SU Center for International Education Named in Honor of Dudley-Eshbach

SALISBURY, MD---Salisbury University today spotlighted the global vision of President Emerita Janet Dudley-Eshbach by renaming its Center for International Education in her honor.

“The opportunity to learn and live in another country was an extremely important, formative aspect in the development of my own values and intellectual growth,” Dudley-Eshbach said. “Because I firmly believe that higher education should include learning about the world outside our familiar comfort zones, fomenting global, cultural awareness became a priority of my time as president of SU.”

A scholar of Latin American literature, Dudley-Eshbach earned her Ph.D. from El Colegio de México, studying in Spanish. She first cut the ribbon on SU’s center in 2006.  Today, the Janet Dudley-Eshbach Center for International Education houses three entities – the Office of Study Abroad, the International Student and Scholar Services Office, and the English Language Institute (ELI).  

“During her presidency, SU was transformed into a global organization with more than 40 active institutional partnerships in dozens of countries on five other continents,” said Dr. Brian Stiegler, center director and assistant provost for international education.

Dudley-Eshbach added:  “In the early years of my presidency we pulled together the disparate study abroad programs at the University under the rubric of the Center for International Education. Further, to help facilitate and encourage SU students to study in other countries, in 2010 I established the Dudley-Eshbach Study Abroad Scholarship. Creating a campus community in which SU students would travel and study all over the world was a central mission of my presidency, as was increasing the number of international students in our classrooms and providing more opportunities for the global engagement of our faculty. Global perspectives and internationalization have enhanced not only the worldview of SU students, but also have helped promote the reputation of SU well beyond our immediate geographic region.”

While president, Dudley-Eshbach joined students on spring break service trips to areas such as Aguascalientes, Mexico, and served on educational delegations to Ecuador, Spain, Cuba and Colombia. Her passion for international study and “Transformative Love of Hispanidad” were showcased by The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education.

During her 18-year tenure, the number of SU students studying abroad nearly quadrupled. In 2016, SU was recognized by the Institute for International Education as one of the top 40 master’s comprehensive universities in the U.S. for credits earned abroad; some 425 students studied internationally in one year.

Dudley-Eshbach also created the ELI in 2010 to provide a pathway for non-native speakers to study on campus. Since then, the number of international students enrolled full-time has tripled. This fall, more than 170 from 30 countries call Salisbury home.

In addition, she opened the International Faculty House in 2012. The guest house provides accommodations for teachers, scholars, artists and researchers from around the world. SU now welcomes about 10 global visitors each year in residency.

The Dudley-Eshbach Center for International Education’s valuable programs and collaborations extend SU’s reach worldwide, Stiegler said. SU faculty lead some 24 short-term Global Seminars annually and Salisbury Abroad programs provide semester-long study with 15 partners. Thanks to her scholarship, SU students now learn in four Latin American nations. SU also enrolls dozens of new students each year from universities in Anhui, China; Yangon, Myanmar; Tokyo, Japan; and, in the summer, Málaga, Spain. New Colombian initiatives will expand in coming years.

In requesting to rename the center, University officials said:  Dudley-Eshbach “consistently demonstrated the best qualities of academic leadership, and her vision, passion and determination permanently enriched the students, faculty and staff of Salisbury University, as well as the Delmarva community. That legacy deserves permanent recognition.”  

For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU website.