ΦΒΔ News 2005

Visiting Fulbright Scholar from Tunisia to Speak at OSU Global Briefings Series

Stillwater, OK – August 25, 2005 – The Oklahoma State University School of International Studies is bringing to Stillwater Dr. Abdelhamid Abed, visiting Fulbright Scholar from Tunisia, to present a Global Briefings lecture entitled, "Women's Rights in Tunisia: A Comparison with Other Arab Countries."

Dr. Abed received his Ph.D. in Law from the Faculty of Law and Political Sciences of Tunis and is a Professor of Law at the University of Tunis. In 1989 he graduated from the International Law Institute at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., and was previously a Fulbright Scholar at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Abed has been a member of the official Tunisian Delegation to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, and attended the World Conference on Human Rights in 1993. As a Professor of Law at the University of Tunis, Dr. Abed teaches courses on human rights and international institutions.

Dr. Abed is now visiting the United States as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Oklahoma. He will visit OSU on Thursday, September 8 to be the featured speaker for the Global Briefings Series at 3:30 p.m. in room 108 of the Wes Watkins Center. The Wes Watkins Center is located at the intersection of Hall of Fame and Washington on the OSU-Stillwater campus.

MSU graduate student receives international award

Angelika Kraemer, a Michigan State University graduate student from Germany, has been named the David Merchant International Student of the Year by Phi Beta Delta, an international organization dedicated to fostering scholarly achievement in international education.

See full article at MSU website: http://www.newsroom.msu.edu/site/indexer/2313/content.htm

ΦΒΔ News 2004

SW Regional Cluster Meeting Report: Sept. 24th - 25th

The first cluster meeting ever held by PBD was an overall success in College Station at Texas A & M University this past  Friday and Saturday.  Nineteen representatives from 3 universities (UL-Layette, U. of Houston, and Texas A & M) met for a full day's program that extended from around 11:30 a.m. on Friday to around 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.

We tried to encourage undergraduates to attend, but we were unsuccessful in this area.  Most students had lab classes and jobs( plural) Thursday-Saturday, so we need to re-think how to attract undergrads. There were a number of grad students from the A & M chapter present. One A & M leader suggested having two-college meetings when two geographically-close schools played each other in sports. This would allow students to attend a program and also see their school playing a rival.

We had one past President of PBD (Paul Parish), one past recipient of the National PBD faculty award( Arnold Kramer--remember the Annual Conference at San Diego State U?), Janet Fleming and Susan Hernandez-Lee, and myself as special speakers, plus some excellent presentations by other A & M faculty and staff. There presentations included Representing the PBD Board were Julia, Guillermo, and I. Julia and I approved $500 from her budget for the meeting to keep the price of registration down for everyone, especially students ($20) in hopes of attracting them.  They had a great chapter President and other officers at A & M.
[-- Jack Ferstel] 

Intern and Training Programs

The scholarly, honor and research societies sharing the buildings at 1527 New Hampshire Avenue in Washington offer an exciting opportunity for interns and trainees, both from the United States and overseas.. There is a unique opportunity to learn about non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society. Primary responsibility for this training program is under the auspices of the Policy Studies Organization, an affiliated society of the American Political Science Association and an affiliate of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and is also the responsibility of the InterExchange organization, which handles the issuance of various documents as well as insurance. The program headquarters are in the historic house once belonging to the family of United States President James Garfield on New Hampshire Avenue in Washington, D.C.

For more information, please download the complete announcement as PDF document:
Washington Internships and Training Programs in Non Governmental Organization Management.

Celebrating Cinco De Mayo

Everyone in Phi Beta Delta should have an interest in Hispanic culture, so celebrating Cinco de Mayo should be an easy way to attract lots of students and friends. Here is a description one enthusiast provides of why it is such a special day.

OSU Phi Beta Delta Event 2004

Photos from the OSU Phi Beta Delta Event 2004 are now online. Please click here.

Conferences are important

Conferences such as we sponsor are important. They make a somewhat underappreciated contribution because it is not only the exchange of ideas that is significant, but the meeting of peoples. They have become more and more central in recent decades to the civil society. A frequent conference goer writes, "... the number of conferences taking place has dramatically expanded to include not only the political field, but all departments of human thinking, philosophy, psychology and economics, to art, science, religion and so forth. These conferences ... are addressing the crisis of vision that is confronting humanity by promoting and working towards a future based on sharing, equality, freedom and social responsibility ... While it is true that many conferences fall far short of public expectations, they nevertheless provide a platform for the voice and vision of the future ..." One of our aspirations is to encourage meaningful and even exciting conferences!

Eileen Evans Outstanding Chapter Awards

At its recent meeting, the Board voted unanimously to name the Outstanding Chapter Award after Dr. Eileen Evans. Read more...

Academic Freedom

A fine statement about academic freedom, for which Phi Beta Delta stands, is provided by President Martha Gilliand of the University of Missouri in receiving an award from President Paul Rich. President Gilliand is a member of Phi Beta Delta.

Grants and Fellowships

A number of grants and fellowships are available through the study center at headquarters for people coming to Washington and wishing to use the facilities, or for special studies. Read more...

Internet's Effect on Societies

We are keenly interested in how the net and web will effect societies like ours. President Paul Rich has written extensively on the subject.

Concerns About Visa Problems

Phi Beta Delta is very concerned that during the "war on terrorism" the entry of foreign scholars will become difficult and unfair procedures rob American universities of able and useful visitors. Read more...

ΦΒΔ News 2003

Induction Ceremony 2003 for Honorary Members

Pictures of the Induction Ceremony 2003 for Honorary Members at the offices of Phi Beta Delta in Washington D.C.

PBD at Texas A & M

PBD at Texas A & M sponsors a brown bag lecture series.
Read more...

Ruminations of President Rich

Of course I think about where PBD is going every day and here are some of my feelings.
Read more...

PBD Video Conference

To see a recording of the first PBD video conference, please click here. You will need to install the free Real Player to watch the video.

Eighteenth Annual Phi Beta Delta Conference

This year's Eighteenth Annual Phi Beta Delta Conference will be held in Washington, D.C. on March 25-28, 2004. More details about the conference are available here...

Interview with PBD President Paul Rich

Norma Contreras, a student member of the Gamma Sigma Chapter, conducted an interview with PBD President Paul Rich for her chapter newsletter. Read it here...

Sept. 2003 Meeting of the Board of Directors

We have prepared a small collection of photos of the past meeting of the Board of Directors (September 2003), including a picture of the new ΦΒΔ Medallion. Click to see it...

Nominations for the PBD Awards

PBD invites nominations from all its chapters for the following awards: two Student Awards for International Achievement, one Faculty Award for Outstanding Contributions to International Education, and the Edward Blankenship Outstanding Staff Award. All nominations must be received by November 21, 2003.

PBD Executive Office

In 2003, the PBD Executive Office transferred to Washington, D.C. All communications, billing, etc. will be handled through that office.

Chapter Website

If your chapter does not have a Website area, or if your website is poorly maintained and you don't have someone in the chapter who can help, the International Webmaster of the society, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , will help you to get your site online.