Professor Rafael Obregon, Interim Chair for the Department of Engineering Technology at WIU, has been a strong supporter for the inclusion of International Education Perspectives in our curriculum for several years. He has worked at WIU since 1996 and has enthusiastically promoted Western as a global institution. Leaning on his prior experience as an academician in Mexico, he fostered academic partnerships with institutions in that country, worked on developing a strategy for the internationalization of the curriculum and argued in favor of including the Global Issues requirement across Western’s academic program.

Presently, he is working with faculty members of the School of Agriculture on developing a study abroad initiative to take students to Mexico to learn about agricultural practices, crop processing and food manufacturing in the Spring of 2019. This exciting initiative combines efforts across disciplines and provides students with interesting academic opportunities at a reasonable price.

Rafael understands better than most how important it is to insert an international perspective in academic training and education. His life and professional experience have been enriched through the combination of two cultural backgrounds and perspectives that at time might seem at odds, but together have deepened his role as a teacher and administrator.

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