Muñoz named director of International and Exchange Programs for Liberal Arts

Associate Professor of Spanish Jorge Muñoz has been named the inaugural director of International and Exchange Programs for the College of Liberal Arts, or CLA, at Auburn University.

Muñoz is an associate professor of Spanish in the Department of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures. His research interests include contemporary Spanish literature and film, postmodernism and the cyberpunk approach in Spanish novels and films.

As director of international and exchange programs, Muñoz oversees the International Studies Major, the CLA International Exchange program and study abroad programs within the college.

“The International Studies major, currently in the process of being updated and vastly improved, is, without a doubt, one of the best tools we have campus wide to raise cultural literacy among students,” Muñoz said. “This major is directed toward students interested in the broad study of social, political, cultural and economic global issues, and who want to develop language skills, expertise in a regional area and personal experience in other cultures.”

Muñoz’s priorities for the upcoming year align with the College of Liberal Arts’ strategic plan. They include strengthening and growing current exchange programs, establish new exchange programs, sending more Auburn students abroad, unifying criteria among the different CLA abroad programs and being proactive about any new challenges that may come their way.

Following a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the College of Liberal Arts will send a total of 157 students abroad this summer. Study abroad destinations for summer 2022 include South Africa, Guatemala, Rome, London, Austria, Peru, Spain, Italy and France.

Moving forward, Muñoz said he hopes to unify CLA’s various study abroad programs and promote exchange programs for graduate students and faculty.

“One of my main priorities for the next year is to unify criteria among the different CLA abroad programs. Everything is much easier if we are all on the same page,” Muñoz said. “The new exchange agreements on which we are working do not limit the experience to just undergraduate students, but they are also meant to facilitate the international transit of graduate students and faculty as well.”

For more information about CLA international and exchange programs, contact Muñoz at jorge@auburn.edu.