About Us
At the College of Education Office of International Programs, we are dedicated to providing global fieldwork participants with the best resources and support through expertise, mentorship, and a shared passion for education. Our program leaders are committed to ensuring a unique and valuable learning experience in each destination and bring to the table their own backgrounds in teaching abroad, studying abroad, and traveling.
Dr. Allison Witt is the Director of International Programs in the College of Education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she teaches Global Studies in Education and is the Program Leader for the International Education Administration and Leadership program. Allison is a former Assistant Director of Academic Affairs at the Illinois Board of Higher Education, where she contributed to state higher education policy in Illinois. She is the author of Shifting Tides in Global Higher Education (2011) published by Peter Lang. Allison earned a Ph.D. in Education Policy Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She has worked in international education for over 20 years, now with particular interest in internationalizing teacher education. Teaching Assistant Professor Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership.
Dr. Wei Liu is the Associate Director of International Programs. Dr. Liu teaches CI 499 and EDUC 499 study abroad courses. These courses introduce comparative education inquiry and provide space to consider the cultural, political, and ethical implications of engaging in education travel and research in cross-cultural, global contexts. Dr. Liu earned a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her current research focuses on teachers' conceptualizations across cultures from a cultural psychological perspective.
Dr. Jacob Neal Minniear taught English as a Second Language (ESL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to diverse groups of children and adults in the United States, France, and Turkey. His career began as a middle school teacher, and he has since been involved in several U.S. government programs, including as an English Language Fellow with the U.S. State Department, a Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellow specializing in Arabic and Turkish, and a researcher with Fulbright and EducationUSA in Peru. Having lived abroad for most of his adult life, Jacob's passion for international education was sparked during his high school and undergraduate studies in France. He has coordinated study abroad programs in France, Greece, and Italy for nearly a decade and holds a Master's in Second Language Education from The University of Kansas and a Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. At Illinois, Jacob has taught various courses in the College of Education, focusing on bilingualism, literacy, social studies, and international education. His research explores the impacts of study abroad on teacher development, the sociological aspects of bilingualism, and virtual language teaching. He is particularly interested in exploring how the role of cultural and social capital impacts study abroad experiences.