SAN ANGELO, TX - Dr. Rebekah McMillan of the Angelo State University history faculty has been selected for a 2025 Overseas Faculty Development Seminar by the Council for American Overseas Research Center (CAORC) and will spend about three weeks in India in January.
Overseas Faculty Development Seminars are fully-funded programs conducted abroad, designed to help faculty and administrators from U.S. community colleges and minority-serving institutions gain international experience. The aim is to develop and improve international courses, curricula and teaching materials at their home institutions.
The seminar McMillan will participate in is titled "Sustainability Through Urban and Agricultural India" and will be presented by the American Institute of Indian Studies. It will feature travel and activities in Delhi, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Jaipur and Jodhpur designed to foster an understanding of the varying economic, cultural, social and environmental pressures confronting emerging cities as more and more Indians migrate to urban areas in search of work and opportunity. Cultural excursions will also expose the participants to India's fascinating history, culture, languages, religions and contemporary society.
McMillan is one of only 12 professors, representing institutions in nine states, to be selected for the seminar.
"I am thrilled and honored to be selected to participate in CAORC's Faculty Development Seminar," McMillan said. "International education is a passion of mine, and I am excited for this opportunity for professional and personal enrichment. Contemporary India is a dynamic place, whose history and people shape how it is tackling some of society's most challenging obstacles. I look forward to bringing the knowledge gained through this experience back to the ASU campus in the hopes of helping better train our students on engaging with a global community."
After completing the seminar, McMillan will be required to develop and implement a project within a year to increase internationalization at ASU. The project will also be shared through CAORC's open educational resources.
The seminar is also supported by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. To facilitate her participation, McMillan will receive funding for round-trip travel, accommodation and meals.
An assistant professor in ASU's Dr. Arnoldo De Leon Department of History, McMillan joined the ASU faculty in 2019 and is also the faculty advisor for ASU's chapter of the Phi Alpha Theta national history honor society. She is a European historian specializing in transnational connections between Germany, Great Britain and the U.S. Since arriving at ASU, she has made multiple presentations at national and international conferences, and her research has been published in several book chapters and journal articles. She has also received awards in support of her work from the German Historical Institute, Central European History Society and Transatlantic Studies Association.
McMillan holds a bachelor's degree from Ouachita Baptist University and her master's degree and Ph.D. in history from the University of Arkansas.
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