Faculty member wins global engagement award

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Dr. Liliana Riboldi, a professor of Spanish, has worked to provide meaningful global learning experiences for UVU students since 1997.

For her part in study abroad programs at UVU, Riboldi was given the UVU Faculty Member of the Year: Global Engagement Award on Nov. 20 2008.

“…Liliana’s enthusiasm for immersing her students in the Spanish language and culture, …fierce tenacity to squeeze every experience possible out of a euro or peso and return home within budget, …willingness to host a visiting international study programs director, and [her] ability to ensure a viable program each year put her in a realm no other UVU faculty member can enter,” said Grant Skabelund, director of study abroad.

Back in 1997, UVU was still UVSC, and Riboldi was leading programs that were among the first UVSC had to offer. With the help of a third party provider, Riboldi ran several successful trips to Mexico and Spain. For each year but one, more and more students enrolled in the trips, reaching a high of 21 students in 2000.

After the historic trip in 2000, Riboldi organized a lager program supported by the UVSC language department to Salamanca, Spain. Shortly after, she established contact with the Spanish language school, Mester, and extended the trip in 2003 and 2004 to both Salamanca and Seville, Spain.

These programs still continue today as part UVU study aboard experiences. Trips in 2009 will be to Puebla and Merida, Mexico in June and July.