Welcome! We hope that our website makes it easy for you to identify opportunities at K-State to enhance the international dimension of your studies, research, and general interests. In my capacity as Director, my primary responsibility is to administer two Secondary Major programs: International Studies and Latin American Studies. I enjoy working with students who seek to complement their major disciplinary studies with courses and activities that invite them to "think globally" and to prepare for future careers for which knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of other nationalities, languages, and cultures will serve them well. Please check out the secondary majors as you browse through the features of our website. As a former participant in my undergraduate school's study program in Peru, and as a professor of Spanish, you can count on me to be very enthusiastic about opportunities for Study Abroad, for involvement as a volunteer in the International Community Service Program, and for expanding one's view of the world by learning a second (third? fourth?) language. The Department of Modern Languages offers instruction in several languages, and it is supported by our newly remodeled and equipped Language Learning Center. Faculty at KSU can count on me to support international studies through interdisciplinary projects and discussions.

Let me point out that the International and Area Studies is a program of the College of Arts and Sciences. There are other international programs housed in colleges, most notably International Agricultural Programs and the Certificate of International Business program in the College of Business.  Sometimes folks confuse our office with the Office of International Programs. The OIP represents the entire university, whereas the other international offices on campus focus primarily on activities within their particular college. Recent program developments in African Studies and East Asian Studies add more options for students as they contribute to the international dimension of our university.

By the way, we've included in our website a couple of features that we hope you'll enjoy. First of all, why don't you take a look at our "I.Q. Challenges" (trivia tests) for International Studies and International Studies? We'll add new versions from time to time, so please check to see if there is another challenge waiting for you. The spirit of the tests is light-hearted, however, so we'll try to add a little humor to the questions from time to time. We've recently added several very useful links to organizations, news sources, and study centers that I have personally selected. I am sure that you'll find a favorite or two among them. We're moving forward as we begin a new century. More than ever before, it's time to think globally and to be international. It's time.

Please let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Bradley A. Shaw, Director
ias@ksu.edu

IAS Announcements

IAS Student Profiles

The History of IAS