The International Advisory Committee (IAC) in collaboration with the Office of the Provost, the Office of International Academic Initiatives (IAI), the Office of Global Engagement, the Office of Research, and the Office for Faculty Excellence (OFE) will hold a half-day campus event dedicated to advancing the university’s internationalization efforts, inviting faculty, staff, and key community stakeholders.
The event “Strengthening Global Research, Collaboration, and Institutional Support” focuses on strengthening international research and collaboration at Montclair.
Date: March 4, 2026
Time: 8:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Venue: Student Center Ballroom
Summary
This half-day internal workshop brings together faculty from across disciplines to exchange experiences, surface challenges, and identify concrete pathways for strengthening international research and collaboration at the University. Designed as a highly interactive forum rather than a series of formal presentations, the workshop combines a moderated faculty roundtable with small-group working sessions focused on ongoing projects, potential collaborations, and the structural and institutional conditions needed to sustain international research.
The event opens with brief welcoming remarks and concludes with targeted insights from key campus offices supporting international and externally funded research, followed by informal networking. Collectively, the workshop aims to foster cross-disciplinary dialogue, generate actionable insights, and lay the groundwork for future collaborations and institutional support strategies.
Agenda
8:30–9:00 AM | Breakfast & informal networking
9:00–9:15 AM | Welcome & workshop overview
Arnaud Kurze, PhD (Chair, International Advisory Committee)
PART 1 | 9:15–10:00 AM | Moderated faculty roundtable on international research experiences and challenges
Moderator
Elizabeth Emery, PhD (World Languages and Culture, College of Humanities and Social Sciences)
Participants
- Livia Alexander, PhD (Art and Design, Dean’s Office, College of the Arts)
- Benjamin Nienass, PhD (Politics and Law, College of Humanities and Social Sciences)
- Luis Portes, PhD (Economics, Feliciano School of Business)
PART 2 | 10:00–11:30 AM | Small-group working sessions on hurdles, lessons learned, and next steps for international research
- Building and Sustaining International Research Collaborations (Facilitator, Daniel Mengara, PhD, International Advisory Committee)
- Institutional Procedures and Challenges (Facilitator, Ruth Kunstadter, International Advisory Committee)
- Early-Stage Research and the Pre-Grant Gap (Facilitator, Arnaud Kurze, PhD, International Advisory Committee)
- Equity, Ethics, and Power in International Research (Facilitator, Ethné Swartz, PhD, International Advisory Committee)
PART 3 | 11:30 AM–12:30 PM | Campus resources spotlight
- Remarks by the Provost, Fatma Mili, PhD (Office of the Provost)
Roundtable participants
- Tim White, PhD (Office of International Academic Initiatives)
- Cristiana Kunyczka, PhD (Office of Global Engagement)
- Stefanie Brachfeld, PhD (Office of Research)
- Ted Russo, (Office of Sponsored Programs)
- Emily Isaacs, PhD (Office for Faculty Excellence)
- Sangeeta Parashar, PhD (Research on Interdisciplinary Global Studies)
12:30–1:00 PM | Networking
Members of the Montclair community—faculty, staff, and students—are warmly invited to join the conversation and contribute to this shared effort to strengthen global research collaboration.