On March 4, 2026 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) held 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” focused on strengthening international research and collaboration at Montclair. Read our debrief report of the event and workshop.
Summary
This half-day internal workshop brought together faculty from across disciplines to exchange experiences, surface challenges, and identified 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 combined 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 opened with brief welcoming remarks and concluded with targeted insights from key campus offices supporting international and externally funded research, followed by informal networking. Collectively, the workshop aimed to foster cross-disciplinary dialogue, generated actionable insights, and laid 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