By: Christian Downes
 

Dr. Eric Moyen, associate professor of education at Lee,
recently attended the Salzburg Global Seminar held in Salzburg,
Austria Oct. 2 to Oct. 7, 2012.

Moyen was awarded an Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship by the
Appalachian College Association, affording him the opportunity to
attend the seminar titled, “Optimizing Talent-Closing Education and
Social Mobility Gaps Worldwide: Higher Education and Lifelong
Learning.”

 “I was excited and humbled to have the opportunity to
represent Lee, and the Appalachian College Association at this
Salzburg Global Seminar,” said Moyen. “It allowed me to engage in
the broader dialogue about the financial and social challenges
facing many students seeking postsecondary education.”

The seminar strives to magnify the effect of individuals and
institutions that bring humane values to global challenges and
seeks senior decision makers and younger leaders who will continue
to develop and influence educational policy, locally and
globally.

Moyen is one of more than 65 Salzburg Global Fellows from 25
different countries who attended this distinguished academic
venture, and joins a fellowship comprising more than 21,000
individuals from 156 countries around the world.

This seminar addressed topics of life-long learning and
successful transitions. The goal was to identify, develop, and
refine strategies that optimize the talent of young people in a way
that has the broadest benefit to individuals and their respective
societies.

“In general, higher education has been very proactive about
increasing access to college, but less emphasis has been placed on
student-success after they have arrived on campus,” continued
Moyen. “In this way, I think Lee University is really a leader in
higher education.”

Moyen also serves as Lee’s Director of First Year Programs, the
primary professor of pedagogy, and the Lee liaison for a number of
Teach American History grants. These grants provide professional
development for K-12 school teachers in Southeast Tennessee who are
seeking to improve their teaching of American history.

Other Lee faculty members who have attended Salzburg Seminars
include: Drs. Gary Riggins, Karen Mundy Judkins, Stephen Swindle,
Matthew Melton, and Jayson VanHook.