“The power of technology brings people together to advance the cause of higher learning all over the world.”
Dr. Michelle Miller, Northern Arizona University
Sharon Role, University of Malta, Msida, Malta

This spring, I received a wonderful email in my inbox from one of our talented workshop facilitators, Michelle Miller. Michelle shared with me how she had collaborated internationally and I can’t help but share. I am sure there are OLC members out there who have made similar connections. Please pass them along, we love to hear these stories! Thank you for sharing, Michelle!

Dear Jennifer,

Hope you’re doing really well. I’m writing to fill you in on a wonderful professional connection made through the first round of the Bringing Theory to Practice course that Kristen and I facilitated last year. In that course, we were intrigued to see that one of our students, Sharon Role, was a faculty member at the University of Malta, in Msida, Malta. We loved getting her perspective, given the very different cultural context and background.

Fast forward a few months, and as I was planning my spring sabbatical activities I realized that Malta was a fairly short hop from where I’d be, in Frankfurt, and reached out to Sharon to ask if she might be interested in helping host a visit to her university. She enthusiastically accepted, and through a lot of hard work, she orchestrated two formal talks and a luncheon. I learned so much about their unique challenges and accomplishments and loved getting their perspective on issues that concern us all in education.

Sharon and I hope to maintain an ongoing professional connection, of course, and I am so grateful that my work with OLC is what enabled that to happen. I’ve attached a photo taken near the U of Malta campus at one of their spectacular harbors overlooking the ancient fortifications. It’s a testament to the power of technology to bring people together and to advance the cause of higher learning all over the world.

Best wishes always – Michelle Miller