Sometimes the most profound shifts in teaching and research happen far from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus.
For College of Education and Human Development faculty participating in the International Faculty Residency Program, time spent in Brazil, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, and Laos has opened unexpected doors and become a pathway for faculty to immerse themselves in new cultures and academic traditions.
These residencies are redefining what it means to teach, learn, and collaborate in an increasingly interconnected world.
Vichet Chhuon’s experience in Brazil
Vichet Chhuon spent three weeks in Vitoria, Brazil, teaching a graduate seminar titled “Identity, Politics, and Responsibility in Research Methodology” at Universidade Federal do Espirito Santo, the largest public university in the state. Vitoria, similar in size and vibe to Minneapolis, offers a blend of modernity and history, which Chhuon found to be an enriching backdrop for his course.
While he had been a visiting professor at Universidade Federal do Espirito Santo for two years, his engagement with Brazil began in 2018, when he joined the College of Education and Human Development’s delegation attending the fifth World Conference on Racial Remedies.
Chhuon’s course, taught in English with the help of two Brazilian international students translating, explored the philosophical foundations of research while addressing Brazil's unique challenges. Brazil, like the U.S., struggles with a history of slavery and Indigenous genocide, which continues to shape its academic and social landscape. The residency allowed Chhuon to understand how these histories influence research goals and practices in Brazilian higher education.
“Something that I learned quickly is that the U.S. and North American paradigms we know so well are often not compatible with Brazil's unique history,” Chhuon says. “The exciting synergies that developed and intellectual curiosities shared through this international faculty residency cannot be understated.”
Ken Bartlett’s time in Kazakhstan
In the summer of 2025, Ken Bartlett spent three weeks in Almaty, Kazakhstan, as part of the residency program. Almaty, the largest city and former capital of Kazakhstan, is a vibrant mix of old Soviet architecture and modern skyscrapers.
Bartlett’s time primarily was spent at Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics and Forecasting University, where he led a workshop on employee engagement for senior leadership and participated as a plenary speaker at the Central Asia Higher Education Workshop Conference. The conference focused on a growing concern in higher education: the decline in reading skills.
Bartlett’s residency in Kazakhstan offered a deeper understanding of the academic landscape and the unique challenges faced by universities in a post-Soviet context. He plans to integrate what he’s learned into his undergraduate “Introduction to Organization Development and Change” course, highlighting Kazakhstan’s educational and organizational transformations since its independence in 1991.
“The opportunity to meet many people from a broad range of academic disciplines, visit their campus, and engage in deep conversations, often across several meetings on issues related to research and teaching, is different in both process and outcome from the more fleeting international engagements,” Bartlett says. “I am eager to apply what I saw and learned in my teaching and research.”
Ka I Ip’s residency in Vietnam and Laos
Ka I Ip's residency took him to Vietnam National University in Hanoi, where he initially engaged with scholars at the university. Hanoi, with its mix of ancient charm and modern development, proved to be an inspiring setting for academic exchange.
Although immediate outcomes at Vietnam National University were limited, the residency led to an unexpected opportunity in Laos, where Ip was invited to visit a graduate internship program in Luang Prabang. This extension allowed him to support a student conducting research on language education at two local schools.
Ip’s time in Laos was transformative, he says. He witnessed firsthand the challenges and opportunities in resource-limited educational settings, sparking new directions for his research on global education and development.
His experiences in both Vietnam and Laos deepened his understanding of how international research can shape educational practices, particularly in contexts with limited resources. This experience emphasized the importance of relationship-building in international collaborations and the flexibility required to adapt to diverse educational environments.
"I’m struck by how working across diverse cultural and educational contexts broadened my perspective on global education and research,” Ip says.
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