Sponsored by Stanford Global Studies (SGS) through the support of U.S. Department of Education Title VI funding, the Education Partnership for Internationalizing Curriculum (EPIC) Community College Faculty Fellowship convenes a cohort of community college faculty and academic staff from various disciplines to work collaboratively with Stanford staff for one academic year (August–May). Each EPIC Fellow designs a project that aims to internationalize curricula and develop global competencies among community college students. Jonas Edman worked with five EPIC Fellows from the 2023–24 cohort throughout the academic year, providing guidance, support, and resources to advance their project development. Their names, titles, institutions, and projects are as follows:

• Yunteng He, Chemistry Instructor, Central Community College: “Cultural Elements in Chemistry Education: Implementing Stories from Different Cultures into Chemistry Curriculum for Enhanced Diversity and Inclusion”
• Julie Jenkins, Professor of Anthropology and Global Studies, Foothill College: “Building a Globally Minded Community”
• Saburo Matsumoto, Professor of Mathematics, College of the Canyons: “Global Views and Practices in College Mathematics Education”
• Ted Preston, Professor of Philosophy, Rio Hondo College: “Introduction to Philosophy: Global Perspectives”
• Jane Le Skaife, Professor of Sociology, Sierra College: “Globalizing Asian American Studies”

EPIC Fellows participated in a series of professional learning activities over the course of the academic year, including a three-day intensive workshop on the Stanford campus, monthly virtual meetings featuring cutting-edge research from Stanford scholars and collaborative project workshopping, and personalized mentoring sessions with Edman. The Fellowship culminated with the ninth annual EPIC Symposium, “Integrating Global Topics into Community College Curricula,” which was held on May 18, 2024 and featured panels of current and past EPIC Fellows. SGS Academic and Outreach Manager Dr. Kristyn Hara (photo below courtesy Stanford Global Studies) was the primary organizer and facilitator of the EPIC Symposium.

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Each 2023–24 EPIC Fellow gave an overview of their project to an audience of Stanford faculty and staff, EPIC alumni, and other community college professionals from across California and beyond. Full descriptions of the 2023–24 EPIC Fellows’ projects can be found here.

The EPIC Fellows received certificates from SGS Executive Director Dr. Kate Kuhns upon their successful completion of the program. With the formal close of the Fellowship, they were also invited to join the Global Educators Network (GEN), which, in partnership with SGS seeks to inform, inspire, engage, and empower community college educators—and their students—to more deeply engage with global themes and learning resources, as well as international dialogue, research, and pedagogical strategies.

Following the EPIC Symposium, the five EPIC Fellows with whom Edman worked thoughtfully shared reflections on their experience of the program. 

I am thoroughly grateful for the opportunity to have participated as an EPIC Fellow. The generous support and kind encouragement I received from EPIC staff was truly heartening, and it was inspiring to see the tremendous work of my peers develop over the past year. I didn’t just establish colleagues, but I made friends. This fellowship has been one of the highlights of my career. —Dr. Ted Preston, Philosophy, Rio Hondo College, Whittier, California

EPIC is a wonderful program that offers the opportunity to enter into a learning community with fellow community college faculty and pursue curriculum projects with the support of Stanford staff, faculty, and resources. Jonas, Gary, and Kristyn were a huge part of providing that support, and I definitely would not have accomplished as much as I have or thought with as much intentionality about how to create a community of faculty and students centered on global themes without the structure they provided and their advice throughout the process! —Dr. Julie Jenkins, Anthropology and Global Studies, Foothill College, Los Altos Hills, California
 

To be a fellow at one of the most prestigious universities in the world can be quite intimidating, especially for a daughter of Vietnamese refugees and former ESL student. Hence, I am incredibly thankful for Jonas, Gary, and Kristyn, who have been essential supporters in a space where self-doubt and insecurity can run rampant. I fervently believe that I could not have been as successful as I was with my Stanford EPIC Fellowship project without the three of them as well as my amazing 2023–24 cohort of fellow educators. So grateful for this life-changing opportunity! —Dr. Jane Le Skaife, Sociology and Ethnic Studies, Sierra College, Rocklin, California
 

It was tremendous and quite stimulating to spend a year working on and thinking about internationalizing curriculum in my own discipline. I was quite impressed with the professionalism, camaraderie, and enthusiasm of other fellows, and I am truly grateful for all the support, encouragement, and help provided by Kristyn, Gary, Jonas, and others at Stanford Global Studies. —Dr. Saburo Matsumoto, Mathematics, College of the Canyons, Santa Clarita, California
 

It has been an extremely enjoyable year for me as an EPIC fellow. This is especially a true blessing when it comes to the support from Gary, Jonas, Kristyn, and all the EPIC fellows. I feel so honored to have Gary and Jonas as my mentors/collaborators over the past year. They have put so much thought and heart in support of my EPIC project, such as sending me a copy of the Along the Silk Road curriculum unit from SPICE, and timely feedback for the materials being developed in the project. Their expertise and vigorous dedication have offered me tremendous support and encouragement to move forward. Kristyn has been so intelligent in organizing our monthly meetings and promoting fruitful discussions. Every monthly meeting on Zoom went so well! I also appreciate her thoughtfulness in providing me some wonderful topics to connect chemistry teaching with culture. Her generosity of spirit and kindness have inspired me to advance in this project. I would also like to thank our EPIC fellows: You are all truly remarkable! —Dr. Yunteng He, Chemistry, Central Community College, Kearney, Nebraska.

The EPIC Community College Faculty Fellowship is one of several ongoing community college outreach initiatives in global education between SPICE and SGS, and is made possible through the support of U.S. Department of Education Title VI funding.