Penn State Abington Center for Intercultural Leadership and Communication

Organization/Business type
Education
Migrated automatically.

Who we are

The Center for Intercultural Leadership and Communication (CILC, pronounced “Silk”) is a collaborative organization to affirm the intercultural richness that many students, faculty, and staff bring to our campus. We work to identify, promote, and support Abington College’s diversity and internationalization initiatives, and to communicate these to students, faculty, and the community at large. Diversity, inclusivity, and global perspectives are core parts of our identity at the college, which is noted for its ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse student body and its faculty with a range of expertise in related fields. Our mission is to ensure that these intercultural and global perspectives are reflected in our teaching, research, and scholarly communications on an everyday basis.

What we do

CILC fosters the empowerment of individuals with the desire and ability to transform themselves and their communities through effective leadership and intercultural development. For our students, CILC serves as a hub for learning experiences that cultivate a deep understanding of cultural identities, complex histories, world languages, and the responsibilities of leadership in a global society. CILC promotes study abroad experiences, service learning and internships in multicultural settings, academic programs that develop cultural and linguistic awareness, and participation in activities and events that nurture intercultural leadership skills in diverse settings. Students can turn to CILC to help them augment their academic programs of study in any discipline, and to help transform themselves into global leaders and advocates.

CILC brings the expertise of the faculty and staff at Abington together to implement creative initiatives in pedagogy, research, administration, and funding resources. CILC develops and sponsors research-based professional development events to guide faculty and staff in their roles as educators and mentors in our increasingly diverse communities.

For the Greater Philadelphia community, CILC offers a variety of customized and standard programs led by Abington College faculty to help change organizations and promote corporate social responsibility. These include, for example, the ESL Specialist and Leadership Certificate for K-12 educators, vocational English for healthcare employees, and intercultural workshops customized for government, non-profit, and commercial industries.

By addressing the needs of students, faculty and staff, and our larger community, CILC remains dedicated to making important, meaningful connections that move our mission forward. CILC develops intercultural learning and leadership development to establish strong foundations, nurture transformations, and support sustainable outcomes