Off-Campus Programs

Julie Whalen started her career by teaching English Language Arts at the high school level.  There, she had the opportunity to do a summer study abroad in Peru through a Fulbright Grant.  The experience was meaningful and sparked a love of travel and a passion to help others find similar experiences.  She began promoting study abroad at the high school level, working in exchanges with both Spain and Japan, as well as a domestic study in South Dakota.  She now helps Earlham students who are interested in studying abroad reach their goals.

Julie believes in the promotion of cultural competency and empathy and is passionate about making international study a reality for all students who seek to learn about the world through a new lens.

Melissa Cox is the Administrative Assistant in the Center for Global and Career Education. Melissa has been at Earlham for 16 years.  She has been in her current role, with the Center for Global and Career Education, for five of those years.  Previously, she work with the M.A.T. program for eleven years.  Melissa also teaches yoga in the Athletic and Wellness Center.

Pronouns: They/them/their

Bio. Roger Adkins is a scholar-administrator with a complex profile that includes extensive administrative work and expertise in global learning, ongoing interdisciplinary research and scholarship, and teaching in both domestic and international settings. They are a passionate educator who strives to make global learning accessible for every student, both in on-campus and off-campus settings.

Global Engagement. They studied abroad in Iceland and have led short, faculty-led programs in the UK (England, Wales, and Scotland). They have also visited or worked in: Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sri Lanka, Sweden, and Tunisia.

Areas of Expertise. They are also a dedicated educator who believes in helping today’s students prepare for a world of rapidly evolving circumstances and inevitable shifts in professional life. They have experience administering off-campus study programs; advising and mentoring international students and scholars; working in faculty development for global learning; advocating for and working in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion; fellowships advising and administration; and developing new programs, curricula, and approaches in global learning. Roger also has briefer experience in career education, internships programming, community engagement, and community and employer partnerships.

Portfolio.

• Roger manages the Center for Global Education, which includes: English Language Learners courses; International Student and Scholar Services; and Off-Campus Programs
• They also direct the Border Studies Program (Earlham | Non-Earlham) and the Tibetan Studies in India Program (Earlham | Non-Earlham)
• In addition, they convene the Designation of Distinction in Global Engagement
• They are generally an advocate for students seeking fellowships and other prestigious awards and are the main contact for the Beinecke Scholarship; the Boren Scholarship; the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship; the Future Nobel Laureates Scholarship; and DAAD Germany scholarships and fellowships
• Teaching and administrative faculty members interested in Fulbright Scholar Awards may also contact Roger for assistance
• Roger is also Alliance Liaison of Earlham College to the Global Liberal Arts Alliance
• Finally, they help to administer global school-of-record agreements with Earlham College

Teaching. They have taught courses in: career education; comparative literature; creative writing; cultural studies; fellowships success; folklore; gender studies; literatures in English; queer studies; Scandinavian studies; and writing.

Courses Taught at Earlham

• ENG 382 Topics in Genre and Narrative: Alternative Realities
• EPIC 271 Fellowship Foundations
• EPIC 481 Internship
• (Future offering, pending approval: ENG 2XX Introduction to Folklore)

Ongoing Research Projects

• Decolonizing and queering approaches in global learning
• Queer/quare potential of ‘the monstrous Other’ | scifi, folklore, fantasy, future studies, and social justice
• Critically engaged pedagogies: culturally sustaining pedagogies, universal design, antiracism theory and practice
• Best practices in faculty-led and short-term, off-campus programs (study, internships, fieldwork, etc.)

Education

• B.A. English and Creative Writing, Hiram College (Ohio), 1995
• M.A. Gender Studies, and graduate teaching certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies, University of Oregon, 1999
• A1-level certificate in Icelandic Language and Culture, Háskola Islands (University of Iceland), 2003
• M.A. (2008) and Ph.D. (2010) Comparative Literature, University of Oregon

Identities. Roger identifies as queer, lives with a disability (not visible), and comes from a working-class background. They were also a first-generation college student. They are passionate about inclusiveness and are very happy to serve as a mentor or advocate for students from diverse backgrounds. They are gender nonbinary and use they/them/their pronouns.