About GPE

The GPE Secretariat

East Carolina University serves as the Secretariat of Global Partners in Education. To aid in our mission, the GPE Secretariat will serve GPE member institutions in the following ways:

Maintain and improve excellence and effectiveness of our shared Global Virtual Exchange programs.
Develop and implement innovative programming to meet the needs of the membership.
Foster collaborative educational and research opportunities.
Foster research activities of member institutions.
Apply new technologies and pedagogies to global education.

Vision

Global Partners in Education will be a leader in the growing field of Global Virtual Exchange as we continue to:

Build a global community
Promote intercultural skill building
Innovate and look to the future

Mission

Our mission is to prepare students with the skills, qualities, and knowledge to thrive in an interconnected world. By leveraging Global Virtual Exchange, we seek to maximize access to global experiences; broaden understanding of and interest in other cultures; help students, faculty, and staff at our partner institutions develop intercultural communication and collaboration skills; and promote lifelong global learning and collaborative research.

Dr. Jami Leibowitz

Chair of the GPE Secretariat

East Carolina University

Dr. Jami Leibowitz earned her Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Connecticut in 2003 and joined the Anthropology faculty at East Carolina University in 2002. In 2005 she began teaching the Global Understanding course and served as the Coordinator of Global Understanding from 2006-2013. In 2013 Dr. Leibowitz moved into academic administration full time where she serves as the administrative leader of Virtual Exchange on the ECU campus while also managing the GPE organization. Dr. Leibowitz is a founding member of the International Virtual Exchange Consortium (IVEC) and currently serves as the Vice President of the IVEC board. She is a two-time Fulbright awardee, most recently completing a Fulbright Global Scholar Award promoting virtual exchange and global learning in Namibia, Indonesia, and Kazakhstan.

Ms. Melanie Robbins

Coordinator of Global Understanding

East Carolina University

Ms. Melanie Robbins earned her master’s degree in TESOL from Seattle Pacific University and is a doctoral candidate of International Education Policy at the University of Maryland. Prior to joining the GPE team, Melanie coordinated the Intensive English Program at Western Carolina University, where she also taught a global perspectives course. Her professional experiences abroad include teaching, conducting research, and/or facilitating teacher training workshops in Georgia, Slovakia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Cuba. Melanie provides pedagogical support and training on courses connected with the Global Understanding program.

Mr. Ben Robbins

Manager of Global Technologies

East Carolina University

Mr. Ben Robbins received a Master’s in International Relations with a concentration in Russian and Eurasian Studies and International Economics from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He is an information and communications technology professional who has spent the past decade implementing projects in Africa, the former Soviet Union, the Middle East, and the United States. Ben works with global partner institutions to research, implement, and support technologies for various Global Understanding and GPE activities.

Mrs. Carol McLawhorn

Administrative Support Associate

East Carolina University

Mrs. Carol McLawhorn has been working with Global Academic Initiatives (GAI), the unit responsible for Global Virtual Exchange on the East Carolina University (ECU) campus since its formation in 2005. Prior to that Carol worked with ECU’s Governor’s School. In her current role, Carol supports all activities for GAI, and serves as a primary point of contact for GPE Partners. She is the glue that holds the unit together and makes sure we take care of the details. Mrs. McLawhorn has been identified as a “Treasured Pirate” where she has been recognized for her dedication and customer service.

Our Founders

In 2002, our founders Dr. Rosina Chia, a cross-cultural psychologist originally from China, and Dr. Elmer Poe, a computer mediated learning expert originally from West Virginia, were lamenting the fact that so few ECU students had opportunities to gain the global knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in an interconnected world. To address this, they, together with Dr. Biwu Yang, decided to leverage ECU’s existing strength in on-line education and, in 2003, piloted our signature Global Understanding course. In 2008, with the partners involved in the Global Understanding course, Drs. Chia and Poe established Global Partners in Education.

The GPE Secretariat

Vision

Mission

Meet the Secretariat

Dr. Jami Leibowitz

Chair of the GPE Secretariat

Ms. Melanie Robbins

Coordinator of Global Understanding

Mr. Ben Robbins

Manager of Global Technologies

Mrs. Carol McLawhorn

Administrative Support Associate

GPE Advisory Board

Modern University for Business and Science

Beirut, Lebanon

Nael Alami

ESAN University

Lima, Peru

Mariella Olivos

University of Jammu

Jammu-Kashmir, India

Parikshat Manas Singh

Université de Tours

Tours, France

Aaron Smith

Shaanxi Normal University

Xi'an, China

Guangwei Zhang

Our Founders

GPE Awards and Recognitions

US Department of Education UISFL Program Grant for the Global BEEHIVE Project

2018

NAFSA - Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Award for Campus Internationalization

2016

North Carolina Association for International Educators (NCAIE) Instituional Award

2015

Wharton-QS Stars Re-imagine Education Award

2014

Nikolai N Khaladjan International Award for Innovation in Higher Education (AAUA)

2009

Andrew Heiskell Award for Innovation in International Education

2008

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