News Archive

Clark Center Director, Prof. Balas, PhD (Coordinator, International Studies), presented on India-China Rivalry at A.V. Kamalamma College for Women, Davangere, Karnataka, India

September 14, 2020

On September 14, 2020, Prof. Alexandru Balas gave a webinar presentation titled "Himalayan Rivalry: India-China Relations" via JioMeet to approximately 200 participants as part of an event organized by the A.V. Kamalamma College for Women, Davangere, Karnataka, India. This was the first international webinar organized by the A.V. Kamalamma College for Women in its 74 years of existence. The webinar was introduced by Prof. Shivaprakash P.S., Principal of the College, and Dr. B.P. Kumar, Associate Professor and Head of Department, History, and the vote of thanks was given by Dr. Anuradha P.M., Head of Department, English Department. The event was covered in several Indian newspapers including Vijaya Karnataka and Prajavani:

Clark Center Director, Prof. Balas (Coordinator, International Studies), gave 15 public lectures in India

March 30, 2020

During a 10 days trip in January 2020, Prof. Balas gave 15 public lectures at 6 different institutions of higher education in India (St. Aloysius College, St. Aloysius Institute of Management and Information Technology, University of Mangalore, Civil Service Academy Mangalore, Karnataka Theological Research Institute, and St. Joseph College Bangalore). The list of public lectures is below:

"Global Conflict and Peace Levels: An Assessment”, St. Joseph College, Bangalore, India, January 2020

“The History of European Union Integration”, St. Joseph College, Bangalore, India, January 2020

“India’s Contributions to Peacekeeping Operations”, St. Joseph College, Bangalore, India, January 2020

“Global Conflict and Peace Levels: An Assessment”, St. Aloysius College, Mangalore, India, January 2020

“Conflicts and Security in South Asia”, Karnataka Theological Research Institute, Mangalore, India, January 2020

“European Union – Its History and Politics”, Civil Service Academy, Mangalore, India, January 2020

“United Nations, International Law and Genocide”, Political Science Department, St. Aloysius College, Mangalore, India, January 2020

“U.S. Under the Trump Administration”, Political Science Department, St. Aloysius College, Mangalore, India, January 2020

“Conflicts and Security in South Asia”, Psychology Department, St. Aloysius College, Mangalore, India, January 2020

“EU-India Relations”, Political Science Department, St. Aloysius College, Mangalore, India, January 2020

“India’s Contributions to Peacekeeping Operations”, University College, Mangalore University, Mangalore, India, January 2020

“Eurocrisis and EU Integration”, Business Administration Department, St. Aloysius Institute of Management and Information Technology, Mangalore, India, January 2020

“Cybersecurity”, Information Technology Department, St. Aloysius Institute of Management and Information Technology, Mangalore, India, January 2020

“History and the Politics of European Integration”, History Department, St. Aloysius College, Mangalore, India, January 2020

“Conflict and Security in South Asia”, Political Science Department, St. Aloysius College, Mangalore, India, January 2020

SUNY Cortland Sesquicentennial Event

Date and Location: Tuesday, April 16, 2019 at 4:30 p.m. in Sperry Center, Room 204

After years of acrimony between pro- and anti-EU forces in the British electorate, in 2016 Prime Minister David Cameron called for an “In/Out” referendum in which a majority voted to “Leave.” The UK has been expected to exit the EU on March 29, 2019, however PM Theresa May’s agreement with the EU for an “orderly” exit was soundly defeated by the House of Commons. The lecture begins with the “state of play,” followed by a deep dive into the UK’s history as the EU’s “awkward partner,” the different post-BREXIT scenarios, and implications for EU and U.S. political and economic security.

The lecture is free and open to the public.

This event is organized by the Clark Center for Global Engagement with support from the SUNY Cortland Sesquicentennial Committee and the International Studies Program

This event is part of the SUNY Cortland Sesquicentennial

COIL Press Release-Stevens Initiative Grants
April 11, 2016

SUNY COIL Center Receives $506,000 Stevens Initiative Award for Virtual Exchange

Global Walls:  The Migration and Refugee Crisis - Spring 2016

Global Walls: The Migration and Refugee Crisis

2015-2016 Theme

Clark Center For International Education

Wednesday, Feb. 24

Inch’allah Dimanche. Part of the “Immigration to Europe” Films

@ 6 PM in Sperry 104

Thursday, March 3
“The UN at 70: Constructing a Balance Sheet” Lecture by Dr. Paul Diehl, President, International Studies Association @ 4:30pm in Jacobus Lounge

Tuesday, March 29

“Ending Genocide in Central Africa and Burma” Lecture by Dr. John Weiss, Cornell University @ 4:30 PM in Exhibition Lounge, Corey Union

Wednesday, March 30

Brooks Museum Student Posters & Presentations “Global Walls. Global Issues”

@ 4:30 PM in Moffett Lobby & Moffett 2125

Thursday, March 31st

The Class (Entre les Murs). Part of the “Immigration to Europe” Films

@ 6 PM in Sperry 205

Tuesday, April 5

“Cortland’s Red Scare: Immigration, Radicalism, and Civil Liberties in the Post World War I period” Lecture by Dr. Randi Storch, SUNY Cortland

@ 4:30 PM in Sperry 104

Monday, April 11

Migrants and Refugees from Asia:  Should They Stay or Should They Go?
@ 7 PM in Jacobus Lounge

Tuesday April 12th

European Union Day Keynote Lecture “European Union and Belarus”

By Larissa Titarenko, Belarus State Univ., Fulbright Scholar @ SUNY Cortland

@ 4:30 PM in Sperry 104

Wednesday, April 13

 “Brazil’s Rio Olympics: Sport Management, Socio-Economics, and Refugees” Panel @ 12 PM in Fireplace Lounge, Corey Union

Monday, April 18th

“Through My Eyes” Café Night presented by students from H.W. Smith Elementary School @ 4:30 PM in Jacobus Lounge, Brockway Hall

Monday, April 25

I Learn America. Film Screening @ 4:30 PM in Sperry 104

Tuesday, April 26

“Welcoming the Stranger” Presented by Dylan Fresco @ 7 PM in Jacobus Lounge

Events organized by: International Studies Program; The Clark Center for International Education; The Asia-Middle Eastern Studies Committee; Sport Management Department; Economics Department; a European Union Erasmus + Jean Monnet Module grant; a CALS grant; Cultural and Intellectual Climate Committee; and Brooks Museum Lecture Series

Paul Diehl Talk 1

poster

Global Walls: The Migration and Refugee Crisis 

Global Walls: The Migration and Refugee Crisis

2015-2016 Theme

Clark Center For International Education

Part I, Fall ’15: Europe and the Americas

 Tuesday, Sept. 15

Entre Les Murs, France. Part of the “Immigration to Europe” Films

@ 6 PM in Sperry 304

Wednesday, Sept. 16

“Turkey & ISIS: A Reliable Ally?” Lecture by Dr. Sinan Ciddi, Georgetown University @ 4:30 PM in Moffett 2125

Tuesday, Sept. 22

Sleep Dealer, Mexico. Part of the “Immigration in the Americas” Films

@ 6 PM in Sperry 304

Tuesday, Sept. 29

The Intouchables, France. Part of the “Immigration to Europe” Films

@ 6 PM in Sperry 304

Tuesday, Oct. 6

In this World, UK. Part of the “Immigration to Europe” Films

@ 6 PM in Sperry 304

September-October Hispanic Heritage Month Events

Sin Nombre, Mexico. Part of the “Immigration in the Americas” Films

Harvest Empire/Crossing the Line, USA. Part of the “Immigration in the Americas” Films

“The Politics of Immigration” Panel
The specifics of these three events above are TBA

Wednesday, Nov. 11

 “Have the 1930s Returned? The Resurgence of Extreme Nationalism in Contemporary Europe” Brooks Lecture by Dr. Mabel Berezin, Cornell University

@ 4:30 PM in Moffett 2125

 Part II, Spring ’16: Africa, Asia, and Australia

 Events TBA in Early Spring

Fall ’15 events sponsored by: The International Studies Program; The Clark Center for International Education; The Brooks Museum; The Political Science Department; The Latino and Latin American Studies Program; The Asia-Middle Eastern Studies Committee, and a CALS grant.

Working as an International Diplomat

Lecture by Ionut Lacusta, Career Diplomat and Foreign Policy Analyst 

November 21, 2014 

Working as an International Diplomat

Lecture by Ionut Lacusta

Career Diplomat and Foreign Policy Advisor; MA in Public Administration candidate, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

Friday, November 20th at 12:45p.m.

Old Main 230 

Ionut Lacusta will share his experience as an international diplomat. What do you need to become a diplomat? What should you focus on in your college years? What tools do you need in your toolset to achieve this dream? What is it like to work as a diplomat? What are the challenges and what are the benefits?

Sponsored by the Clark Center for International Education, the International Studies Program, the Project on Eastern and Central Europe (PECE), the Department of Political Science, and the Campus Artist and Lecture Series

For more information about this talk, please check the press release here 

1989-2014. Berlin Wall to Ukraine. From Cold War to Cold War? 
Lecture by Ionut Lacusta, Career Diplomat and Foreign Policy Analyst

November 20, 2014

1989 – 2014 Berlin Wall to Ukraine From Cold War to Cold War?

Lecture by Ionut Lacusta

Career Diplomat and Foreign Policy Advisor; MA in Public Administration candidate, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

Thursday, Nov. 20, at 4:30p.m.

Moffett Center 2125

2014 marks 25 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of Communism in Central and Eastern Europe. A native of the region, Ionut Lacusta will assess the changes that occurred in the past quarter of a century in Central and Eastern Europe and beyond.

A reception will follow the talk at 5:45p.m. in Moffett Lobby. All are welcome!

Sponsored by the Clark Center for International Education, the International Studies Program, the Project on Eastern and Central Europe (PECE), the Department of Political Science, and the Campus Artist and Lecture Series

For more information about this talk, please check the press release here 

Ebola Epidemic in West Africa. Etiology and Socio-Cultural Factors 
Panel Discussion

November 13, 2014 

On November 13, 2014 the Clark Center for International Education together with the Health Department, the Biological Sciences Department, the Student Health Services, and the International Programs Office organized a panel discussion about the Ebola Epidemic. Dr. Ben Wodi (Professor, Health Department), Dr. Christa Chatfield (Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences Department), and Dr. Devin Coppola (Director, Student Health Services) were the panelists. The panel was moderated by Dr. Alexandru Balas (Director, Clark Center for International Education).
A little more than 100 students, faculty, and staff members attended this interesting Sandwich Seminar. Below you can find the PowerPoint presentations of the speakers, as well as a list of organizations that tackle the Ebola Epidemic, in case you wonder how you could help.

Taijiquan & Qiqong: The Ancient Chinese Path to Wellness
Lecture by Master Jesse Tsao

September 5, 2014

Date: September 5 @ 7:30pm, Sperry Room 205 

Sponsors: Philosophy Department; Center for Ethics, Peace, and Social Justice; Physical Education Department; Recreation, Park, and Leisure Studies Department; President's Office; Campus Artist and Lecture Series, Faculty Development Small Grant, Clark Center for International Education

Tai Chi Master Jesse Tsao is a former champion from China with over 40 years of Tai Chi experience. Master Tsao has a PhD in Wushu from Shanghai Sport University. He is an internationally known Tai Chi master, Qiqong therapist, and alternative medicine and wellness consultant, and is the founder of Tai Chi Healthways. He specializes in the areas of self-healing, preventive therapies, stress management and min-body wellness. He has made regular teaching tours internationally since 2005 to Germany, France, England, Ireland, Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Russia, and Greece.

Inside the International Criminal Court: A Prosecutor's View
Lecture by Karen Corrie, Prosecutor's Office, International Criminal Court and Fordham University

May 1, 2014

Date: May 1 @ 7PM ; Location: Old Main 209

Sponsored by:  The Political Science Department, The Clark Center for International Education, and the SUNY Cortland College Arts and Lecture Series 

Karen L. Corrie is a litigator with experience in domestic and international criminal and human rights law.  She currently teaches courses at Fordham as well as serving as an advisor to the President of the International Criminal Court Assembly of States Parties.  Previously, Karen Corrie was an associate analyst and associate trial lawyer in the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in the Hague.

One Year with Pope Francis
Lecture by Bishop Emeritus Matthew M. Clark

March 18, 2014

On Tuesday, March 18 starting at 5pm in Moffett 2125, Bishop Emeritus Matthew H. Clark will lead a discussion about the Pope who has captivated the world’s attention over the course of the past year.  Pope Francis’ outlook on hot-button issues like homosexuality, the role of women & the global sexual abuse crisis will be covered in relation to how they stand to impact the future of the Catholic Church.

The event is sponsored by the O’Heron Newman Catholic Chapel and the Clark Center for International Education

Clark Center's Council Member Marley Barduhn, Global Fellow @ SUNY Office of Global Affairs

November 21, 2013

The Clark Center for International Education would like to congratulate our Clark Center Council colleague, Dr. Marley Barduhn, who was invited to serve as a Global Fellow in the SUNY Office of Global Affairs. The scope of Marley's work as a Global Fellow will include: a) conducting a baseline system-wide assessment of globalization of teacher and educational leader preparation programs; b) creating a pre-conference or targeted session at the COIL Conference in NYC in March 2014; and c) exploring ways to enhance electronic means of communication focused on increasing global competence of faculty, staff, and students.

Luckily for SUNY Cortland, Marley will continue to be based at SUNY Cortland and will continue her current work on an education-related initiative between SUNY Cortland and the University of the West Indies.

Marley, congratulations and thank you for the great work on internationalization you're doing on our campus and throughout the SUNY system.

Successful International Celebration Month 2013 @ SUNY Cortland

November 21, 2013

From October 21 to November 20, 2013, SUNY Cortland was the host of the International Celebration Month. The Clark Center for International Education is the focal point for the International Celebration Month activities, but more than 20 different units on campus have organized events during this period. The events took the students, faculty, and community members on journeys to explore the Arab Spring in the Middle East, life in East Germany as portrayed in movies, Bollywood and South Korean music, gender studies in Ghana, life of a Guatemalan Mayan family, and potential international jobs. The Clark Center would like to thank all the participants, organizers, and sponsors of these events that show how valued international education is on the SUNY Cortland Campus.

As every year, the Clark Center for International Education has bestowed the Clark Center Internationalization Award to a member of our community that has done an impressive work to promote international education at SUNY Cortland and in the community. The 2013 recipient of the Clark Center Internationalization Award is Sharon Steadman, Professor of Anthropology in the Sociology/Anthropology Department at SUNY Cortland. Sharon Steadman is the Director of the Prehistoric Project at Cadir Hoyuk (a combined ethnographic and archaeological study in central Turkey) and one of the leaders of the World First Learning Community at SUNY Cortland. Until August 2013 she coordinated the International Studies Program and was the Interim Director of the Clark Center for International Education. Professor Steadman has worked tirelessly to promote internationalization and international education at SUNY Cortland. Below is a photo of Professor Steadman with the Internationalization Award received at the Closing Reception of the International Celebration Month 2013.

Alexandru Balas, Director of the Clark Center for International Education, Sharon Steadman, the recipient of the Clark Center Internationalization Award, and Mary Schlarb, Director of the International Programs Office

Larbi Touaf Talk - "The Arab Spring Between Secularism and Religion"

November 21, 2013

On October 21, Larbi Touaf, Visiting Fulbright Scholar at SUNY-Cortland and Associate Professor, Universite Mohammed I Oujda, Morocco opened SUNY Cortland's International Celebration Month with a talk titled "The Arab Spring Between Secularism and Religion". His talk presented an overview of the Arab Spring events and focused on three case studies: Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt. Prof. Touaf presented the model of the Moroccan approach to the Arab Spring that allowed this country to avoid violence and bloodshed. The event was organized at Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3), as part of a cooperation between the Clark Center of International Education and the Institute for Civic Engagement at SUNY Cortland and the Global Initiatives Council & the Social Science Department, TC3. The Clark Center for International Education would like to thank Professor David Flaten from TC3 for his hospitality and help in organizing this event. Below are some photos from this talk than gathered approximately 35 faculty members and students.

        
Larbi Touaf Talking About the Arab Spring in Egypt    

The Impact of the Free Trade Treaty, GMOs, and Seed Banks on Farmers in Guatemala

November 13, 2013

Tuesday, Nov. 19, 12-1pm ; Old Main 220, Colloquium             

Presented by members of the Macario-Saquic family, Guatemalan-Mayan farmers

Sponsored by: Clark Center for International Education, La Familia Latina & Latino and Latin American Studies (LLAS) @ SUNY Cortland;  Global Initiatives Council & Social Science Department @ TC3

Food Security, Farming, the WTO and CAFTA.  As a necessary element to human survival, food is a human right. Small, local family farms are the bedrock of traditional rural communities and global food security- the ability of countries to produce the food they need to survive. Yet the global food supply is increasingly falling under the control of giant multinational corporations. Large agribusinesses have rewritten the rules of the global agricultural economy, using “free trade” agreements to turn food into a commodity for profit rather than a human right. What is the impact of CAFTA on local farmers’ lives in Guatemala? How do all these global agricultural policies impact the daily lives of farmers in Guatemala?

Syrian Scholar talks to International Relations students via Skype

September 30, 2013

On September 30, 2013, Katty AlHayek, a Syrian scholar at Ohio University, gave a short lecture via Skype to students in the International Relations, POL 250 course, taught by Alexandru Balas, Assistant Professor of International Studies. Katty AlHayek received her BA in Media and Journalism from Damascus University (2008) and will receiver her MA in Communication and Development from Ohio University (2014). She is the recipient of the prestigious Open Society Foundation Fellowship MEROL (Middle East Rule of Law) for 2012-2014. Previously she has worked for the Geneva Institute for Human Rights (2010-2012), was the editor-in-chief of a Syrian magazine, Frog, and represented the Syrian Women’s Network at the United Nations session on “Women and the political process in Syria -how to promote their inclusion and participation”, held in United Nations Plaza in New York, June 13, 2013.

During her Skyped-in lecture, she provided a personal analysis of the conflict and the potential for sectarian violence and gave several examples from her family's experience about what is going on in Syria. She also provided some suggestions about how the international community should address this conflict in a non-violent way. The students were very interested in the topic and had numerous questions for the guest speaker. This activity was linked to an assignment that the students were asked to write.

Conflict in Syria: How Should the U.S. Respond?

September 18, 2013

On September 18, 2013, The Clark Center for International Education together with the Institute for Civic Engagement and the Center for Ethics, Peace, and Social Justice (CEPS) organized a teach-in panel titled “Conflict in Syria: How Should the U.S. Respond? The event gathered three SUNY Cortland scholars to discuss about the implications of the current civil war in Syria for U.S. foreign-policy decision-making. The panel was moderated by Richard Kendrick, Director, Institute for Civic Engagement & Professor, Department of Sociology/Anthropology.

Larbi Touaf, Fullbright Scholar at SUNY Cortland & Associate Professor, Universite Mohammed I Oujda, Morocco gave an excellent overview of the historical elements of the conflict and placed the Syrian conflict in the larger framework of the Arab Spring. Alexandru Balas, Director, Clark Center for International Education & Coordinator, International Studies Program presented a conflict analysis of the major actors and the type of activities a third party, like the United Nations, could take. Andrew Fitz-Gibbon, Director, Center for Ethics, Peace and Social Justice (CEPS) & Chair, Department of Philosophy presented some options for peace and social justice that should be at the forefront of any type of third party intervention in the Syrian conflict.

The event gathered approximately 60 participants and was also featured in the local media.(http://www.wbng.com/story/32983628/clearing-up-the-syrian-conflict).

The panel "Conflict in Syria: How Should the U.S. Respond?" co-organized by the Clark Center for International Education was featured in the local media

http://www.wbng.com/story/32983628/clearing-up-the-syrian-conflict
September 25, 2013

Alexandru Balas Heads Clark Center 

09/11/2013 

Alexandru Balas has been appointed as director of the James M. Clark Center for International Education at SUNY Cortland.