany.
Douglas first came to the United States in 2004 – 2006 while a post-graduate Fulbright Scholar at West Virginia University, after she earned both an undergraduate and master’s degree in elementary education/art education at the University of Bamberg in Germany.
She completed her master’s and doctoral degrees at WVU, prior to joining WLU’s College of Education and Human Performance as a professor. She is now the director of WLU’s Community Education Degree program.
“The fact that Miriam remains active in the Fulbright program and continues to outreach to U.S. students is a good example of her desire to help all students reach their potential. She is a dedicated professor and I congratulate her on this achievement,” said Dr. Cathy Monteroso, interim dean of the College of Education and Human Performance.
“The Fulbright gathering included a program called Meet-a-German. I was matched with a school in Pennsylvania, the Springdale High School and presented a German language and culture lesson to five classes of high school students,” said Douglas.
Based on the idea that raising interest in other cultures and combating stereotypes is done most effectively through personal exchange, the German culture program is an initiative of the German-American Fulbright Commission.
It gives American schools, particularly those that offer German language classes, a chance to invite a native speaker or someone that can provide an insight into German culture into their classrooms. More than 130 schools in 45 US states participate.
WLU’s Community Education Program includes seven undergraduate majors including Community Arts, Disabilities Services, Educational Leadership in Faith Organizations (Youth Ministry), Museum Education, Outdoor Education, Sports, Recreation and Wellness, and Teaching English and Global Education. There also is a graduate-level track for students who want to further their degree.
Designed to offer students a bachelor’s degree in non-formal education or non-profit fields like after-school program directors, camp directors, museum curators, community outreach coordinators and wellness specialists, Community Education is a three-year accelerated degree program that includes study abroad options to Germany, coordinated by Douglas.
For more information on the program, please contact Dr. Douglas at miriam.douglas@westliberty.edu or call 304-336-8561.