{"591139":{"#nid":"591139","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Modern Languages Professor Bettina Cothran Retires","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBettina Cothran, professor of German in the Ivan Allen College School of Modern Languages, taught her last class on campus on Tuesday, April 25, 2017, putting a period on her 26 years at Georgia Tech and a lengthy career in academia. Cothran will teach a final study abroad term in Germany this summer and then fully retire to enjoy dual homes in Atlanta and Germany.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECothran was recently honored by the College as the recipient of the Ivan Allen Jr. Faculty Legacy Award. During a retirement celebration held on April 26, School of Modern Languages Chair Anna Westerstahl Stenport shared these remarks about Dr. Cothran:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cblockquote\u003E\r\n\u003Cp\u003EJust a few months ago, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2017) released a major report at the request of a bipartisan Congress Commission. That report is called \u0026ldquo;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.amacad.org\/content\/publications\/publication.aspx?d=22474\u0022\u003EAmerica\u0026rsquo;s \u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.amacad.org\/content\/publications\/publication.aspx?d=22474\u0022\u003ELanguages: Investing in Language Education \u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.amacad.org\/content\/publications\/publication.aspx?d=22474\u0022\u003Efor \u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.amacad.org\/content\/publications\/publication.aspx?d=22474\u0022\u003Ethe 21st Century\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026rdquo; and it highlights the \u0026ldquo;imperative\u0026rdquo; of high-level second language and intercultural competency for national security,\u0026nbsp;international commerce, and social equity, and it urges colleges and universities to\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Find new ways to provide opportunities for advanced study in languages, to treat language education as a persistent national need like competency in math or English, and to ensure that a useful level of proficiency is within every student\u0026rsquo;s reach.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAt Georgia Tech, 30 percent of the undergraduate student population is in the process of learning a second or third language. There is no language requirement at Georgia Tech. 54 percent of our undergraduates study abroad through programs such as the signature Languages for Business and Technology (LBAT) summer programs in the School of Modern Languages, including the German program led by Dr. Cothran. The Strategic Plan\u0026rsquo;s Goal Number Four stresses that Georgia Tech should be expanding its global footprint and influence\u0026hellip;and graduating good global citizens.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhat does this all have to do with Professor Cothran?\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA lot, actually. Bettina is exactly the kind of teacher, scholar, advisor, mentor, and colleague whose expertise and professional commitments bridge the interests of the nation, state, and individual student to ensure language proficiency, cross-cultural understanding, strong public diplomacy ties, and global citizenship for the betterment of all. Indeed, Bettina has helped make such things happen for many individual students, and has also strengthened the international footprint of the School of Modern Languages and the Institute at large through her leadership and advocacy on multiple levels. For me as School Chair, I have had the particular privilege of observing this in my collaborations with Bettina in her role as associate chair for international matters in the School.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBettina\u0026rsquo;s heart, however, is in teaching, and I have heard her express her agreement with Marcus Tullius Cicero, who said that there is \u0026ldquo;no nobler employment\u0026hellip;than to instruct the next generation.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIt is a pleasure to celebrate her many contributions and her pioneering work integrating language and culture studies as part of the DNA of Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBettina will be retiring in June, and moving on to new and exciting initiatives. We thank Bettina, and we hope that you will hold the German Program in the School of Modern Languages in your heart, as you move on to new and exciting initiatives, and that you will come back and see us often.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBettina Cothran\u0026nbsp;holds a Ph.D. in German Literature from the University of Wuppertal in Germany. She joined Georgia Tech in January 1991. She built her academic career around innovative program development in Business German, interdisciplinary courses and Intercultural Studies.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAt Georgia Tech, she initiated courses jointly taught with faculty from the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs on topics of the European Union and globalization. She developed and has directed the nationally recognized immersion program LBAT\u0026nbsp;for German, which offers up to 12 credits and is taught on location in Germany. She represents the School of Modern Languages as a member of the International Plan Committee. She initiated German Day at Georgia Tech, now in its seventh\u0026nbsp;year, which successfully brings together students, advisors, businesses, and sponsors, and which was recognized by Governor Nathan Deal with a Proclamation on\u0026nbsp;October 18, 2016 as German Day for the State of Georgia.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETogether with the Office of International Education, she has worked to strengthen the liaison between Georgia Tech and its German partner universities and international companies. Cothran is well-connected in national and international academia and has developed strong ties to the business world, benefitting placement of Georgia Tech students. She has secured financial support for study abroad from private sponsors and foundations, and has been instrumental in obtaining grants from The Halle Foundation and the Barry and Gail Spurlock Foundation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/modlangs.gatech.edu\/people\/person\/db5aab16-7513-5e01-b9d3-b1a6733cbdab\u0022\u003ERead more about Cothran\u0026rsquo;s education, research, and distinctions\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBettina Cothran, professor of German in the Ivan Allen College School of Modern Languages, taught her last class on campus on Tuesday, April 25, 2017, putting a period on her 26 years at Georgia Tech and a lengthy career in academia.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Bettina Cothran, professor of German in the Ivan Allen College School of Modern Languages, taught her last class on campus on Tuesday, April 25, 2017."}],"uid":"28513","created_gmt":"2017-04-28 20:35:11","changed_gmt":"2017-05-02 18:18:27","author":"Daniel Singer","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2017-04-28T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2017-04-28T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"591138":{"id":"591138","type":"image","title":"Bettina Cothran","body":null,"created":"1493411641","gmt_created":"2017-04-28 20:34:01","changed":"1493411641","gmt_changed":"2017-04-28 20:34:01","alt":"Bettina Cothran","file":{"fid":"225234","name":"BettinaCothranWeb_1.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/BettinaCothranWeb_1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/BettinaCothranWeb_1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":40298,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/BettinaCothranWeb_1.jpg?itok=B7rXX_cr"}},"582874":{"id":"582874","type":"image","title":"Bettina Cothran Reads Governor Nathan Deal\u2019s German Day Proclamation","body":null,"created":"1476981114","gmt_created":"2016-10-20 16:31:54","changed":"1493749055","gmt_changed":"2017-05-02 18:17:35","alt":"","file":{"fid":"222187","name":"P1050581.JPG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/P1050581.JPG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/P1050581.JPG","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4997120,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/P1050581.JPG?itok=C1GdIEq_"}},"582870":{"id":"582870","type":"image","title":"Bettina Cothran and Jan Uelzmann at German Day 2016","body":null,"created":"1476979733","gmt_created":"2016-10-20 16:08:53","changed":"1476979900","gmt_changed":"2016-10-20 16:11:40","alt":"","file":{"fid":"222180","name":"P1050544.JPG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/P1050544.JPG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/P1050544.JPG","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4385708,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/P1050544.JPG?itok=JtxAIT75"}}},"media_ids":["591138","582874","582870"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.iac.gatech.edu\/people\/faculty\/cothran","title":"Biography"},{"url":"https:\/\/modlangs.gatech.edu\/languages\/german","title":"German Program Information"}],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"}],"categories":[{"id":"151","name":"Policy, Social Sciences, and Liberal Arts"}],"keywords":[{"id":"13384","name":"Bettina Cothran"},{"id":"5101","name":"LBAT"},{"id":"169795","name":"German Program"},{"id":"47221","name":"german day"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39511","name":"Public Service, Leadership, and Policy"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERebecca Keane\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nDirector of Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n404.894.1720\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nrebecca.keane@iac.gatech.edu\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["rebecca.keane@iac.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}