Student-Faculty Fellows Program

Engaging Asia: Core Ideas​

  1. Current global issues in an Asian context
    SFF projects will emphasize current issues, some with global ramifications and others that are more unique to Asia. Examples of such a focus include public health, migrant labor, green industry, sustainable development, the housing bubble, aging, urbanization, and disaster management. The student fellows will study an issue prior to departure for Asia, and they will apply and adjust that knowledge throughout their experience in Asia. Such practical experience will challenge the student fellows to apply their academic learning in real world settings.
  2. Interaction and collaboration with the people of Asia
    SFF projects will provide substantial opportunities for interaction and/or collaboration between student fellows and their Asian partners (organizations, groups, or individuals) working together on an issue. By experiencing a specific place in Asia and engaging each day with people there, student fellows will gain a real world understanding of today’s Asia. Such experience will be meaningful to student fellows as their views of the world mature and as they prepare for their future.
  3. Practical and professional skill development
    SFF projects will emphasize skill development, including critical thinking and analytic reasoning, written and oral communication, teamwork in diverse settings, complex problem solving, cross-cultural communication, and networking. Skill development is a highly practical and meaningful outcome that will contribute positively to students’ professional development, whatever career path they might choose.
  4. Student career and professional preparation
    SFF projects will focus on professional preparation as a significant part of the student fellow experience. Many ASIANetwork member institutions have begun to integrate opportunities that help students prepare themselves professionally; for example, digital resumes, e-portfolios, course presentations, collaborative projects, academic publications, conference presentations, technological enhancements of their work, and the integration of their work into major capstone projects. Faculty mentors will help students engage the resources at their college in order to apply and document their learning in ways that contribute to their professional development and generate future career opportunities.
  5. Strong faculty mentoring
    Faculty mentor(s) identify the team’s Asian partners, help students conceptualize current-issue projects, guide student work on site, and foster opportunities for multifaceted skill development and career preparation. SFF faculty mentoring is a two-year process, beginning with work on the application in the fall, preparation for departure in the spring, on-site project coordination in Asia in the summer, writing initial project reports upon return, and continuing to work with students on campus through the following May when final reports are submitted.