International center staff

Michael Monahan, Director

Michael Monahan has been the director of the International Center since 1994. He worked previously as the Assistant Director of International Education at the University of Iowa, and for the School of International Training as Academic Director in Mexico, Spain, Ireland, and Denmark. Outside of academe, he worked for one year on a Cuban and Haitian refugee resettlement project in Florida.

Mr. Monahan studied abroad with an AFS scholarship for a year in Denmark, participated in an African-American Studies exchange semester at the historically black Grambling State University, and spent his Junior year abroad at the University of Madrid. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Master's degree from the American Graduate School of International Management.

During more than 25 years of work in international education, Mr. Monahan has advised university and college students, taught courses on field study methods, given lectures on subthemes of area studies and globalization, evaluated programs, and visited some 50 countries worldwide. His special interests are in the areas of learning abroad through engagement and solitude; great centers of intellectual achievement across ages and cultures (the focus of his sabbatical a few years ago); ethnic conflict and study abroad in deeply divided societies; the globalization of cities; and the design and implementation of faculty development international seminars. For this last topic, he has participated in seminars in Brazil (1995) and Hungary (1997), and coordinated seminars in South Africa (2000), Malaysia (2002), Turkey (2004), China (2006) and Israeli and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (2008). He serves on the boards of several study abroad organizations, has co-coordinated and co-taught seminars on "Globalization in Comparative Perspective" in the Netherlands, and was a founding member of the editorial board of Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad.

Office Phone: 651.696.6086

Email: monahan@macalester.edu

Curriculum Vitae

Paula Paul-Wagner, Assistant Director

Paula Paul-Wagner joined Macalester College in February 2002 after five years as the Director of International Programs at Minnesota State University, Mankato. She gained previous experience with both study abroad and international student advising while working as the Assistant Director in the Office of International Programs at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.

Paula's responsibilities include fiscal oversight and budget management for the International Center and its programs, billing and administrative support for study away, and coordination of special projects. Along with the Director, she plays a key role in the planning and administration of the Faculty Exchange Program, the Visiting International Faculty Program and the Faculty Development International Seminars; as well as coordinating Macalester's own study abroad programs in Maastricht, Cape Town and London..

Ms. Paul-Wagner holds a BA in Political Science and Journalism and a Master's degree in Higher Education from South Dakota State University. She has lived, worked and studied in the United Kingdom and Japan.

Office Phone: 651.696.6300

Email: paulwagner@macalester.edu

Paul Nelson, Study Abroad Coordinator

Mr. Nelson is a '72 graduate of Macalester College, where he studied History and Spanish, and holds a law degree from the University of Minnesota. As Coordinator, his role is to advise students about study abroad, and to assist the Director and the Assistant Director in the administrative functions of study abroad and faculty development, a service which he is well familiar with, having assisted the International Center in this same role during the fall semester of 1998.

In addition to his previous experience working for Macalester, Mr. Nelson is the author of numerous publications, including "Fredrick L. McGhee, A Life on the Color Line 1861-1912," winner of the Scribes Award in 2002. He was the founding executive director of Centro de Estudios Multiculturales, where he has coordinated “Summer Spanish Immersion in Mexico,” a language and culture program for U.S. Spanish immersion students and their families in Cuernavaca, Mexico; and is surely one of the few individuals who has worked both as a public school teacher and a lawyer in private practice in the Twin Cities.

Office Phone: 651.696.6077

Email: pnelson2@macalester.edu

Curriculum Vitae

Joo Ree Richards, Study Abroad Advisor

Joo Ree Richards is the newest member of the International Center and arrived at Markim Hall in October of 2009. Having earned a B.A. in Psychology from Carleton College, Ms. Richards' primary interests lie in educational psychology and counseling/advising in academic settings. Prior to joining the IC staff she worked at a nonprofit organization that provides services to adults with mental illness. Ms. Richards completed her high school education abroad at Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong. As an undergraduate she participated in exchange programs at Ewha Women's University and Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea. Other countries visited include Thailand, Vietnam, and the Dominican Republic.

The Study Abroad Advisor's role is that of "first-contact" responder for students seeking information about study abroad, to advise students in both group and individual formats, and to assist the Study Abroad Coordinator in the administrative and record-keeping functions of the study away enterprise.

Office Phone: 651.696.6576

Email: jrichar2@macalester.edu

Indra Halvorsone, Administrative Assistant

Indra Halvorsone joined International Center staff in September of 2007. Her main duties at the International Center are providing administrative assistance to staff and supervising student workers.

A native of Latvia, Ms. Halvorsone witnessed and experienced the end of the Soviet Empire and the beginning of an independent Latvia. For the last five years Ms. Halvorson has lived in the United States.

Most of Ms. Halvorsone's previous employment has been in the field of education; she was a teacher of Latvian language and literature for K 5-12 students, and loved it! For five years Ms. Halvorsone worked for the US Peace Corps program in Latvia in the capacities of language teacher, language program coordinator, resource center manager, and program manager. For nearly three years Ms. Halvorsone worked for Meld, a national not-for-profit organization that provides resources for parents.

Ms. Halvorsone received a B.S. in Pedagogy from Latvia University.

Office Phone: 651.696.6361

Email: ihalvors@macalester.edu

Curriculum Vitae