{"672246":{"#nid":"672246","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Birchfield Rises to the Rank of Officer of France\u2019s National Order of Merit","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EVicki Birchfield, a professor\u0026nbsp;in Georgia Tech\u2019s Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, received one of France\u2019s highest civilian honors for her continued dedication to furthering Franco-American relations. Birchfield rose to the rank of Officer of France\u0027s National Order of Merit, 13 years after being honored as \u201cChevalier,\u201d or Knight of the National Order of Merit.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA heartfelt ceremony took place at Georgia Tech, where speakers from both Georgia Tech and the Consulate General of France in Atlanta spoke about the unbreakable thread that has long connected Birchfield to France. Georgia Tech Provost Steve McLaughlin spoke, along with Rami Abi Akl, French\u0026nbsp;Attach\u00e9 for Science and Technology in the Southeastern United States, and\u0026nbsp;Anne-Laure Desjonqu\u00e8res, the Consul General of France in Atlanta.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAll speakers were united in highlighting Birchfield\u2019s many accomplishments, celebrating her enduring and deep connection to France. She remains committed to providing students with opportunities to better understand French politics and culture.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EProvost McLaughlin spoke of Birchfield\u2019s pivotal role in furthering Georgia Tech\u2019s commitment to International Initiatives by giving more students access to learning about France and the European Union. From her leadership in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs as co-director of the Center for European and Transatlantic Studies, and director of Tech\u2019s immersive summer European Union study abroad program, to her role in developing Tech\u2019s successful First-Year Semester Abroad (FYSA) program at Georgia Tech-Europe, Birchfield has shown an unwavering devotion to scholarship and to her students.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAbi Akl and Consul General Desjonqu\u00e8res both spoke with great respect and affection for the evening\u2019s honoree. In describing Georgia Tech\u2019s most dedicated Francophile, Abi Akl was astonished that every time he met with her, he learned something new about France, things that were not found in textbooks. Calling out Birchfield for her \u201cFrancophile-ness,\u201d the Attach\u00e9 spoke of Birchfield\u2019s commitment to helping develop and direct Georgia Tech\u2019s First Year Semester Abroad Program at Georgia Tech-Europe. The program brings fifty lucky incoming first-year Georgia Tech students to Metz to jumpstart their journey to global citizenship and leadership. Abi Akl noted that, \u201cBeyond the great learning experience, this program has been fostering the next generation of transatlantic leaders that tomorrow\u0027s world will need to tackle the upcoming challenges.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENext, Consul General\u0026nbsp;Desjonqu\u00e8res told of Birchfield\u2019s many accomplishments, all linked through a \u201cdeep and enduring love of France.\u201d After reviewing Birchfield\u2019s remarkable academic and professional career, with a focus on\u0026nbsp;European politics, the European Union, comparative politics, and international political economy, the Consul General remarked,\u0026nbsp;\u201cYour work has not only enriched academic discourse but has also contributed significantly to the broader cultural and intellectual exchange between France and the United States.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThanks to her remarkable devotion to France, continually advancing French-American friendship and understanding, Birchfield was honored with a promotion from the rank of \u201cKnight\u201d of France\u0027s National Order of Merit to \u201cOfficer.\u201d\u0026nbsp;As Birchfield is bilingual, the Consul General ended her remarks in French, reminding the audience that thanks to the FYSA program, many students were leaving their home country for the first time, concluding,\u0026nbsp;\u201cThese students are of course always welcome in my home country.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESurrounded by a crowd of beloved family and friends, Birchfield was pinned with the medal of Officer of the National Order of Merit by\u0026nbsp;Pierre Keichinger,\u0026nbsp;French Army Liaison Officer, who traveled from his post in\u0026nbsp;Alabama to bestow the medal on behalf of the French government.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA visibly moved Birchfield addressed the crowd, thanking so many who were in the audience, from Provost Steve McLaughlin to Bernard Kippelen, vice provost for international initiatives; Steven Girardot, vice provost for undergraduate education; and\u0026nbsp;Amy Bass\u0026nbsp;Henry, executive director, office of international education. She also acknowledged the staff of the Georgia Tech-Europe Atlanta office, thanking Iyonka Strawn-Valcy, Catherine Bass, Andrea Gappell, Alina Opreanu, and Allie Snyder. She expressed gratitude to Cassie McGinnis, former FYSA program and operations manager, and Elizabeth Reese, the new program and operations manager, in the office of undergraduate education, who gave their all to ensure smooth operations of the First-Year Semester Abroad program at Georgia Tech-Europe. Not in attendance, but also thanked, were leadership, faculty, and staff at the Metz campus, including Abdallah Ougazzaden, president of GT-Europe, and French lecturer, Sonia Serafin.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESeveral of Birchfield\u2019s former FYSA students were in the crowd, a testament to a professor who has forever impacted their lives. Second-year international affairs major, Zoe Glickman, was drawn to Georgia Tech by Birchfield, saying, \u201cIn my admission\u2019s essay to Tech, I wrote about wanting to learn from Dr. Birchfield as one of the reasons I wanted to come to Tech. I was in the second cohort of FYSA in 2022, and when I heard Dr. Birchfield was the director of FYSA, I knew that it was a perfect program for me.\u201d Glickman is currently a teaching assistant for Birchfield\u2019s global citizenship course, and she finds Birchfield\u2019s enthusiasm and dedication to her students contagious.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBirchfield has come a long way since her mother helped her scrape together enough money for her first trip to France, thus launching what would become a lifelong love affair with the country. She spoke of what a privilege it is to wake up every day and pursue her passion. A humble Birchfield said,\u0026nbsp;\u201cReceiving this honor from France, a country and culture that has so significantly shaped my\u0026nbsp;life\u2019s work, is the most deeply meaningful\u0026nbsp;distinction I could imagine, and it will\u0026nbsp;certainly be a highlight of my career here at Georgia Tech. \u201c\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EVicki Birchfield, a professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech\u2019s Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, was promoted from the rank of Knight to Officer of France\u0027s National Order of Merit. Birchfield was recognized for her deep commitment to French-American relations and friendship through her ongoing scholarship and role in educating students about France and the European Union.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Vicki Birchfield, a professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech\u2019s Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, was promoted from the rank of Knight to Officer of France\u0027s National Order of Merit. "}],"uid":"36009","created_gmt":"2024-01-17 22:39:33","changed_gmt":"2024-01-29 22:13:49","author":"cwhittle9","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-01-17T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2024-01-17T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"672785":{"id":"672785","type":"image","title":"vicki birchfiled.jpg","body":null,"created":"1705531219","gmt_created":"2024-01-17 22:40:19","changed":"1705531219","gmt_changed":"2024-01-17 22:40:19","alt":"Rami Abi Akl, Anne-Laure Desjonqu\u00e8res, Vicki Birchfield, Pierre Keichinger","file":{"fid":"256102","name":"vicki birchfiled.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/01\/17\/vicki%20birchfiled.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/01\/17\/vicki%20birchfiled.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1520756,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/01\/17\/vicki%20birchfiled.jpg?itok=BA5ss7-o"}}},"media_ids":["672785"],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1285","name":"Sam Nunn School of International Affairs"}],"categories":[{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"193424","name":"Officer of the National Order of Merit"},{"id":"193425","name":"Consulate General of France in Atlanta"},{"id":"191566","name":"Georgia Tech-Europe"},{"id":"1616","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"169209","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts; Sam Nunn School of International Affairs"},{"id":"5352","name":"Vicki Birchfield"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:andrea.gappell@europe.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAndrea Gappell \u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Program Manager, Georgia Tech-Europe\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}