IUPUI To Participate in ACE Roundtable

Associate Dean of International Programs and ACE roundtable participant, Susan Sutton

INDIANAPOLIS – Susan Buck Sutton, Associate Dean of International Programs, is one of 15 scholars, practitioners, and institutional leaders from across the U.S. invited to participate in a special American Council on Education (ACE) roundtable in Washington, DC late July 2006. The roundtable is being organized by two ACE units: the Center for International Initiatives and the Center for Advancement of Racial and Ethnic Equity. The roundtable will clarify definitions of key concepts and suggest collaborative strategies for formulating and implementing policies and initiatives (both curricular and co-curricular) that foster synergy while respecting points of difference. It will result in an ACE publication that will be distributed to all ACE member presidents and chancellors. The Ford Foundation is funding the roundtable, including the costs of all participants.

“This is an exciting opportunity, and I have gladly accepted. Before I go, I will discuss the issue with various individuals at IUPUI who are involved in our diversity initiatives so that I can use the conversation in Washington for maximum benefit for IUPUI,” said Sutton.

The American Council on Education, the major coordinating body for all the nation’s higher education institutions, seeks to provide leadership and a unifying voice on key higher education issues and to influence public policy through advocacy, research, and program initiatives. Since 2004 IUPUI has been a participant in the ACE Internationalization Laboratory, which consists of a small cluster of institutions working closely with ACE over a 12 to 16 month period to further refine the ACE internationalization review process and advance collective knowledge about the issues surrounding assessment and comprehensive internationalization.

Sutton is Chancellor’s Professor of Anthropology at IUPUI and is currently serving as the President-Elect, General Anthropology Division, American Anthropological Association. She became Associate Dean of International Programs at IUPUI in 2003, applying her anthropological perspectives to international program development. Earlier this year she was elected to the executive committee of the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA).

The Office of International Affairs helps IUPUI engage the world through education and partnership by supporting all international activities, including student recruitment, admissions, and services; visa services for faculty and staff; research and partnerships; International House programming; study abroad; the Global Crossroads; the IU Center for South East Asia; and campus and curriculum internationalization.