Roger Adkins

Executive Director, Center for Global Education

Pronouns: They/them/their

Bio. Roger Adkins is a scholar-administrator with a complex profile that includes extensive administrative work and expertise in global learning, ongoing interdisciplinary research and scholarship, and teaching in both domestic and international settings. They are a passionate educator who strives to make global learning accessible for every student, both in on-campus and off-campus settings.

Global Engagement. They studied abroad in Iceland and have led short, faculty-led programs in the UK (England, Wales, and Scotland). They have also visited or worked in: Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sri Lanka, Sweden, and Tunisia.

Areas of Expertise. They are also a dedicated educator who believes in helping today’s students prepare for a world of rapidly evolving circumstances and inevitable shifts in professional life. They have experience administering off-campus study programs; advising and mentoring international students and scholars; working in faculty development for global learning; advocating for and working in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion; fellowships advising and administration; and developing new programs, curricula, and approaches in global learning. Roger also has briefer experience in career education, internships programming, community engagement, and community and employer partnerships.

Portfolio.

• Roger manages the Center for Global Education, which includes: English Language Learners courses; International Student and Scholar Services; and Off-Campus Programs
• They also direct the Border Studies Program (Earlham | Non-Earlham) and the Tibetan Studies in India Program (Earlham | Non-Earlham)
• In addition, they convene the Designation of Distinction in Global Engagement
• They are generally an advocate for students seeking fellowships and other prestigious awards and are the main contact for the Beinecke Scholarship; the Boren Scholarship; the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship; the Future Nobel Laureates Scholarship; and DAAD Germany scholarships and fellowships
• Teaching and administrative faculty members interested in Fulbright Scholar Awards may also contact Roger for assistance
• Roger is also Alliance Liaison of Earlham College to the Global Liberal Arts Alliance
• Finally, they help to administer global school-of-record agreements with Earlham College

Teaching. They have taught courses in: career education; comparative literature; creative writing; cultural studies; fellowships success; folklore; gender studies; literatures in English; queer studies; Scandinavian studies; and writing.

Courses Taught at Earlham

• ENG/SOAN 212 Introduction to Folklore (*coming fall 2023)
• ENG 382 Topics in Genre and Narrative: Alternative Realities
• EPIC 271 Fellowship Foundations
• EPIC 481 Internship

Ongoing Research Projects

• Decolonizing and queering approaches in global learning
• Queer/quare potential of ‘the monstrous Other’ | scifi, folklore, fantasy, future studies, and social justice
• Critically engaged pedagogies: culturally sustaining pedagogies, universal design, antiracism theory and practice
• Best practices in faculty-led and short-term, off-campus programs (study, internships, fieldwork, etc.)

Education

• B.A. English and Creative Writing, Hiram College (Ohio), 1995
• M.A. Gender Studies, and graduate teaching certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies, University of Oregon, 1999
• A1-level certificate in Icelandic Language and Culture, Háskola Islands (University of Iceland), 2003
• M.A. (2008) and Ph.D. (2010) Comparative Literature, University of Oregon

Identities. Roger identifies as queer, lives with a disability (not visible), and comes from a working-class background. They were also a first-generation college student. They are passionate about inclusiveness and are very happy to serve as a mentor or advocate for students from diverse backgrounds. They are gender nonbinary and use they/them/their pronouns.