BOONE, N.C. — Two Appalachian State University faculty members have been awarded the Baden-Württemberg–North Carolina Faculty Mobility Grant, marking the first time Appalachian faculty have been selected to travel to Germany through the program.
The recipients are Dr. Sabina Pandey, an assistant professor in Appalachian State University’s Department of Finance, Banking and Insurance, and Dr. Clarice Moran, an associate professor in the Department of English. The award supports short-term international faculty collaboration and research with partner institutions in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.
The Baden-Württemberg–North Carolina exchange is part of a longstanding University of North Carolina System partnership with universities in Baden-Württemberg. Established in 1996, the program supports student and researcher exchange between North Carolina’s public universities and nine universities in southwest Germany. On the North Carolina side, the exchange is coordinated through UNC Greensboro.
Pandey will collaborate with colleagues in Heidelberg on research related to household financial decision-making, with a focus on how factors such as occupation and financial knowledge shape investment choices and financial well-being. The experience will allow her to connect her survey-based household finance research with experimental economics approaches and bring new methods and perspectives back to Appalachian’s teaching and research environment. She also hopes the collaboration will strengthen interdisciplinary work across campus and help create future opportunities for faculty and students.
Moran will work with colleagues at the University of Konstanz on a project examining artificial intelligence in education, particularly how pre-service teachers in Germany think about AI in the classroom compared with future teachers in the United States. Her work will explore differences in educational approaches, evaluation methods and technology integration, with the goal of bringing new tools, perspectives and methodologies back to Appalachian students preparing to become teachers. She also hopes the visit will help build a longer-term connection between Appalachian and the University of Konstanz.
Dr. Jeff Cohen, Senior International Officer and assistant vice provost at Appalachian State University, said, “Through the Baden-Württemberg–North Carolina Faculty Mobility Grant, Drs. Pandey and Moran are exemplifying the deep impact that Appalachian State University faculty have not only in our own communities, but around the world. The collaborations they build through this long-standing statewide partnership will no doubt expand their own research and lay the groundwork for new and innovative global learning opportunities for colleagues and students.”
For both faculty members, the grant represents more than a short-term research visit. Their projects reflect Appalachian’s growing commitment to international engagement, faculty scholarship and global collaboration while opening the door to future partnerships in Germany.
Faculty interested in learning more about the Baden-Württemberg–North Carolina Faculty Mobility Grant or future application opportunities are encouraged to contact Appalachian State’s Office of International Programs.