The Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship (JMC) at Florida State University welcomed approximately 500 entrepreneurship leaders, educators and innovators from around the world to Tallahassee for the 2026 Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (GCEC) Conference, held Oct. 15-17.

The conference brought representatives from 14 countries and nearly 250 distinct institutions to Florida’s capital city, including universities, organizations, programs and centers. The event centered on the theme of “momentum,” exploring how universities transform ideas into action, turning challenges into opportunities and strengthening ecosystems driving innovation and economic growth.

The landmark gathering concluded with international honors for the host institution, as the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship was awarded the GCEC Center of Entrepreneurial Leadership Award, recognizing JMC’s leadership, excellence and dedication in hosting the global summit.

The 2026 conference celebrated a convergence of historic anniversaries for Florida State University, its entrepreneurship entities and the GCEC organization:

• Florida State University (175th Anniversary): In 2026, FSU celebrates 175 years of educating leaders, advancing discovery and serving communities across Florida and beyond.
• Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (30th Anniversary): Founded as the premier international organization supporting university-based entrepreneurship programs, the GCEC celebrated three decades of global impact at its 30th annual conference this year.
• Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship (30th Anniversary): The Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship (JMI) recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, marking three decades of serving small businesses, entrepreneurs and non-profits throughout Florida and across the nation.
• Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship (10th Anniversary): The gathering precedes a major milestone for JMC, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2027. As the nation’s first stand-alone college of entrepreneurship at a public institution, JMC has spent nearly a decade building an innovative educational ecosystem that empowers students to act boldly and turn ideas into impact.

“Hosting the GCEC Conference at Florida State University during such a momentous year represents an extraordinary opportunity to bring together the leaders shaping the future of entrepreneurship education,” said Mike Brady, interim dean of the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship. “The theme of ‘momentum’ reflects what we strive to cultivate every day at JMC, moving ideas forward, building meaningful partnerships and translating entrepreneurial thinking into lasting impact. Receiving the GCEC Center of Entrepreneurial Leadership Award is a proud recognition of our faculty, staff and partners who continue to advance entrepreneurship on a global scale as we approach our college’s 10th anniversary.”

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Florida State University brought a colorful piece of Spanish culture to Tallahassee on Thursday, unveiling a traditional Valencian sculpture in the Student Union that celebrates the university’s global connections.

FSU President Richard McCullough unveiled the sculpture, known as a “falla,” during a ceremony attended by students, faculty and staff representing FSU’s study centers in Valencia, Florence, London and Panama.

“When you learn about other cultures, that really changes you as a person,” McCullough said. “I hope that this sculpture will be a wonderful memory for those of you who have studied abroad and had these international experiences.”

Las Fallas is an annual cultural festival held each March in Valencia, featuring elaborate sculptures made of papier-mâché, wood and other materials. Known as “fallas,” the sculptures often depict satirical scenes, public figures and cultural themes. They are displayed throughout the city during the weeklong festival before they are burned at midnight on March 19, the feast day of St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters.

The festival grew out of a tradition in which carpenters burned leftover materials from their workshops to honor their patron saint. Today, the tradition symbolizes renewal and the arrival of spring. In 2016, UNESCO recognized the festival as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list.

With donor support, FSU launched the project in 2025 with the installation of three bronze statues in the Student Union titled “Vires, Artes, Mores,” representing the university’s core values of strength, skill and character. The statues were cast from the same molds as those displayed at the FSU Florence Study Center. The fallas is the second of four planned installations in the Student Union, with artwork representing FSU Panama and FSU London to follow.

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Florida State University’s Learning Systems Institute (LSI) is partnering with School-to-School International on a five-year, $21.7 million project to strengthen secondary education in Belize, with $1.6 million allocated to FSU.

The Equipping Secondary Educators Program Partnership (ESEPP) is the largest investment under the Belize Compact’s Education Project and will bring together Belizean and U.S. expertise to improve school leadership, teacher development and educational outcomes nationwide.

LSI will provide technical expertise and support to strengthen educational quality assurance systems in Belize and improve teaching quality, teacher preparation and school leadership. These efforts will build the capacity of educators and institutions to improve teaching and learning outcomes for Belizean students.

“We are extremely excited to begin work on this five-year program to strengthen every level of Belize’s secondary education ecosystem,” LSI Director Rabieh Razzouk said. “LSI has tremendous experience in teaching through capacity building, working in the secondary education space and working internationally. We also have a wonderful working relationship with School-to-School International and have previously collaborated on two successful multimillion-dollar projects in Malawi and Zambia.”

ESEPP will support the Belize Compact’s goal of increasing the number of students who graduate from post-primary education with skills that meet workforce needs. Working closely with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology and other stakeholders, the partnership will strengthen Belize’s existing education institutions and systems.

The program will focus on four key areas: school leadership, professional development for secondary teachers, teacher preparation and improved teaching and learning materials.

“We are honored to partner with School-to-School International, the MoECST and Belizean institutions on this important initiative,” said Ana Marty, a senior research associate at LSI who will serve as the principal investigator on the project. “Through the ESEPP project, FSU will support efforts to strengthen teacher preparation, professional development, school leadership, and instructional quality so more Belizean students graduate with the knowledge and skills they need for future success. We are especially excited to work alongside local educators to build sustainable systems that will continue to benefit schools and learners long after the project concludes.”

The Education Project aims to improve learning outcomes and workforce readiness by strengthening secondary education and Belize’s technical and vocational education and training systems. The goal is to equip more young Belizeans with the literacy, numeracy, technical and other skills needed to succeed in further education, training and the workforce.

The governments of Belize and the United States, through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), officially launched the compact in September. The compact includes a $125 million grant from the U.S. government and nearly $55 million from the government of Belize to strengthen workforce preparation and reduce electricity costs.

“For our young Belizean, then this must mean a clear path from the classroom to qualifications and from qualifications to meaningful employment,” said Prime Minister of Belize John Briceno. “For too long, we hear that we are graduating so many kids from high school, but when they leave high school, it’s difficult for them to get a meaningful job. You know, in many instances, they end up working in a store, and by us being able to align the educational system better with the needs of the economy, I think that we’re not only planning for the future, but we are creating better opportunities for young Belizeans.”

Melba Marin-Velasquez, an assistant in research at LSI, will serve as co-principal investigator on the project. Stephanie Zuilkowski, associate director for research at LSI and a professor in the Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, will also serve as a key member of the technical team.

For more information about LSI, visit lsi.fsu.edu. To learn more about FSU’s global footprint, visit global.fsu.edu. 

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From study abroad and exchange programs to global research, language learning and cultural engagement, Florida State University’s global impact extends across the university. FSU will bring these efforts into the spotlight during its annual Celebration of International Education, taking place Oct. 21 through Dec. 4, 2026.

The celebration will feature events across campus that showcase the many ways FSU students, faculty and staff engage with the world.  

With more than 100 international agreements, European study centers in England, Spain and Italy, a branch campus in the Republic of Panama, global exchanges in 21 countries and 2,790 international students representing more than 125 countries, FSU has a global community and network worth celebrating. FSU is also the No. 1 public university in the nation for long-term study abroad enrollment. 

Below is a list of events celebrating international education at FSU.

Explore study abroad and global exchange opportunities  

2026 Study Abroad Fair
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21
Landis Green
Meet with International Programs faculty and staff and learn more about the programs they offer around the world.  

Global Exchanges Fair
3:30 to 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6
The Globe Auditorium
Learn more about FSU’s Global Exchange programs, offered through the Center for Global Engagement, and meet international students from FSU’s partner universities and FSU students who have recently been abroad on an exchange program.   

Connect across cultures 

International Coffee Hour
5 to 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23; Oct. 30; Nov. 6; Nov. 13; Nov. 20; and Dec. 4
The Globe
The Center for Global Engagement’s signature event, offering refreshments inspired by a featured culture and opportunities to interact with students, scholars and faculty from around the world. The event is co-hosted with different groups across campus each week. 

International Coffee Hour: Graduate Lounge
5 to 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23
The Globe Auditorium
Join the Center for Global Engagement and the Congress of Graduate Students (COGS) for an afternoon of socializing and networking with peers in a space specifically for graduate students. 

Fluency Hub
3 to 4:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, and Friday, Nov. 20
Room 335 in the Rovetta Business Building (RBB)
Join the Center for Intensive English Studies (CIES) for an opportunity to develop fluency and confidence when speaking English while interacting with international graduate students and English for Academic Purposes faculty.   

Explore global ideas 

AI’s Impact on Global Education Forum
10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 6
The Innovation Hub
Faculty and staff from FSU’s Learning Systems Institute and Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences will participate in an open forum to discuss the global impact of AI on education. 

Tyler Center for Global Studies Virtual Summit/Watch Party
4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19
Virtual (register here) or join the “Watch Party” at the Honors, Scholars, and Fellows House – Nancy H. Marcus Great Hall
Join the Tyler Center for Global Studies, hosted and coordinated by FSU, for its annual virtual summit, where 12 Tyler Fellows from 12 different institutions will showcase their research and experiences abroad.   

Global Scholars Showcase
3 to 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4
Honors, Scholars, and Fellows House – Nancy H. Marcus Great Hall
An open-house style symposium recapping projects by students in the 2026 Global Scholars cohort. Presented by the Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement.  

Experience global culture 

The FSU College of Music presents a series of World Music Ensemble performances, featuring musical traditions from around the world. All performances take place from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the Opperman Music Hall. 

World Music – Gamelan and Chinese Ensemble
Tuesday, Nov. 17
Featuring the Balinese Gamelan Ensemble and Chinese Music Ensemble. 

World Music – Grupo Jaraguá and Modern Pop Ensemble
Wednesday, Nov. 18
Featuring the Brazilian Music Ensemble, also known as “Grupo Jaraguá,” and the Modern Pop Ensemble.

World Music – Mas’N’Steel and Old Time Ensemble 
Thursday, Nov. 19
Featuring the Mas‘N’Steel Ensemble and Old Time Ensemble.  

World Music Ensemble – Indian Music Ensemble and Advanced Intercultural Ensemble
Friday, Nov. 20
Featuring the Indian Music Ensemble and the Advanced Intercultural Ensemble.

For more information and a full list of events, visit global.fsu.edu/celebration-of-international-education.   

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Ten Florida State University students from the Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement (CARE) spent eight weeks in South Africa this summer during the inaugural CARE Global Learning Community in partnership with International Programs. 

Students stayed in the dynamic university city of Durban, on the east coast of South Africa, where they participated in Zulu language classes, explored local customs and food and held full-time internships with local organizations and institutions. 

CARE serves high-achieving students who may face distinct challenges due to a variety of circumstances and life experiences, including first-generation students and students with demonstrated financial need. 

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Florida State University welcomed entrepreneurship educators and leaders from around the world to Tallahassee last month for the 26th Experiential Classroom, an intensive professional development program designed to strengthen entrepreneurship education.

Hosted by FSU’s Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship, this year’s program took place Sept. 17-19 and brought together participants from six countries, 21 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, representing 58 institutions and organizations. International participants came to Tallahassee from Canada, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Armenia and India. 

The Experiential Classroom is housed at FSU and offered in partnership with the University of Notre Dame, the University of Tampa and the University of Florida. It was founded in 1999 by Michael Morris, a faculty member of the McKenna Center for Human Development and Global Business in the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame.  

The program has become a leading professional development experience for faculty, doctoral students, program directors and others seeking to strengthen how they teach entrepreneurship. 

“The reach of this year’s Experiential Classroom speaks to the global leadership role Florida State’s Jim Moran College plays in entrepreneurship education,” said Michael Brady, interim dean of the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship. “We want FSU to be a destination not only for students who want to study entrepreneurship, but also for educators from around the world who want to become better at teaching it.” 

While most participants came from colleges and universities, the cohort also included representatives from a high school and school district, as well as and community organizations such as the Chicago Urban League, mHUB and the Chicago Community Trust.  

Unlike a traditional academic conference, the Experiential Classroom operates as an immersive teaching clinic. Participants learn alongside experienced entrepreneurship educators through classroom demonstrations, interactive sessions and hands-on exercises they can adapt to their own classrooms and entrepreneurship programs. 

“The Experiential Classroom is about learning how to teach entrepreneurship by experiencing great entrepreneurship education,” said Susana Santos, Jim Moran Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and co-director of the program. “Bringing together educators with different disciplinary, institutional and cultural perspectives creates an incredible learning environment. Participants leave with practical approaches they can immediately put to work and a global network of colleagues to rely on long after the clinic ends.” 

The Experiential Classroom is part of FSU’s broader work to strengthen entrepreneurship education in the United States and abroad.  

In 2025, Santos and Eric Liguori, Jim Moran Professor and associate dean for research and external relations in the college, traveled to Armenia with Vilma Fuentes, a visiting associate in research at FSU’s Learning Systems Institute, to train more than 30 faculty and administrators at the Armenian State University of Economics (ASUE) on contemporary approaches to entrepreneurship education.  

The training was part of a U.S. Department of State-funded partnership designed to strengthen STEM and social entrepreneurship education and educational ties between the United States and Armenia. Liguori also regularly leads entrepreneurship educator development programs at universities across the United States, extending FSU’s expertise in experiential entrepreneurship education to faculty and institutions beyond the university’s campuses. 

FSU’s work to advance entrepreneurship education internationally is also expanding through a strategic partnership with Universal AI University in Mumbai, India. Through the partnership, FSU faculty are working with their counterparts in India to help integrate entrepreneurship education into the university’s curriculum, bringing together FSU’s expertise in entrepreneurship education with Universal AI University’s focus on artificial intelligence and emerging technology. 

FSU’s role as a hub for entrepreneurship education will be on display again Oct. 15-17, when the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship hosts the 2026 Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers Annual Conference, bringing hundreds of university entrepreneurship leaders, educators and ecosystem builders from around the world to Tallahassee.  

For more information about conference registration and sponsorship opportunities, visit the conference’s webpage. To learn more about the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship, visit jimmorancollege.fsu.edu.  

To learn more about FSU’s global footprint, visit global.fsu.edu. 

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Florida State University students and recent graduates earned 10 nationally competitive scholarships to study critical languages abroad during the 2025-26 and 2026-27 academic years.  

The awards include four Boren Awards and six Critical Language Scholarships (CLS), which support students studying languages considered critical to U.S. national security and economic interests. 

Senior Gage Stanton earned both awards. After receiving a CLS to study Russian during the 2025-26 academic year, Stanton was awarded a Boren Scholarship for 2026-27 and is currently studying Russian overseas. 

The Boren Awards allow students to study abroad for up to a year in areas of the world critical to U.S. national security. The scholarship provides up to $20,000 for undergraduate students to study less commonly taught languages in regions underrepresented in study abroad programs and considered critical to U.S. interests, including Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America and the Middle East. 

During the 2025-26 academic year, three FSU students received Boren Scholarships, offered through an initiative of the National Security Education Program. 

Nadia Rassech, who graduated in summer 2026 with degrees in international affairs and Middle Eastern Studies, received the scholarship to study Arabic in Morocco. 

During the fall 2025 and spring 2026 semesters, Rassech spent nine months in Rabat, Morocco, immersing herself in Arabic while studying local history, film, literature and political science through Amideast Education Abroad, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educational development in the Middle East and North Africa. 

“I liked how well-rounded the program was for getting a better sense of Moroccan history and society outside of language studies,” she said. “You learn so much about a language by living in a place and exploring its culture, and vice versa — by studying a language, you learn a lot about a country’s culture and history.” 

Rassech, who long wanted to study abroad, had already immersed herself in Arabic language and culture on campus, building a strong foundation through classes in the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics. She also lived in the Arabic Language House, where students reside with a native Arabic speaker and practice the language beyond the classroom, and worked as an assistant at FSU’s Middle East Center, an interdisciplinary center focused on the region. 

She also completed internships at the Foundation Orient Occident, a local nonprofit that supports refugee communities through cultural exchange and community development. 

Rassech previously studied abroad in Fez, Morocco, through FSU funding, and at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg in Germany through the Center for Global Engagement’s Global Exchanges Program. She said the Boren Scholarship’s length and scope provided greater opportunities for language, cultural and community immersion. 

“My biggest takeaway from the experience was not only my language development, but also the community that I was able to build in that city,” she said. “I don’t think I would have gotten nearly as much out of this experience if I hadn’t been in one place for a whole academic year.” 

Maya O’Donnell, who earned her bachelor’s degree in international affairs from FSU in 2024 and is now pursuing a graduate degree in international affairs, studied Russian in Latvia.  

Sandra Leis, who earned her bachelor’s degree in linguistics and languages in spring 2026 and is now pursuing a graduate degree in East Asian languages and cultures, studied Mandarin in Taiwan. For the 2026-27 award cycle, Stanton became FSU’s next Boren Scholar and is studying Russian overseas. 

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the CLS provides eight to 10 weeks abroad for American undergraduate students to study one of nine critical languages (Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, and Swahili). Recipients also serve as citizen ambassadors while developing skills for an increasingly globalized workforce. 

During the 2025-26 academic year, four FSU students earned the Critical Language Scholarship.  

Shovik Saha, who graduated from FSU in 2026 with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary social sciences, received the scholarship to study Hindi in Jaipur, India. 

Saha attended the American Institute of Indian Studies and lived with a host family, an experience he said deepened his understanding of contemporary life in India.  

“Immersing myself in the Hindi language and South Asian culture helped me better understand diverse communities, which is especially valuable as I prepare for a legal career,” said Saha, who plans to attend law school and pursue a career in environmental law. 

Because Saha already knew Bangla, the national language of Bangladesh, learning Hindi felt like a natural next step. The languages share Indo-Aryan roots, sentence structures and many Sanskrit-derived words, though they have distinct sounds, grammar and writing systems.  

“I started the program as a beginner, and through the immersive experience and the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview, I reached intermediate mid-proficiency,” Saha said. “Since completing the program, I have continued using my Hindi skills when speaking with Hindi speakers, engaging with Hindi media and maintaining my language skills through practice.” 

Saha’s other international experiences include a UK Fulbright Summer Institute Program at the University of Exeter in 2024 and the Junior Resident Fellows Program at the Center for Khmer Studies in Siem Reap, Cambodia, in summer 2026. He said the experiences strengthened his commitment to global engagement and cultural exchange. 

“I believe experiences like this are valuable because they help me better understand people, communities and perspectives that may be very different from my own,” he said.  

Along with Saha and Stanton, Rand Peate, a graduate student in urban and regional planning, studied Arabic in Jordan through the CLS, while alumnus Jackson Root, who earned a bachelor’s degree in political science in spring 2025, used the scholarship to study Arabic in Egypt.  

Two more recipients from FSU earned the CLS for 2026-27. Mahathi Tallapragada, who graduated in Fall 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in biological science, used the scholarship to study Hindi in India. Sara Boswell, a sophomore double majoring in Russian and international affairs, is studying Russian in Latvia. 

Applications for the 2027-2028 CLS Program will open during the fall 2026 semester. Applications for the 2027-2028 Boren Awards are due Nov. 19.  

Undergraduate students interested in applying for a Boren Award or the CLS may contact Bonnie Garcia-Gloeckner, associate director of the Office of National Fellowships, at bjgarcia@fsu.edu, or visit onf.fsu.edu. Graduate students interested in applying for a Boren Award or the CLS may contact Keith McCall, assistant director of the Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards, at kmccall2@fsu.edu, or visit ogfa.fsu.edu. 

To learn more about FSU’s global footprint, visit global.fsu.edu.  

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Florida State University’s International Programs offers study abroad opportunities in locations across the world, including study centers in London, England; Florence, Italy; Valencia, Spain, a branch campus in Panama City, Republic of Panama as well as faculty-led programs in over 10 other locations. 

FSU is ranked No. 1 among public universities and No. 4 overall for long-term study abroad enrollments in the Institute for International Education’s Open Doors 2025 Report. FSU also ranked No. 10 among public universities and No. 12 overall for number of students studying abroad, with 2,702 students participating in programs in the 2023-2024 academic year. 

Through their First Year Abroad (FYA) and First Semester Abroad (FSA) programs, incoming first-year students at FSU have the opportunity to spend either their first semester or first year of college abroad at FSU’s study centers in Florence, London, Valencia or its branch campus in Panama City, Republic of Panama. The FYA and FSA programs celebrated nearly 3,000 program alumni during their 20th anniversary in the fall of 2025.  

“FSU has a long history of looking beyond its borders and creating opportunities for students to experience the world firsthand,” said Louisa Blenman, executive director of International Programs. “We look forward to continuing to provide traditional study abroad programs while also creating new opportunities for students and faculty to showcase the strengths of the university around the globe.” 

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As the fall semester gets underway at Florida State University, students and faculty are settling into a new academic year while reflecting on the experiences that took them beyond campus this summer. 

Whether taking classes at one of FSU’s study centers abroad, completing an international internship or volunteering in a new community, FSU students and faculty spent the summer learning, growing and making connections around the world. 

Italy 

At the FSU Florence Study Center, students enrolled in the Communication and Media in Florence program through International Programs and spent five weeks producing the summer issue of “Il Ponte,” a magazine publication promoting both the program and the local community.  

The program provides students with unique hands-on communication and media experience through direct interactions with Italian clients, giving students an opportunity to learn more about the editing, writing, design and social media aspects of publishing.  

Each summer, the students and instructor work together to choose a theme for that edition of the magazine. The theme for this summer’s issue was “Reducing Overtourism and Promoting City Beatification.” 

“We want our magazine to go beyond simply showcasing Florence as a beautiful spot for tourists,” said Jaejin Lee, professor at the College of Communication and Information and the course instructor this summer. “Instead, I encouraged students to think critically about how visitors can enjoy and appreciate the city while respecting its residents, environment and cultures.” 

The cohort volunteered with Fondazione Angeli del Bello (“The Angels of Beauty Foundation”), a local nonprofit dedicated to protecting Florence’s environment and improving its shared urban spaces. The cohort collaborated with the foundation on cleaning and beautification projects, giving students a broader perspective on their experience abroad as temporary residents of Florence rather than tourists.  

“I hope that future students of FSU Florence continue to strive to keep the city beautiful by properly discarding their waste and volunteering with foundations like Angeli del Bello to fully participate as a temporary citizen of Italy,” said Rachel Wynn, a senior pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from the Herbert Wertheim College of Business at FSU who participated in the program this summer. 

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Four Florida State University students have been selected for the 2026-2027 Fulbright U.S. Student Program. These accomplished students will travel to New Zealand, Spain, Thailand and the United Kingdom to teach, study and engage in cultural exchange as part of the U.S. Department of State’s flagship international educational exchange program.  

“The Fulbright Program strengthens connections between Florida State University and the wider world,” said Keith McCall, assistant director of the Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards. “Through research, teaching and cultural exchange, FSU’s Fulbright recipients advance knowledge, address global challenges and foster mutual understanding. We are always eager to support students as they pursue opportunities to learn, collaborate and make an impact across borders.” 

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s premier international exchange initiative, fostering mutual understanding between U.S. citizens and people around the world. Funded primarily through an annual appropriation from the U.S. Congress to the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the program also benefits from support provided by partner governments, host institutions and private organizations across the globe. 

Fulbright U.S. Student Program recipients are selected each year for their academic or professional excellence and leadership potential. With opportunities in more than 160 countries, the program empowers students and recent graduates to teach, study or conduct research while serving as cultural ambassadors for the United States. 

The 2026-2027 Fulbright U.S. Student Program recipients from FSU are Josephine Whelan, Imani Sameem, Laurel Field and Harrison Betz. 

“Whether in the field or in the classroom, the FSU community continues to shine abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program,” said Bonnie Garcia-Gloeckner, associate director of the Office of National Fellowships. “This coming year will be impactful for Josephine, Imani, Laurel and Harrison, as well as the communities in which they will be working. We look forward to hearing about their experiences.”

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Florida State University’s College of Music has launched a new interactive webpage showcasing the global reach of its students and faculty. 

The webpage uses an interactive map to highlight College of Music activities around the world and illustrate how international experiences are shaping teaching, research and performance at FSU. 

Sarah Eyerly, associate dean for research and faculty development, and Greg Jones, associate dean for artistic planning, led the creation of the webpage in collaboration with Jeremy Katz, a research impact librarian, and Krista Rockne, research impact assistant with FSU Libraries.

This project is part of a broader initiative by FSU Libraries to partner with academic departments across campus. By providing advanced digital scholarship, spatial mapping, and data infrastructure support, the library helps faculty showcase research impact and community engagement that traditional metrics often overlook.

“As part of the college’s strategic vision, one of our key focus areas is ‘Connecting with Local and Global Communities,’” said Todd Queen, dean of the FSU College of Music. “The FSU College of Music is a global leader in music education, and this mapping project vividly demonstrates the extraordinary reach and impact of our faculty and students as they connect with communities around the world through music.” 

“The FSU College of Music is a global leader in music education, and this mapping project vividly demonstrates the extraordinary reach and impact of our faculty and students as they connect with communities around the world through music.”

– College of Music Dean Todd Queen

This spring, College of Music leaders visited universities and arts organizations in Thailand and Singapore to explore potential partnerships. The delegation included Queen along with Liz Avery, associate dean for academic affairs, and Lori Gooding, director of the college’s Music Therapy Program. 

In Thailand, the delegation traveled to Salaya to meet with representatives at Mahidol University’s College of Music and discuss opportunities for faculty, research and collaborations. 

In Singapore, the delegation met with representatives from the LASALLE College of the Arts, a globally ranked institution for performing arts education that serves as a constituent college of the University of the Arts Singapore. The connection to LASALLE was made through Indra Selvarajah, an FSU alumna who earned her Ph.D. in Music Education/Music Therapy from the College of Music in 2013. Selvarajah leads LASALLE’s master’s program in Music Therapy.  

The group also met with representatives from SEADOM, a Southeast Asia cultural and educational network that includes 70 member institutions in 10 countries, to explore opportunities for collaboration. They also attended the organization’s annual conference to connect with other regional leaders. 

FSU College of Music students are building international connections of their own. Phee Phupaibul, a student from Thailand pursuing a Doctor of Music in guitar performance, planned and organized a trip for FSU students to attend the Mahidol International Classical Guitar Forum in June at Mahidol University’s College of Music in Salaya, Thailand.  

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Three members of Florida State University’s Learning Systems Institute (LSI) will present at European conferences focusing on AI in education, reinforcing the institute as a leading force when it comes to AI in teaching and learning.  

Rabieh Razzouk, director of LSI; Carrie Meyers, director of education and workforce talent at FSU’s Institute for Strategic Partnerships, Innovation, Research, and Education, or FSU InSPIRE; and Jim Reynolds, LSI’s director of STEM outreach, will represent FSU at international conferences this semester in Paris and the Netherlands. 

The presentations highlight the recognition LSI’s work has earned internationally in the field of AI in education. Meyers and Reynolds are leading the development of an AI education pathway as part of FSU’s InSPIRE project and have delivered presentations on this topic to numerous audiences throughout Florida. Razzouk has developed and implemented an AI-assisted instructional support system for Florida’s teachers and is using AI on the Early Grade Education Activity in Jordan, which aims to strengthen Jordan’s early grade education system.  

“We are honored to have our team asked to join the global conversation on how to utilize AI in education,” Razzouk said. “LSI has worked to become a leader in utilizing AI for education, workforce development, AI-powered learning tools and research and innovation in the field. We are thankful that FSU champions innovative research in the field and understands this work raises public awareness and fuels lasting impact in this rapidly growing field.” 

Razzouk will present at UNESCO’s Digital Learning Week 2026 in Paris, which takes place Sept. 8-11 this year under the theme of “Education in the age of AI: Facts, Frictions, Frontiers. The annual event aims to foster critical reflection and meaningful collaboration in advancing the ethical and human-centered digital transformation of education. His presentation, “Customizing Standards-Aligned Lessons with AI: The CPALMS Experience,” will demonstrate an AI-assisted instructional support system designed to help teachers efficiently adapt existing standards-aligned educational resources to better meet students’ needs. 

Razzouk has previously spoken on AI in education. Last year, LSI partnered with the World Bank and UNESCO to host “Educators Shaping Futures: A Global Knowledge Exchange on Teacher Preparation and Development.” During the event, which took place Nov. 2-4, 2025, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and drew more than 340 policymakers, teacher educators, researchers and practitioners from 41 countries, Razzouk participated in a panel examining the roles and risks of AI in teacher education and development. 

“At LSI, we made a commitment to artificial intelligence as a core capability that strengthens every aspect of work,” Razzouk said. “The vision is already becoming reality as our team has been building and delivering high-quality professional learning that equips educators to effectively and responsibly integrate artificial intelligence into teaching and learning.” 

Next month, Meyers and Reynolds will present at the inaugural “Teaching and Learning with AI in Europe” conference in Breda, Netherlands. The conference, which takes place Oct. 19-20 and is co-hosted by Breda University and University of Central Florida, aims to establish cross-border collaboration in Europe to share ideas, best practices and innovation in AI in higher education.  

“It is exciting to share the AI in education work we are leading for FSU InSPIRE and to showcase the pathways we are creating for educators and students,” Meyers said. “Just as important is the opportunity to learn from others and to discover where our challenges intersect, exchange successful approaches, and identify innovative ideas from around the world. Our students are entering an increasingly global and competitive workforce, and collaboration like this helps ensure they are prepared not only to participate in that future, but to lead it.” 

Drawing on examples created by educators in FSU’s InSPIRE program, Meyers will lead the presentation “From Content to Comics: Using AI-Supported Graphic Novels to Teach Complex Concepts,” discussing how AI can help faculty and instructional designers create comics, graphic novels, e-readers and other visual learning materials that invite students into challenging ideas without reducing rigor. 

Reynolds will lead the presentation “From Prompt to Possibility: Co-Designing Thought-Revealing Activities with AI,” where he will explore how educators can use prompt engineering to co-design authentic, thought-revealing activities grounded in the research behind model-eliciting activities. 

“When other public universities look at what FSU is accomplishing — from our data-driven campus culture to our deeply engaged faculty, staff and students — they see a path forward,” said Paul Marty, associate vice provost for Academic Innovation and professor in the School of Information in the College of Communication and Information. “We are proving that a top public research university can lead the nation in adopting disruptive innovations while keeping student learning and the public good at the center of everything we do.” 

For more information about LSI, visit lsi.fsu.edu. To learn more about FSU’s global footprint, visit global.fsu.edu. 

About LSI 

The Learning Systems Institute (LSI) partners with schools, universities, governments and industry to research, develop, implement and evaluate AI solutions that improve educational outcomes while promoting responsible and human-centered use of artificial intelligence. LSI combines educational research, AI software development, instructional design, open educational resources, professional learning and large-scale implementation into integrated solutions. From developing AI-powered technologies to preparing educators and institutions for responsible AI adoption, LSI helps partners move beyond experimentation to meaningful, evidence-based impact. 

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