LSI Takes on Increased Role in Growing FSU’s International Footprint
Group photo of the inaugural VSPP cohort posing with FSU staff.
Tallahassee, Fla. – Since 1969, the Learning Systems Institute (LSI) at Florida State University (FSU) has led global learning. With 57 years of experience working internationally and delivering measurable results in 49 countries, LSI will now assume even more responsibility when it comes to executing FSU’s international strategies.
LSI is working with FSU’s International Programs in a venture that will allow the university to benefit from the processes, relationships and logistical infrastructure LSI has spent nearly six decades developing. The team at LSI will work with the Provost and the Office of Research to help establish FSU as a leader in international education and academic and service projects.
“We appreciate university leadership recognizing LSI’s expertise and putting their trust in our team to further FSU’s international goals,” said LSI Director Rabieh Razzouk. “LSI has worked on more than 1,000 projects and has a strong record of managing multi-million-dollar research and service projects. We have built international partnerships with governments, universities and non-governmental organizations. Over more than half a century, LSI has established itself as one of the premier university institutions in the country when it comes to international education.”
As laid out in its strategic plan, FSU aims to expand its reputation and reach as a leader in international education, growing international engagements to prepare students for an increasingly complex and competitive multicultural world. By doing so, it will enhance much-needed cultural competencies and build fruitful collaborations with institutions, faculty, staff, students and communities from around the world.
One key way to achieve these goals is to continue increasing collaboration on international research projects with scholars from the world’s top universities. This past summer, that process began as LSI managed the inaugural Visiting Scholars Partnership Program (VSPP).
The VSPP was established to strengthen high-impact, research- and innovation-centered, institution-to-institution partnerships with leading universities worldwide. The recurring program is designed to foster sustained research and innovation-driven interactions between FSU faculty and visiting scholars from strategically aligned international institutions. Through the VSPP, visiting scholars work closely with FSU faculty and community members to build impactful relationships, exchange knowledge and perspectives and contribute to research that transforms communities and advances global scientific understanding.
“I’ve been amazed and impressed and grateful for what was accomplished in such a short period of time,” said Farrukh Alvi, Senior Associate Provost for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation. “The inaugural VSPP is going to define the next stage of our partnership with India in particular but serve as a model for how we build out our global partnerships more broadly.”
On the immediate horizon, LSI will organize two global conferences on FSU’s campus in Valencia, Spain, focusing on quantum science and pediatric rare diseases. There will also be continued collaboration from the recently finished VSPP and plans are already underway for the next cohort of researchers who will head to Tallahassee.
“I am very happy to invest in initiatives that have a strong return on investment and I can tell already how successful this has been,” said FSU Provost Jim Clark during an address to VSPP attendees and FSU staff.
ABOUT LSI
LSI strives to lead the way in creating innovative educational solutions that seamlessly connect theory with practice. Through advanced research, we develop industry-leading methods and implementation strategies to enhance systematic learning at all levels and in all environments. For more than five decades, LSI has been committed to driving measurable improvements in the performance of both individuals and organizations.