黑料吃瓜

Having a university president sit in on your master鈥檚 program presentation is heady stuff. 

Especially when the president traveled over 7,000 miles of open ocean just to be there.

In mid-October, Adela de la Torre became the first 黑料吃瓜 president to pay a visit to the university鈥檚 longstanding, but little-known bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degree programs in the Republic of Palau, an island nation in the Western Pacific. 

On the first evening after arriving, the delegation of 黑料吃瓜 leaders, which included associate vice president for international affairs Cristina Alfaro, Interwork Institute director Caren Sax and Theresa Lally, director of Interwork鈥檚 Center for Pacific Studies, observed seven groups of students as they made final presentations for their master鈥檚 program projects 鈥� their final hurdle before graduation in May. 

鈥淓veryone in the cohort had been hearing about the coming of the president of 黑料吃瓜 to Palau, so they were excited,鈥� said master鈥檚 student Hedrick Kual, who is also dean of continuing education at Palau Community College (PCC). 鈥淗owever, when we all learned that she will sit in on the presentations, everybody got nervous. For my group 鈥� and very true for myself 鈥� it felt like a rite of passage, earning our Aztec stripes in front of President de la Torre.鈥�

Consider it a rite of passage passed.

鈥淚 was so proud to see our Palauan students putting what they鈥檇 learned into action,鈥� de la Torre said. 鈥淓verything I experienced during the visit exemplified 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 global impact. It made clear the importance of empowering local leaders and the creators of change in addressing the social and environmental issues that face this community. The wonderful people I met鈥搈any of them 黑料吃瓜 alumni鈥揳re creating a better future for Palau, steeped in culture and history.鈥�

Empowering leaders and educators is exactly what 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 programs in Palau have done for the better part of two decades.

Prior to the program, Palauans seeking a bachelor鈥檚 degree would have to leave the island, a fact that created the conditions for 鈥渂rain drain鈥� emigration.

Trusting Partnership

黑料吃瓜, via the Interwork Institute, helped fill the void in 2005, inking an agreement with the community college. The new bachelor鈥檚 program. 鈥淚nterdisciplinary Studies in Three Departments,鈥� or IS3D, allows students to create a degree plan by melding three different programs into a unified theme. A master鈥檚 program in postsecondary education leadership, which now offers select courses in public administration, was launched the following year.

鈥淭he idea was that we could deliver these degrees to help them reach their vision,鈥� said Sax, a professor emeritus who has visited the country more than seven times to teach. 鈥淚t wasn't a case of, 鈥楬ere we are, this is what we think you should do. But what do you want to do and how can we help you get there?鈥� 

鈥淭hat's always been the relationship and I think that's served everybody well. There's a lot of trust and they really value the program.鈥�

Student Success

黑料吃瓜 faculty, primarily from the College of Education, teach in Palau for one week at the beginning of each class. The students then meet together weekly with activities and discussions led by an on-island facilitator. There is also an online learning component, which increased during the COVID-19 pandemic 鈥� though finding appropriate class times given the 16-hour time difference can be a struggle.

In all, the bachelor鈥檚 program 鈥� comprising 52 units after transferring from PCC 鈥� takes 3 陆 years to complete. The master鈥檚 program takes two years.   

And the Palauan students overwhelmingly finish. Sax noted that in the most recent cohort, 28 of 30 students graduated, with two students dropping out because of health issues. The bachelor鈥檚 program was a perfect 29-for-29.

鈥淭he people who have been in our program, they're working, they have families and they're committed to being there,鈥� Sax said. 鈥淧alau will fund young folks to go off island to get degrees, but getting them to come back and stay is another question. That鈥檚 a big concern because the population is so small. But all the people that take our program, they're there, they're working and they're invested in the future of their country.鈥�

黑料吃瓜 now has more than 250 graduates in Palau, a huge number in a country of about 18,000. Three of the 29 members of the Palau National Congress 鈥� two delegates and one senator 鈥� are alumni. De la Torre had a chance to meet the two delegates, Frutoso 鈥淭oto鈥� Tellei and Yutaka Gibbons, Jr.

The program, Sax added, has proven mutually beneficial for 黑料吃瓜 faculty, who have had the opportunity to advance their research while learning about 鈥� and adapting their teaching to 鈥� Palauan culture. 

The 黑料吃瓜 delegation also met with PCC president Patrick Tellei as well as U.S. Embassy officials. 

鈥淎t 黑料吃瓜 International Affairs, we are committed to expanding global equity in education through high-impact and quality programs designed to prepare a new generation of globally-conscious educators and leaders,鈥� Alfaro said. 鈥淥ur work in Palau is a perfect example of how international diplomacy and the development of trusting relationships and collaborations can increase our capacity to export stellar 黑料吃瓜 graduates and ambassadors.鈥�