Twitter Interview With David Comp

Twitter Interviews – #CKinterview

Today’s Cross-Cultural Interview is with David Comp. David is the person behind the Twitter handle @DavidComp.

David currently works as the Senior Adviser for International Initiatives in The College at The University of Chicago. He has also consulted on several international education related projects for a variety of institutions and organizations in higher education. He currently serves on the editorial advisory board of the Journal of Studies in International Education (JSIE) and edits and maintains International Higher Education Consulting Blog.

Additionally, he has co-authored several book chapters and reports on international education topics. His research focuses on the use of international education for soft power and public diplomacy efforts; methodology of data collection on global student and scholar mobility and on the history of international education exchanges.

He currently serves on the Committee on Outcomes Assessment of the Forum on Education Abroad and has served on multiple task forces and committees for NAFSA: Association of International Educators including his current role as special adviser to the Research and Scholarship Subcommittee.

He received his B.A. in Spanish and Latin American Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, his M.S. in Family Science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is currently at the dissertation proposal stage in Comparative and International Education at Loyola University Chicago.

This is a 2 part interview:

• Part 1 – The Blog Interview
• Part 2 – The Twitter Interview for 10 Cross-Cultural & International Questions

David Comp – Part 1

Hi David, for those who don’t know you, can you please tell us something about yourself?

David Comp: I’m originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and currently in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. I’m a husband and father of three young children (Gabriela at 8 years, Andres at 4 years and Lucas at 15 months).

In my day job I work in the Dean of Students Office at the University of Chicago as the Senior Adviser for International Initiatives. In my spare time I find myself thinking about my dissertation proposal in Comparative and International Education at Loyola University Chicago.

When I was 15 years old I was afforded the opportunity to be an exchange student in Rosenheim, Germany through my high school. I enjoyed that experience so much that I participated in the same exchange program again the summer after I graduate from high school.

I majored in Spanish as an undergraduate student and studied in Valladolid, Spain for a semester during my junior year in college. Unfortunately, my Spanish language skills are not what they once were but I can understand when spoken to, for the most part. I have always identified myself as being from Milwaukee with predominately German and Polish heritage.

How did you pick up your cross-cultural skills?

David Comp: My time as an exchange student in Germany and studying in Spain certainly started me on my path to understanding and respecting cross-cultural differences but I think it’s been my continued exposure to and my interest in different cultures that has helped develop my cross-cultural skills.

I, like most people I imagine, continue to hit bumps along the way but I work hard to continue to develop these skills and, most importantly, to instill these skills in my children. For example, my daughter is taking Classical Indian dance at her school and she loves. Her participation in Classical Indian danced impressed the people working the Indian booth at the Milwaukee International Holiday Folk Fair so much that they spent extra time showing her how to write her name in Hindi.

How do you use your cross-cultural skills in your job?

David Comp: I use my cross-cultural skills every day in my job. I work with undergraduate students from all over the globe who come to the University of Chicago to study. Additionally, I work with both domestic and international faculty and staff and my interactions with these colleagues add another level to the cross-cultural skills I must use in my job.

Can you tell us about your blog?

David Comp:

I started International Higher Education Consulting Blog (IHEC Blog for short) in February 2007.  To be honest, I can’t remember my exact motivation for doing so but in many ways it simply serves as an archive for the types of posts/messages I had been sending to the international education community, via a few key listservs, since I entered the field in 2000.  IHEC Blog has given me a place to share and archive ideas I have or items that I find of interest.  A side benefit of IHEC Blog (which led to me joining the Twitter movement back in February 2009 and the Facebook movement back in October) is all of the wonderful contacts I’ve made, both in the field of international education and outside of the field, that I most likely would not have made otherwise.

My favorite IHEC Blog post was “List of Movies/Television Programs where the Characters go Abroad” from August of this year.  Not only was this blog post my most trafficked and commented post ever, it allowed for me to connect with many people.  This blog post is really a continuation of an earlier post from April entitled “Portrayal of Exchange Students in Movies and on TV in the U.S.”  My perception is that exchange students/or young sojourners are often times portrayed in movies and television in a negative light.  My motivation for these posts was to engage my audience in a discussion on this topic and to compile a list of movies and television that can be used in training to demonstrate both positive and negative cross-cultural interactions.

My latest project was the creation of an IHEC Blog YouTube Channel which is really a clearinghouse of sorts for any and all international education related YouTube channels.  It was very easy to set up and has been received really well so far.  The best place to connect with me online is to search my Google Profile at: http://www.google.com/profiles/international.ed.consulting. My next project is to set up a much better and vibrant website that integrates IHEC Blog and my other online activities but due to time and three little mouths to feed that project has been tabled for the moment.

I have a couple of lists I’m building here on this blog, and wonder if you have anything you would like to share.

Have you come across any cultural stereotypes that bother you, or you find inappropriate?

David Comp: Probably the most troubling cultural stereotypes that I have witnessed have been directed towards the Muslim community (both here in the United States and abroad) which has substantially increased since September 11th and the U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Do you have a favorite movie that could help people understand cultural issues?

David Comp: With three little kids in the house I haven’t seen a movie in such a long time.  Occasionally, we do let the kids watch television and I have found the children’s television show “Toot & Puddle” to be a great show for my kids.  If I was posting to Twitter about Toot & Puddle it would go something like this “A kids TV show w/ 2 pigs who travel the globe where they learn about different ways of life and points of view”.

Do you have a book you could recommend to help others improve their cultural insights?

David Comp: Oh, there are too many out there to pick one to recommend and most of my current reading is in academic journals.  I must say I find my spending much time at the Intercultural Press booth at every NAFSA conference!

And finally…

Is there anything else you would like to share?

David Comp: The year 2010 marks the 40th birthday for my wife and me as well as our 15th wedding anniversary so we are trying to plan a major family vacation to an international destination. Any recommendations? The destination has to be little kid friendly!

I’m looking forward to retirement with the goal of living for an extended period of time outside of the United States…

David, thank you for sharing so much with us in this portion of the interview already. I’m looking forward to hearing your answers to the 10 Cross-Cultural Questions on Twitter with you later today.

David Comp – Part 2 – The Twitter Interview

This is an interview series of the people I recommend you follow on Twitter for the cross-cultural and international business insights in their tweets.

More Twitter Interviews

• Martin Lindeskog – @lyceum
• Rajeev Edmonds – @mintblogger
• Rossitza Ohridska-Olson – @culturalrealms
• Charmayne Paul – @psitutor
• Lucy Chatburn – @pocketcultures
• Doreen Iannuzzi – @DoreenatDMS
• Donna Jackson – @wisequeen
• Chris Cotter – @CotterHUE
• Jack Yan – @jackyan
• Silvia Cambié – @XCulture
• Bill Ward – @DR4WARD
• Thierry De Baillon – @t_de_baillon
• Seshu – @PicSeshu
• Neil Urquhart – @culturematters
• Klaus & Flavia Westerwelle – @transdomo
• Donagh Kiernan – @dkiernan
• Christian Hoeferle – @hoeferleconsult
• Caroline – @ohh_la_la
• Deborah Swallow – @DeborahSwallow
• Steve Roesler – @steveroesler
• Matthew Bennett – @matthewbennett

Tagged as: blog, cindy king, cindyking, cross-cultural, cross-cultural interview, cultural, culture skills, culture tips, david comp, davidcomp, education, international, international education, international people, international skills, loyola university chicago, online social networking, real-time web, social media, the university of chicago, twitter, twitter interview, web 2.0, world wide web