The Dr. Kathleen Sunshine Endowed Fund for Global Education
Kathleen Sunshine, PhD, is a distinguished Professor Emerita of Communications and former Dean of Contemporary Arts at Ramapo College of New Jersey where she also served as Director of the College’s International Telecommunications Center Across her career, Dr. Sunshine demonstrated a commitment to intercultural understanding and global engagement as cornerstones of higher education. She not only pursued academic partnerships around the globe, she created opportunities for students to gain international experiences, often the first of their lives.
Sunshine produced two television series with university students—Intercultural Perspectives and International Perspectives—which aired on New Jersey Public Television. She secured a multi-million dollar grant to bring satellite access to Ramapo that facilitated, among other innovative programs, joint classes between Ramapo and Russian students. She created a unique study abroad opportunity in Venice that ran for many years even following her retirement in 2007.
A recipient of two Fulbright Senior Specialist Grants in Thailand and Ukraine, Dr. Sunshine worked as a journalist in India and served as a consultant in the United Kingdom, Russia, Mexico, China, Azerbaijan, and across West Africa. She earned her BA from Queens College, CUNY, and both her MA and PhD from Harvard University.
In recognition of Dr. Sunshine’s distinguished career and in honor of her commitment to integrating international engagement into all aspects of university life, Montclair State University is proud to establish the Dr. Kathleen Sunshine Endowed Fund for Global Education with a foundational gift of $50,000 from Dr. Jonathan GS Koppell and Dr. Jennifer A. Steen. The fund will be used to expand opportunities for Montclair students who otherwise wouldn’t have access to the transformative experiences that international exchange create.
