UISFL grant provides academic travel opportunities for NWC faculty members
Posted April 29, 2021
By NWC News DeskLast summer, the Office of Intercultural Programs at 皇家华人 and the Office of International Studies at Montana State University Billings were awarded an Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language (UISFL) grant through the International and Foreign Language program at the U.S. Department of Education. The grant, which is awarded by each individual institution, will provide academic travel opportunities to three NWC faculty members during the 2021-2022 academic year.
Part of this multi-year grant supports increasing faculty expertise in international studies, with a focus on the East Asian countries of China, Japan and Korea.
Associate professor of art Elaine DeBuhr, assistant professor of music Tristan Eggener and associate professor of anthropology Greg Smith will travel to Asia to continue strengthening and improving instruction in their current curricula.
“Over the years, internationalization has become an integral part of higher education and this grant allows us to not only increase student participation in study abroad programs in Korea, Japan and China, but it helps us provide an opportunity for our faculty to develop and build their expertise in global skills learning outcomes and East Asian studies,” NWC Intercultural Programs Manager Amanda Enriquez said.
DeBuhr, who plans to persue the study of Chanoyu—the art of the Japanese tea ceremony—will do so in Kumamoto, Japan, and on the island of Kyushu.
After her studies, she plans to incorporate a section on the tradition of Chanoyu in her Ceramics II course.
The section would include readings and lecture on the history of Chanoyu and a demonstration on making the tea bowls. Students would learn and use Japanese vocabulary and be required to design, create and fire their own tea bowls, culminating in an Chanoyu ceremony.
Eggener, who plans to study K-Pop, a genre of popular music originating in South Korea, will partner with Hallym University in Chuncheon.
After studying in South Korea, he plans to update his his curriculum to include East Asian music, so NWC students can further grow their global skills.
In addition, Eggener hopes to host his own concert and masterclass to demonstrate his techniques in performance, music theory and composition.
Smith, who plans to travel to several regions throughout Japan, will study culture, Jomon pottery and snow monkeys.
After his research, he plans to modify and add components to his Cultural Anthropology, Archaeology and Biological Anthropology courses.
Additionally, Smith would be willing to partner with other departments across campus and at MSUB to further share the findings of his studies in Japan.
NWC and MSUB are one of only 32 U.S. institutions to receive such funding and the only colleges in Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota and North Dakota to be funded.
To learn more about the UISFL grant at NWC, visit .
