Bogdan T. Leja

1304 Castalia Drive, Cary, NC 27513
Tel: W. (919) 962-0299, H. (919) 468-8279, Email: leja@email.unc.edu

Homepage: http://ibiblio.unc.edu/ucis/btl4

Experience:

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Office of the Associate Provost for International Affairs (2004--) International Liaison Officer (ILO): Reporting to the Vice Provost for International Programs, I collaboratively engage faculty and staff to articulate, develop, and implement strategic “internationalization” plans as directed by senior staff. The ILO facilitates relations with international partners, hosts visiting foreign delegates and supports university clients in order to advance UNC’s international profile and programs.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University Center for International Studies (95 --).
Director of Outreach Programs: I provide leadership and administrative support in establishing educational programs, managing university projects and outreach activities to
North Carolina Universities, K-12 schools, communities, businesses. Matching UNC expertise with external needs, I develop collaborative relations with other universities, joint conferences and outreach initiatives that examine a variety of global issues and promote activities that benefit and globalize NC. I engage in awareness building to ensure that state, national and international concerns are aware of the services and opportunities that UNC can provide via our various outreach activities. I'm active in fundraising, grant writing and statistical research. I also serve as the UCIS, International Liaison Officer; a very proactive post geared toward expanding UNC's globalization efforts.

Columbia University,
New York, N.Y. Office of the Provost (94--95)
Institutional Planning and Research:
Gathered, analyzed, and reported data needed to assess institutional effectiveness, qualitatively and quantitatively. Gathered facts and distilled information for strategic planning and performance reviews required by external agencies and internal constituencies. The position required knowledge of descriptive and inferential statistics, research design, data analysis, presentation, and considerable knowledge of the University structure and computer-based information systems. Projects included the University Statistical Abstract, Inter-University Salary Exchange, departmental teaching load, salary and enrollment analysis, student satisfaction and success indicators. Harlem community outreach/fund-raising volunteer.

Columbia University Institute on East Central Europe (91--94)
Program Coordinator:
Administered the U.S. Department of Education Title VI grant. Managed the combined IECE-Harriman Institutes and Teachers College Outreach Program to New York City and surrounding communities. Recruited faculty and scholars for conferences aimed at K-12 teacher training, curriculum development and student achievement. Developed fundraising strategies, wrote grant proposals. Gathered Title VI enrollment, job placement statistics for seven regional institutes. Set up computers, access to the Internet and trained students and teachers in online information retrieval and new software programs. Counseled students, managed staff.

United Press International (UPI), Warsaw, Poland (89--90)
Reporter: Wrote news on Polish economic and political restructuring. Provided analysis on economic change and small business development. Knowledge of interview techniques, news media. Special field projects include, Ukrainian minorities, development of new profit centers, political and social change in
Eastern Europe.

Columbia University Libraries, New York, N.Y.
Lehman International Affairs Library, Reference Department, Library Assistant VI (86--89)
Butler Library, Serials Cataloging, Library Assistant V (85--86)

JHAG Import-Export Ltd., Aachen, Germany. Manager, Far East and European Operations (83--85)

Education: Columbia University, New York, N.Y. School of International and Public Affairs, Master of International Affairs (91). The Harriman Institute, Economics Concentration. Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT., School of Business, Master of Organizational Management (87), School of Political Science, Master of Asian Studies (83), Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (81). Polish Studies Certificate, Jagellonian University, Krakow, Poland.

Skills: Practical administrative, budgeting and fundraising. Creative thinking and collaborative problem solving skills. Extensive record of achievement as project manager with excellent communication, public service and organizational skills. Works well with divers groups and systems. Experience in distance learning technologies and a strong commitment to internationalization. Training in statistical research, database development and analysis, HTML/Java script, multi media presentations. Extensive international experience. Languages: Polish and Russian.

Continuing Studies: Beijing University, China. Program on Chinese culture, Arts and History, Summer 2002. Korea University, Seoul South Korea. Program on Korean History, Summer 1999.


Special Projects

Principal Investigator (2001---) Freeman Foundation, North Carolina Teaching Asia Network. With funding of $506,000 established a training program focusing on Asia for North Carolina and South Carolina middle and high school teachers. Program includes educational travel to East Asia for teachers completing the 30 hour NCTAN seminar.

Principal Grantwriter (2000-01) U.S.-Palestinian Linkages (UPLINK) Program that will join University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University in Raleigh, An-Najah National University, Palestine-West Bank, Applied Research Institute Jerusalem in developing new strategies and educational approaches in effectively addressing "Greater Access to and more Effective Use of Scarce Water Resources".

Principal Investigator (2000--) National Science Foundation.  Poznan 2000 Establish ongoing interactions and exchanges between the Research Triangle Universities (RTU) and the Institute of Bio-organic Chemistry (Polish Academy of Sciences) and the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland in all areas, especially biotechnology and material science research. The working collaboration will enable the exchange of research methods and experimental data, as well as exchange of established investigators, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students.

Principal Investigator (98-2000) The Asia Society, TeachAsia Program. With $16,000 funding from the Asia Society the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill aims to act as a resource provider on Asia to teachers in the Orange County Middle Schools. Teachers at Guy Phillips Middle School in the Chapel-Hill, Carrboro School District will be the lead group in program design of this new educational collaboration. UNC-CH will provide resources and expertise; help develop workshops for teachers and aid in developing curriculum materials on Asian topics. UNC-CH will help provide access to additional resources on Asia in conjunction with the UNC-CH Curriculum in Asian Studies, the Japan Center, the Triangle South Asia Consortium, the UNC-CH School of Education and the NC Center for International Understanding.

Principal Investigator (97-98) USIA, NAFSA Association of International Educators Cooperative Grants Program. Project Title: "Southern History and Culture Exploration Program." Received support of $6000 to develop and put in practice activities and workshops that help foreign students at UNC-CH develop a more discerning and sensible understanding of their host state and the Southern region. The University Center for International Studies (UCIS), Center for the Study of the American South and the International Center have joined forces in developing SHCEP.

Principal Grant Writer (97) U.S. Department of Education, Group Projects Abroad Program. Project Title: "North Carolina India Project." Support of $82,041 is being sought under CFDA 84.021 "Curriculum Development Team" project listing in furtherance of South-Asia, India, course development, continued development of UNC-CH Library India collection and gathering of educational materials, video-audio production in support of the Hindi-Urdu language, K-12 teachers and schools and the International K-12 Outreach Program. Project objectives are to foster collaboration among university faculty, administrators and K-12 teachers for up to seven weeks in India in a team effort to gather, research and develop additional curriculum materials.

Principal Grant Writer (97) U.S. Department of Education, Field Initiated Research Grants. Project title: "University/K-12 Partnerships and Learning Technologies: Tools in Improving Teaching and Student Performance." A two year, $274K project that addresses: University/K-12 school partnerships that augment teacher training and support should lead to increased teacher skills and improvement in student performance. Project aims are to explore that hypothesis by providing educational workshops, skills measurement and student performance analysis.

Principal Grant Writer (97) NAFSA: Association of International Educators, Cooperative Grants Program. Project title: "International Student's Southern History and Culture Exploration Program (SHCEP)." Funded and being implemented. Project aims: To deepen international students' understanding of and participation in the life of the region, UNC-CH proposes to provide lectures, interactions with various populations and tours. The program will help participants look behind the simplistic stereotypes of the South, to consider the region's complex cultures, development, and human relations.

Principal Grant Writer (96) U.S. Department of Education, Field Initiated Research Grants. Project title: "Internet Tools in Improving Rural K12 Education." A three year $495K project set in poor performing rural North Carolina school districts whose goals will be to implement, teach, use and evaluate the Internet as a tool in K12 education. Selected schools, classrooms will use Internet tools as a supplement to their normal course of study and will be tested and compared to their non-participating colleagues. Findings will be published and distributed.

Internet Evaluation and Link-up Advisor, NC School Partnerships Committee (96)
The University of North Carolina General Administration, The North Carolina Center for International Understanding are developing a partnership program between NC K12 schools and schools abroad. First phase is to research and evaluate the Internet as a communication tool between NC student and students in
England. Second phase will be to partner students in other countries where language barriers present minimal problems. Third stage is to host on-line conferences and learning events for participating schools.

Project Director (93). The German Marshall Fund and "Internews" program for Training Romanian Broadcast Media Journalist in Election Coverage. Set-up training sessions in Bucharest, Cluj, contract presenters, purchase and ship video equipment, clear problems with Romanian customs bureau.

Grant Writer/Editor (93). "Pioneers" educational media grant proposal for Parallax Productions. The USIA, Soros Foundation and the Russian government supported the eight million dollar project proposal. Goals are to bring business curriculum materials to secondary and higher education institutions and entrepreneurial television programs in conjunction with "Ostankino and other agencies.”

Manager (92). The Soros Foundation grant for radio station and field communication equipment purchase, shipment and usage training. Initial recipient was "Radio B-92", the main independent, anti-aggression voice in Belgrade, Serbia.

Project Manager (91--92). Production, editing, translation and printing of "How to Set-up a Low Power, Low Cost Radio or TV Station in Eastern Europe" for the Soros Foundation and "Internews". Outcome: Produced English, Romanian, Bulgarian and Czech original copies. Printed in the Czech Republic and distributed throughout Eastern Europe and Russia.

Project Director (91--92). Survey of East European and former Soviet Union radio stations for "Internews" and future funding by the Soros Foundation. Over 228 radio stations reviewed.

References:

UNC-CH

Dr. James Peacock, Director UCIS (919) 966-4106
Dr. Niklaus Steiner, Associate Director UCIS, (919) 962-5374
Ms. Sharon Glover, Administrative Officer, Contracts and Grants (919) 843-8589
Dr. Joel Schwartz, Political Science Dept., (919) 962-0403
 
North Carolina Center for International Understanding (NCCIU)
Ms. Millie Ravenal, Director, NCCIU (919) 733-4902
Ms. Marty Babacock, Assistant Director, NCCIU (919) 733-4902

 

North Carolina Schools

Portia Wilson-Whitaker, Coordinator of Foreign Languages, ESL
Durham Public Schools
, (919) 560-3783

Columbia University
The Harriman Institute:
Dr. Alexander Motyl
1215 International Affairs, Columbia University, New York, N.Y. 10027
Tel. (212) 854-4623 E-mail to: ajm5@columbia.edu
Institute on East Central Europe:
Dr. John Micgiel, Associate Director
1227 International Affairs, Columbia University, New York, N.Y. 10027
Tel. (212) 854-4008 E-mail to: jsm6@columbia.edu
School of International and Public Affairs:
Ms. Joan Turner, Associate Dean
1415 International Affairs, Columbia University, New York, N.Y. 10027
Tel. (212) 854-2598 E-mail to: jmt3@columbia.edu