Athens, Ga. – Yana Cornish has been named the new director of education abroad for the University of Georgia’s Office of International Education. Her appointment is effective Aug. 18.
Prior to accepting her position at UGA, Cornish served as the director of study abroad programs at the University of Northern Iowa. During her more than 10 years at UNI, student participation in study abroad nearly quadrupled. The Institute for International Education’s Open Doors report now ranks UNI as one of the nation’s top 40 masters’ institutions for study abroad participation. She also helped to expand short-term faculty-led programs, add 50 new student exchange partnerships, spearhead the curricular integration of study abroad and develop an international travel registry for UNI. Cornish has conducted research and co-authored publications on cross-cultural studies, teacher preparation and foreign language study.
As director of education abroad, Cornish will be responsible for articulating a strategic vision of UGA’s education abroad efforts, developing and implementing effective education abroad policies and procedures, and working with academic units on curriculum integration and curriculum internationalization. The education abroad director will define strategies to increase student access to study abroad including scholarships.
“I am delighted that Yana Cornish will be joining the senior team in the Office of International Education,” said Kavita Pandit, associate provost for international education. “International education at UGA is continuing to grow and expand in exciting ways and Dr. Cornish has the experience and leadership to take our study abroad programming to the next level.”
Cornish has a master’s degree in early childhood education and English teaching from the Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia, master’s degrees in TESOL and Spanish from UNI, and a doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction from UNI. She is a dual citizen of Russia and the U.S.
“I am thrilled to be joining UGA and look forward to assisting in the campus internationalization efforts by removing barriers for student and faculty engagement in international education,” said Cornish. “My first steps will be to get to know the university, its community and culture.”
About the Office of International Education
The Office of International Education supports the University of Georgia’s academic, research and outreach missions and strategic directions through the promotion of global learning experiences for our students, the sponsorship and support of international students, scholars, faculty and staff, and the development of international research and instructional partnerships and collaborations. For more information, see http://international.uga.edu/.