Winners of the 2008 International Educator of the Year announced

November 20, 2008

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida International Center (UFIC) announced the recipients of the 2008 International Educator of the Year Award. For senior faculty, Charles H. Wood, professor of sociology and Latin American studies, won. The junior faculty winner is Juan Carlos Molleda, assistant professor of public relations.

Wood has made significant contributions to the internationalization of the university through his scholarship, teaching and mentoring, and program development activities. Director of the Center for Latin American Studies from 1996 to 2004, he led the center in a period of rapid growth in external funding for its research and graduate student training programs which raised the visibility and prominence of the center both nationally and internationally. His career has been marked by his uncanny ability to identify emerging issues of global importance, whether deforestation of the Amazon in the 1980s or the impact of crime and violence on economic and political development in the Americas in the current decade, and to translate these themes into innovative, interdisciplinary programs grounded in collaboration between U.S. and Latin American scholars.

Molleda has developed a ground breaking research agenda on international public relations during his tenure at UF, which has resulted in 25 peer-reviewed publications, 12 invited publications, 26 research papers presented at national and international conferences, 38 lectures or speeches at national and international professional events, and two teleseminars. Since his first academic year in his position (2000-2001), he has conducted international research in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Venezuela and Nigeria. He incorporates results of his international research in the classes he teaches, transferring this up-to-date knowledge to his undergraduate and graduate students. In September 2005, he was honored with the International Award for Excellence in Research and Education from the Association of Public Relations of Cuba.

UFIC established this award to recognize outstanding international endeavors by UF faculty members, in order to support UF’s strategic goal of internationalizing the campus and curriculum. A committee was established to judge nominees for the award. Each college was asked to nominate two candidates in the categories of tenured and untenured/recently tenured. Each college was free to develop their own review process, but nominations were endorsed by the deans. Consideration was given to three main factors: research, teaching and service.

The Awards Reception will take place from 3 to 4 p.m. on Nov. 21 at the Keen Faculty Center. Provost Joe Glover will present the awards to the campus winners, as well as the college winners.

For a brief profile of each winner, please visit http://www.ufic.ufl.edu/iea.htm.