Shana Ponelis,  assistant professor in the School of Information Studies, has been awarded a fellowship through the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program to travel to South Africa to work with the University of Zululand’s Department of Information Studies.

Ponelis, whose work focuses on entrepreneurship, education and information ethics, will work on curriculum co-development, mentoring of graduate students, and inter-institutional research collaboration on information entrepreneurship and information marketing, as well as faculty training in educational technology.

The project strengthens UWM’s reputation as a globally engaged university and confirms its commitment to internationalization. Located in uMhlathuze, the project also strengthens Milwaukee’s sister-city relationship, which was initiated in 2008 and re-affirmed in 2014.

“I am grateful to the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program,” Ponelis said. “In a rapidly changing global environment, opportunities for mutually beneficial collaboration and exchange of ideas between scholars and students are more important than ever to expand our understanding of the world in which we live and conduct business to ultimately improve people’s lived experience.”