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Sobania receives lifetime achievement award
October 13, 2006
The Institute for the International Education of Students awarded Neal Sobania, executive director of the Wang Center for international programs and professor of history, with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the institute’s 56th annual conference in Chicago last week.
“Neal is a treasured colleague who is greatly admired for being extremely giving and productive within the field of study abroad,” said Mary Dwyer, president of the institute.
The annual award honors the most dedicated individual in the study abroad field, whose career is distinguished by significant achievements and contributions. Individuals are nominated by their colleagues, and a committee of study abroad professionals selects the winner in the highly competitive process.
“It’s just absolutely delightful to be recognized and thought so highly of by your colleagues,” Sobania said.
The award is one of the few given in the study abroad field. It provides recipients with $1,000 to be used toward visiting any of the institute’s 29 academic program locations in Asia, Australia, Europe, New Zealand and South America.
As executive director of the Wang Center for International Programs, Sobania is responsible for PLU’s off-campus study programs, which includes yearlong, semester-long and J-Term study away opportunities. He has won numerous academic fellowships, awards, and honors, and has served as a consultant to many national and international organizations.
“His colleagues consistently mention the notable impact he has on students’ lives and the invaluable insight and assistance he provides,” Dwyer said. “This award celebrates his twenty-five-year commitment to strengthening study abroad programs and recognizes his many noteworthy contributions to the field.”
Sobania came to PLU after serving as the director of international education and a member of the history faculty at Hope College in Holland, Mich. Throughout his 24 years there, Sobania helped position the college as a major player in the field of international education.
An African specialist whose teaching and research areas include both history and culture, Sobania has researched and written articles and books, curated exhibitions and filmed documentaries. An active scholar, his current research focuses on the visual traditions of Ethiopia.
Sobania has been involved with Ethiopia for nearly forty years, first as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer and then a staff member. He brings his experiences, especially those in Ethiopia and Kenya, into his classes in history, anthropology and art history.
Sobania received his master’s degree from Ohio University and his Ph.D. from the University of London. He has been a visiting scholar at the University of Michigan and visiting faculty at Meiji Gakuin University in Japan.
PLU’s Wang Center was founded in 2002 with a generous donation from Peter and Grace Wang to prepare students to be leaders in the global economy and to be advocates for world peace. For more information, click here.
The Institute for the International Education of students provides students with high-quality study abroad experiences that foster intercultural understanding. Nearly 5,000 students attend its programs each year, and the institute commits nearly $2 million annually to its scholarship and financial aid programs. To learn more, visit www.IESabroad.org.
The annual award honors the most dedicated individual in the study abroad field, whose career is distinguished by significant achievements and contributions. Individuals are nominated by their colleagues, and a committee of study abroad professionals selects the winner in the highly competitive process.
“It’s just absolutely delightful to be recognized and thought so highly of by your colleagues,” Sobania said.
The award is one of the few given in the study abroad field. It provides recipients with $1,000 to be used toward visiting any of the institute’s 29 academic program locations in Asia, Australia, Europe, New Zealand and South America.
As executive director of the Wang Center for International Programs, Sobania is responsible for PLU’s off-campus study programs, which includes yearlong, semester-long and J-Term study away opportunities. He has won numerous academic fellowships, awards, and honors, and has served as a consultant to many national and international organizations.
“His colleagues consistently mention the notable impact he has on students’ lives and the invaluable insight and assistance he provides,” Dwyer said. “This award celebrates his twenty-five-year commitment to strengthening study abroad programs and recognizes his many noteworthy contributions to the field.”
Sobania came to PLU after serving as the director of international education and a member of the history faculty at Hope College in Holland, Mich. Throughout his 24 years there, Sobania helped position the college as a major player in the field of international education.
An African specialist whose teaching and research areas include both history and culture, Sobania has researched and written articles and books, curated exhibitions and filmed documentaries. An active scholar, his current research focuses on the visual traditions of Ethiopia.
Sobania has been involved with Ethiopia for nearly forty years, first as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer and then a staff member. He brings his experiences, especially those in Ethiopia and Kenya, into his classes in history, anthropology and art history.
Sobania received his master’s degree from Ohio University and his Ph.D. from the University of London. He has been a visiting scholar at the University of Michigan and visiting faculty at Meiji Gakuin University in Japan.
PLU’s Wang Center was founded in 2002 with a generous donation from Peter and Grace Wang to prepare students to be leaders in the global economy and to be advocates for world peace. For more information, click here.
The Institute for the International Education of students provides students with high-quality study abroad experiences that foster intercultural understanding. Nearly 5,000 students attend its programs each year, and the institute commits nearly $2 million annually to its scholarship and financial aid programs. To learn more, visit www.IESabroad.org.