After working at McDaniel College for 10 years, Rose Falkner has retired.
Falkner, the Director of International & Off-Campus Study, left her position at McDaniel in December. She had been working at McDaniel since 2004. Before that she was the Director of International & Off-Campus Study at The College of Wooster.
Having worked for a long time, Falkner says that it is time for her to rediscover the joy of life.
Dean Jeanine Stewart said, “We have been the beneficiaries of her former experience at The College of Wooster as Rose developed the first professionally managed international study program here that has resulted in higher numbers of both faculty and students studying outside the U.S.”
Falkner added a lot to the international study program; she developed and expanded it through promotional and recruitment efforts on and off campus. She also enhanced the Budapest academic program by adding new majors, integrating service-learning and internship opportunities into the curriculum, and by planning high-quality group study tours to other countries. She was able to make the most out of the program. Under Falkner, the program has grown to connect with other schools around the world.
According to senior Meghan Schatz, one of the student assistants of the International Programs Office, “There really wasn’t much of an International Programs office here at McDaniel before [Falkner] was hired. She has literally built our International program from scratch. Most of the documents and applications in the IPO were designed by her when she first began.”
Falkner made the Study Abroad Program more attractive to McDaniel students and helped to increase the study abroad student enrollment in general. She also worked to create new partnerships between McDaniel College and other international universities.
“Rose’s expansion of student opportunities for study abroad has led to new partnerships with College-affiliated programs in six continents and major cities around the world. She is credited for creating a new student exchange program between McDaniel and Université Saint-Louis in Brussels and a new study abroad opportunity for our Honors Program students at the University of Glasgow, Scotland,” said Stewart.
Falkner also created the Host Family Program on Campus for international students. That program matches upcoming international students to faculty on campus that are willing to be a host family and helps those students to be more connected to the campus community and American culture. Falkner herself was always available to help students in anyway.
First year student Alyona Skovorodnikova, another international student at McDaniel said, “The host family program is a great opportunity for students to have someone they can turn to while being away from their families.”
“The international students are so important to the intellectual and social life of the college,” said Falkner. “The program is a special way to assist and support international students during their transition to a new environment and throughout their time at the college.”
According to sophomore Anna Kokubu, an international student at McDaniel, “[Falkner] let students know that she was available. Although, personally, I didn’t ask so much of her help, it was nice of her just being available and showing her understanding towards people with international backgrounds.”
She also exposed the McDaniel Budapest Campus to other Colleges, for other students other than the McDaniel College Students, to be part of.
“Her active membership in key international education associations and attendance at annual meetings have raised awareness of McDaniel-Europe as a study-abroad site among our sister institutions,” said Stewart.
Rose Falkner said “Any advice I can give to my successor is students first.”
The McDaniel Community will miss Falkner, and students are grateful for all she has done for them.
“It’s sad to see Rose go, especially since I had just started getting to know her better,” said Schatz. “I will miss her as a boss and I think the campus will miss her as the International Programs director.”
“Before Rose leaves, I’d like her to know that she is just another faculty member here at McDaniel that has influenced me for the better” said Schatz.
Stewart said, “We congratulate Rose and thank her for empowering students to grow as globally engaged citizens.”
FEATURED PHOTO COURTESY OF Carroll Magazine.
