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Professor Montesino Conducts Summer Research in Malaysia and Singapore.

During the summer of 2005, Dr. Max U. Montesino, Associate Professor of OLS conducted research on multiculturalism at work in Malaysia and Singapore, as part of the Fulbright-Hays Summer Abroad grant sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and the State Department. Max traveled to Malaysia and Singapore with other educators from the U.S. The program was coordinated in-country by the Malaysian American Commission on Educational Exchange (MACEE). Before departing, the group participated in an orientation at the Southeast Asia Center, University of Washington, in Seattle.

During his tour of Malaysia and Singapore, Max visited the Malay Peninsula, the island of Penang, the states of Sarawak and Sabah on the island of Borneo, and the island-nation of Singapore. Dr. Montesino participated in lectures, interviewed people, observed work environments, and was exposed to archival documentation about inter-ethnic relations at work in Malaysia and Singapore. As part of his research, he entered in contact with several ethnic groups that make up these countries: Malays, Chinese, Indians, Indigenous groups (Ibans, Orang Ulus, Kadazandusuns, Murots, Orang Asli, etc.); as well as mixed ethnic groups such as the Portuguese Eurasians, Baba/Nyonya or Peranakans, and Chittys.

As a commitment to follow-up his research, Dr. Montesino is engaged in writing about his experience and speaking about it to the campus community. Some of the activities planned by Max are:

  • Submission of a paper to the Fourth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities, University of Carthage, Tunisia, July 3-6, 2006. The working title of the paper is “Multi-ethnicity in the Malaysian Workplace: Scratching the Surface.” If accepted, this paper will be published in the International Journal of the Humanities as well as the conference proceedings.
  • Lecture to the campus community, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), December 5, 2005, 2 p.m. The title of this presentation is: “Multiculturalism at Work: Understanding Diversity in the Malaysian Context.” This presentation is coordinated by two student organizations at IPFW: DiversEquality, and Hispanos Unidos.
  • Submission of a proposal for “IPFW Diversity Showcase,” March 23, 2006.
  • Malaysia and Singapore will be the focused countries for his class “OLS 570-Leadership Across Cultural Boundaries,” to be offered during the Fall Semester (August-December) of 2006. This is a graduate class offered as part of the Master of Science in Organizational Leadership and Supervision at IPFW.