Vol. 19, No. 31

May 18, 2000

Lawrence P. Donnelley to return to economics faculty

Lawrence P. Donnelley, associate provost for international programs and special sessions since 1990, will return to the Department of Economics faculty, effective June 30, Provost Mel Schiavelli announced today. Bobby Gempesaw, vice provost for academic programs and planning, will assume the role of interim associate provost for international programs and special sessions until a permanent associate provost is named, Schiavelli said. During Donnelley's tenure, the number of University undergraduates studying abroad has increased dramatically, Schiavelli said. In 1999, the Institute for International Education ranked the University 12th nationally in the number and percentage of students who study abroad. The number of undergraduates studying abroad each year has increased from 525 in 1990-91 to almost 900 last year, not including students from other universities who take advantage of UD study-abroad programs. Currently, about 19 percent of UD undergraduates study in a foreign country at some point in their undergraduate programs, more than double the national average, Schiavelli said. There has been a steady increase in the number of study-abroad programs available to UD students, with the recent addition of programs in Mexico, Ecuador, South Africa, Tanzania, Australia, Japan and China, among others. The University now offers programs on six continents, Schiavelli said. Schiavelli said Donnelley's leadership of the Office of International Programs and Special Sessions "has allowed UD to fulfill one of its key goals of providing programs that enrich the undergraduate experience. I am particularly pleased that our new Starr Study Abroad Scholarships will assist talented students with financial need in paying the incremental costs of travel and support while abroad." Donnelley said he is proud that "these past 10 years have witnessed substantial progress in international programming, including the expansion of opportunities for students to participate in study abroad and the establishment of international assistance and training programs offered by the University on campus and abroad. The efforts and dedication of faculty who teach in our study abroad programs have been tremendous." Donnelley became associate provost in 1990, shortly after international programs and special sessions was created by grouping many of the internationally oriented activities at the university as well as the administration of Summer and Winter Sessions in one office. In addition to study abroad and Summer and Winter Sessions, IPSS administers Foreign Student and Scholar Services, which assists students, faculty and visiting scholars from other countries who are in residence at the University, and the English Language Institute, which provides instruction in English to foreign students. In 1991, the office began arranging international training and assistance programs, ranging from multimillion-dollar grants to more modest programs. The first was in Bulgaria, where the University's program was directed to business and economics faculty so they could be effective teachers in that country's emerging open market economy. The program expanded to include business managers, and the University established a Business Development and Resource Center. UD's activities in Bulgaria continue with a variety of programs under funding provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development. The University now has similar programs funded by USAID in Croatia and Montenegro.