Growing global programs is key mission
for WMU international administrator

Being raised in a home where discussions about international topics were held daily inspired Dr. Jane Blyth Warren to study abroad in high school and college and to pursue a career in international education. Originally from a small town in upstate New York along the Erie Canal, Warren first studied abroad in France when she was 16 years old. Her lifelong study of Japanese language and culture began as an undergraduate, when she was an exchange student at Nanzan University in Nagoya, Japan.

That inspiration fueled Warren’s attainment of advanced degrees in East Asian languages and cultures, linguistics, and language education, and a career teaching Japanese, linguistics, and English as a Second Language in Japan and the United States. She also served as a visiting researcher from 2008-2009 in the Faculty of Culture and Information Science at Doshisha University, in Kyoto Japan, conducting research on the use of online digital portfolios and podcasts to improve oral English skills in Japanese university students.

The culmination of those experiences—studying abroad, working abroad, living abroad, working with students going abroad and with international students living in the United States—well prepared Warren to be named in May 2010 as director of study abroad and global program development in Western Michigan University’s Haenicke Institute for Global Education.

“My father was in the first Fulbright group to travel to Germany after World War II and he spent many years living and studying there while completing a doctorate at Goethe University,” said Warren, who earned a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction/language education from Indiana State University. “Following his path seemed like a natural step for me, although I chose to study abroad in France and Japan instead of Germany. After many years in international education, teaching and advising students at universities in the U.S. and abroad, this position at WMU has given me a chance to utilize my diverse experiences and skills.”

As study abroad director, Warren oversees all aspects of the University’s resources and programs that support the more than 500 WMU students who study abroad each academic year. WMU’s study abroad catalog includes more than 70 programs in 30-plus countries, including 21 short-term, summer courses led by WMU faculty.

“I love meeting WMU students abroad and being reminded about what a life-changing experience study abroad can be,” she said. “Over the past two years, we have expanded the number of exchange programs, which allow WMU students to study abroad for about the same amount it costs them to study in Kalamazoo. Exchanges offer an affordable study abroad option for WMU students and another opportunity for students at our partner institutions to study here, which further enhances the international atmosphere on campus.”

Warren said her main objective is to continue expanding WMU’s international program offerings to ensure students have a good variety of options for taking courses overseas that complement their on-campus curricula and apply to their degree programs. To that end, she has developed new opportunities in Africa, South America and Asia. 

In an effort to increase funding for students who want to study abroad, Warren developed a merit-based award for the Dean’s Scholarship for Summer Study Abroad, which formerly offered just need-based awards. That change opened eligibility for that scholarship to students with a GPA of 3.0 are higher, who might not be eligible for need-based awards. “The Dean’s Scholarship has awarded more than $150,000 in scholarships to support enrollment in our faculty-led study abroad courses,” Warren said. “We have also coordinated with the Haworth College of Business and the College of Arts in Sciences to develop college-based scholarships for study abroad.”

Improvements to the application process for studying abroad came under Warren’s direction with the implementation in fall 2011 of a new online application system, Broncos Abroad, which she said has greatly simplified the application process for students and staff.

“This new system has streamlined our application process, making it easier for students to search our programs and complete an application,” she said. “It also has made it easier for faculty to recommend students for study abroad. In the future, we plan to expand its features to include a pre-departure orientation and a post-study abroad evaluation.”

Warren is also responsible for creating incoming and outgoing opportunities for students through her work at the Institute in global program development. She is currently working with universities in Korea, Japan and France to develop dual degree programs that will give WMU students and students at the partner institution the chance to earn degrees from both institutions simultaneously. Warren is also in charge of a recently launched initiative—Study Abroad @ WMU, which offers international students a short-term opportunity to study at WMU for a semester or two. 

In an effort to increase campus awareness about the benefits of international education and to support the globally-engaged pillar of WMU’s mission, Warren introduced in 2011 the Advisors Abroad program, which provides opportunities for college and department academic advisors to gain first-hand experience by participating in one of WMU’s short-term, faculty-led courses.

“Three WMU advisors participated in the Advisors Abroad program last year and we plan to offer it again in 2012,” Warren said. “Advisors who have participated in study abroad will be more likely to recommend it to the students they work with.”

On the way to earning a Ph.D., Warren completed a bachelor’s degree in East Asian languages and literature at the University of Pittsburgh, a master’s degree in East Asian languages and cultures at the University of Kansas, and a master’s degree in linguistics at Indiana State University. She has taught courses in Japanese, ESL, and linguistics at Kalamazoo College, Indiana State University, Moorhead State University and Valley City State University. Her chapter, “Web-based Language Portfolios and the Five C’s:  Implementation in Foreign Language College Classrooms,” appears in R. Oxford & J. Oxford (Eds.), World language teaching and learning in the N-Generation: Issues and perspectives. National Foreign Language Resource Center, Hawai’i. (2009).

 “Being a part of WMU now is exciting because it is a time of tremendous growth in international program development, so there are always new projects to work on,” Warren said.

Story by Nate Coe