Marjolein Schat Selected for Overseas Faculty Development Seminar

Tompkins Cortland Community College’s Marjolein Schat has been selected by the Council of American Overseas Research Centers to travel to India in January 2025. Schat is one of just 12 faculty members nationwide chosen to participate in Sustainability Through Urban and Agricultural India, an Overseas Faculty Development Seminar presented by the American Institute of Indian Studies. The seminar will include travel and activities in Delhi, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Jaipur, and Jodhpur, India.

Schat, an adjunct associate professor who teaches in the environmental studies program, will attend her second Overseas Faculty Development Seminar. She previously participated in a seminar in Jordan in 2020.

“I will be incorporating what I learn into my Introduction to Environmental Science (ENVS 101), Agroecology (ENVS 141), and Soil Science (ENVS 116) classes,” Schat said. “I did the same after the Jordan seminar, and my students still really appreciate the material I present from that experience.”

The Council of American Overseas Research Centers is a private nonprofit federation of independent overseas research centers. The organization promotes advanced research, particularly in the humanities and social sciences, with a focus on conserving cultural heritage and understanding modern societies.

Overseas Faculty Development Seminars are fully funded programs conducted abroad to help faculty and administrators from U.S. community colleges and minority-serving institutions gain international experience. The goal is to enhance international courses, curricula, and teaching materials at their home institutions.

Participants selected for these seminars receive round-trip travel, accommodations, meals, and programming for the two- to three-week seminar. The programs are supported by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.