Student Life

Connie Peterson-Miller
Director
peterson031@gannon.edu
Phone: (814) 871-7030
Fax: (814) 871-5323

My internationalist sensibilities were first awakened on the day I discovered that my dear father did not have a slide whistle lodged in his throat. Rather he was speaking his mother tongue: Norwegian! I wanted to talk that way, too, and so it was not long after this revelation that I began to pine for the fjords. I made my way from Galesburg, Illinois to the University of Oslo by way of Missoula, Montana. In Norway I studied the language and the culture, set forth to greet my many aunts, uncles, and cousins who were settled along the shores of Lake Mjøsa, and after a time of riotous coffee-klatsching, ventured out into the Norwegian countryside as a farmhand with the Norwegian Youth Foundation to herd cattle, shovel grain, and pluck up potatoes. I had also hoped to apprentice with a Norwegian shipbuilder who still crafted boats in the way of our Viking ancestors (with little more than a good eye, a steady hand, an adze, and a hammer!). Alas, this was not to be, and so I returned to America where I studied more languages and cultures at universities ranged across the land from Oregon to Maryland.

These past 20 years I have served as both volunteer and administrator in the field of international student services and intercultural education, more recently in South Bend, Indiana. My, husband, Chris, is with me here in Erie, but my children, Maeve and Lorcan, are grown and away at school and work.

I look forward to building an international learning community here at Gannon University and to the many adventures ahead for which we shall---together---set our sails!

Phone: (814) 871-5356
Fax: (814) 871-5323

Judy van Rheenen joined the staff of the ISO in July, 2009.

A Gannon graduate herself with over 10 years experience in Enrollment Services at Gannon, Judy is eager to share her knowledge of the University with our international students.

Judy's international experiences include administering a summer-long Spanish and Religious Studies program in Madrid and traveling by rail through much of western Europe.  An extended stay in the Netherlands fostered her fondness of tulips, windmills, and wooden shoes.

"I have always had an interest in foreign languages and cultures, and I look forward to learning about the cultures and customs of the students who have decided to travel a great distance to pursue their educational goals here at Gannon."

Mehmet Çultu, PhD., professor of electrical and computer engineering, also has an international background as a native of Turkey. For several years, Dr. Çultu has recruited students from Turkey by traveling there and spreading the word about opportunities at Gannon. Additionally, he has worked closely with the international students, serving as an International Student Advisor, helping internationals adjust to the culture and integrate into a new way of life.