Meet Dr. Udo Fluck
Dr. Udo Fluck is a leader in cultural and global competence skill development and cross-cultural and international education. He is a German-born intercultural researcher and curriculum developer with over 20 years of teaching experience at the University of Montana, in elementary, middle, and high schools in Montana, and as a professional trainer and consultant.
He is also an Author, Consultant, Conference Speaker, and Podcaster.
Background
Dr. Udo Fluck has a successful track-record of developing and directing academic programs and serving in numerous leadership positions in academia. His instructional approach has received numerous awards, one of which a national research award. Fluck maintains an active, internationally recognized research portfolio, focusing on developing pedagogical approaches and instructional content that can increase cultural understanding in participants. As a published lead-author, his research results in pedagogy, instructional design and course content development have been published in established peer–reviewed academic journals during the past two decades. In addition, he has been the invited first author for a chapter in nationwide publication titled: International Students Strengthening a Critical Resource, endorsed by the American Council on Education. Moreover, Fluck has been an invited and plenary speaker at over 35 national and international conferences, sharing his research results and pedagogical approaches, during the past two decades. He has offered over 1,800 documented seminars to date.
Between 2004 and 2016, while at the University of Montana, Fluck founded, developed, and oversaw the largest multicultural and global training office, providing courses and seminars for students, faculty, and staff across UM’s campus. This includes a range of courses, from 100-level undergraduate to 600-level graduate-level seminars, on topics related to intercultural and international education and educational leadership. In 2022, Fluck was granted the title of Clinical Professor of Management in the University of Montana, where he continues to teach advanced evening courses and weekend graduate seminars in cross-cultural management.
In 2014, Fluck developed an educational outreach program for K-12, offering intercultural and global-competence building seminars in elementary, middle, and high schools in the Missoula School District. The outreach program expanded significantly in 2018 and in the 2022/2023 academic year, Fluck taught over 300 seminars across 4 school districts.
In 2016, he founded Intercultural and Global Competence Training and Consulting (IGCTC), a LLC consulting company, based in Missoula, developing and providing seminars for business professionals, companies and non-profit organizations in Missoula and across the State of Montana.
From 2018 to 2023, Fluck served also as the curriculum designer and instructor for the National Science Foundation’s Resilience through Intercultural Skill Enhancement (RISE), housed at the Salish Kootenai College campus on the Flathead Reservation, in Montana, USA. RISE is an intercultural educational series developed for Native American students.
In 2018, he inaugurated Global and Cultural Affairs for Missoula’s designated arts and culture agency. In spring of 2022, Global and Cultural Affairs was rebranded to Arts Missoula GLOBAL. For five years, until 2023, Fluck oversaw the four branches of the program. Global and cultural competence seminars for Students and Teachers in K-12, management of Sister City Partnerships, cultural programming for the Missoula Community, including the monthly International Voices Podcasts and the World View Film Series, and global and cultural awareness trainings for City and County Employees.
Education
2003
Ph.D.
University of Montana, Missoula, MT
1999
M.Ed.
University of Montana, Missoula, MT
Doctorate of Philosophy
Multicultural Education and Online Technology
Dissertation: Development of an Online Supplement to Reduce Ethnocentrism
Master of Education – Instructional Media Technology
1995
M.I.S.
University of Montana, Missoula, MT
Master of Interdisciplinary Studies - International Media Management
Thesis: The Changing Broadcast Media Market in Germany
1993
B.A.
University of Montana, Missoula, MT
Bachelor of Arts – Broadcast Journalism
Minors: Theater and Advertising
1989
Abitur
Martin Niemöller High School
Wiesbaden, Germany
Senior High School Diploma
Leistungskurse (advanced courses in specialist subjects): English and Biology
Speaking Engagements
Dr. Fluck maintains a vibrant and active, nationally recognized research portfolio and cultural competency-building program. He has authored and co-authored peer reviewed manuscripts in discipline related journals and has been an invited speaker at over 35 national and international conferences, symposia, and colloquia, sharing his research results and pedagogical approaches of the past two decades.
In fall 2019, he provided the keynote presentation titled: Collaboration Through Intercultural Communication, at the New Zealand Sister Cities Conference in Palmerston North, New Zealand, as well as a presentation titled: Citizen Diplomacy and Sister Cities, at the 2019 AFS Global Conference in Montreal, Canada.
2022 Montana Education Association (MEA) and the Montana Federation of Teachers (MFT) Annual Conference, Presentation provided by Udo Fluck, titled: The Post COVID Classroom - Teaching, Learning and Supporting, Helena, Montana, October 2022.
2022 Montana Education Association (MEA) and the Montana Federation of Teachers (MFT) Annual Conference, Presentation provided by Udo Fluck and Rae Baerlocher, 7th grade teacher, Meadow Hill Middle School, Missoula, Montana, titled: From Ancient Histories to Global Communities -Bridging the Gap, Helena, Montana, October 2022.
2022 Montana Education Association (MEA) and the Montana Federation of Teachers (MFT) Annual Conference, Presentation provided by Udo Fluck, titled: Cultural Competence Through Language Instruction, Helena, Montana, October 2022.
2022 Montana International Educators Annual Conference. Conversation between Udo Fluck and Daniel Bognar, Undersecretary of Education in the State of Hesse, Germany, titled: Cultural Integration for Academic & Personal Success, recorded in Wiesbaden, Germany, June 2022.
2021 Montana Education Association (MEA) and the Montana Federation of Teachers (MFT) Annual Conference, Presentation provided by Udo Fluck, titled: What We Can Learn From Culturally Diverse Students, Great Falls, Montana, October 2021.
2021 Montana Education Association (MEA) and the Montana Federation of Teachers (MFT) Annual Conference, Presentation provided by Udo Fluck, titled: The Intersection of Social Emotional Learning and Cultural Competence, Great Falls, Montana, October 2021.
2021 Montana International Educators Annual Conference. Presentation provided by Udo Fluck, titled: We did it, should we continue? Streamed Learning in Post-Pandemic Learning Environments, Missoula, Montana, June 2021.
2021 Montana International Educators Annual Conference. Presentation provided by Udo Fluck, titled: From Isolation to Collegiate Comradery – The Importance of In-Person Interaction in Learning and Teaching, Missoula, Montana, June 2021.
2020 Virtual Montana International Educators Conference (MIEC). Human Connections, Digital Realities, Emergent Threats: Coming Together in a Time of Crisis. Presentation provided by Udo Fluck, titled: Building Intercultural and Global Competence in K-12, June 2020.
2019 AFS Global Conference. Joint presentation provided by Udo Fluck and Toni Grace, International Relations Manager, Missoula’s sister city Palmerston North, New Zealand. Montreal, presentation titled: Citizen Diplomacy and Sister Cities. Montreal, Canada. October 2019.
2019, 19th International Language Week Conference: Global Migration & Mobility. Presentation provided by Udo Fluck, titled: Teaching Intercultural Competence – Introducing the 100% Success Guarantee Model, Montana State University, Billings, Montana. October 2019.
2019 Montana Education Association (MEA) and the Montana Federation of Teachers (MFT) Conference. Presentation provided by Udo Fluck, titled: Resilience Through Intercultural Skill Enhancement, Belgrade, Montana. October 2019.
2019 Montana Education Association (MEA) and the Montana Federation of Teachers (MFT) Conference. Joint presentation provided by Udo Fluck and Sienna Solberg, Director SPARK! Arts, titled: Teaching Cultural Competence Through Arts Integration – An Interdisciplinary Approach. Belgrade, Montana. October 2019.
2019 Cultural Mosaic: Embracing Cultures through Art. Joint keynote address provided by : Udo Fluck and Amy Ward. University of Montana, Missoula, Montana. September 2019.
2019 Montana International Educators Conference (MIEC) – Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship. Presentation by Udo Fluck, titled: Best Practices in Cultural Adaptation Training for Incoming International Students. Campus of Flathead Valley Community College (FVCC) in Kalispell, Montana. June 2019.
2019 Montana International Educators Conference (MIEC) – Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship. Presentation by Udo Fluck, titled: Infusing Existing Curricula With Cultural and Global Perspectives. Campus of Flathead Valley Community College (FVCC) in Kalispell, Montana. June 2019.
2019 Montana Campus Compact AmeriCorps Program. Presentation provided by Udo Fluck, titled: Relating to Members of Culturally Diverse Communities – Cultural Sensitivity in Communication and Collaboration, at Seeley Lake, Montana. May 2019.
2019 Sister Cities New Zealand Conference – Connecting People Globally for Peace and Prosperity. Keynote presentation provided by Udo Fluck, titled: Collaboration Through Intercultural Communication. Palmerston North Conference & Function Center, Palmerston North, New Zealand. March 2019.
2018 Embracing Differences to Make a Difference. Joint Keynote Address provided by Udo Fluck and Sienna Solberg, Director SPARK! Arts. University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, October 2018.
2018 Montana Education Association (MEA) and the Montana Federation of Teachers (MFT) Conference. Presentation provided by Udo Fluck, titled: Managing Cultural Similarities and Differences in K-12 Classrooms. Billings, Montana, October 2018.
2015 Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). Global Learning in College: Defining, Developing, and Assessing Institutional Roadmaps. Presentation provided by Udo Fluck, titled: Global Gateway: The Role of Strategic Partnerships and Leadership in P-20 Global Learning. Fort Lauderdale, Florida, October 2015.
2015 Montana Education Association (MEA) and the Montana Federation of Teachers (MFT) Conference. Presentation provided by Udo Fluck, titled: Global Competence Skill-Building in K-12. Billings, Montana, October 2015.
2015 Montana NACADA Conference (Advising for Student Success Montana’s Best Practices), 60-minute PowerPoint presentation titled: Advising for Students from Diverse Cultural Backgrounds. University Center, University of Montana, September 18, 2015.
2015 Global Competence Summer Academy (GCSA) Conference, facilitated by Udo Fluck at the University of Montana, titled: Cross-Cultural Skill-Building for K-12 Teachers and Administrators. Missoula, Montana. Two Full-Days, August 10 and 11, 2015.
2014 Montana Business Education Association sectional at the Montana Association of Career and Technical Education Conference, co-presented with Dr. Sandra Williams. Presentation titled: Window to the World: Infusing Global Competence into Your Curriculum. Missoula, Montana, October 2014.
2014 Global Competence Summer Academy (GCSA) Conference, facilitated by Udo Fluck at the University of Montana titled: Cross-Cultural Skill-Building for K-12 Teachers and Faculty at the University of Montana. Missoula, MT. Four Half-Days, June 16 – 19, 2014.
2014 Montana Education Association (MEA) and the Montana Federation of Teachers (MFT) Conference. Presentation provided by Udo Fluck (two seminars as a compressed version of the 16-hour Global Competence Summer Academy). Missoula, Montana, June 2014.
2012 COMPASS Kids Conference, three PowerPoint presentations provided by Udo Fluck, titled: Global Culture for Kindergarten through Grade Two. Jefferson Elementary School. Missoula, Montana, May, 2012.
2011 Global Conference on Education, invited session speaker and chair. Presentation provided by Udo Fluck, titled: Quantifying and Qualifying Cultures in Different Dimensions – Utilizing The Findings of Hofstede and Hall In Educating Cross-Culturally Competent and Globally Savvy Graduate Students. Riverside, California, November 18-19, 2011.
2009, 61st Annual Radiologic Technologists Conference. Presentation provided by Udo Fluck, titled: Effective Helping and Healing Through Cross-Cultural Awareness. Discussed importance of cross-cultural skills for employees in the medical field who communicate and interact with patients from diverse cultural backgrounds. Missoula, Montana, April 18, 2009.
2007 The Council on Governmental Affairs of The National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, presentation provided by Udo Fluck, followed by panel discussion at summer meeting in Whitefish, Montana, August 2007.
2007 Association of Marketing Theory and Practice (AMTP) Annual Conference. Presentation provided by Udo Fluck, Maureen J. Fleming, Nader H. Shooshtari and Shawn F. Clouse, titled: Enriching Business School Curricula with The Theory and Practice of the Multiple Intelligence Approach – Current Training Efforts by Multicultural Learning Solutions at The University of Montana. Panama City, Florida, March 2007.
2007 Association of Marketing Theory and Practice (AMTP) Education Panel Panelist: Pedagogical Strategies that Stimulate Interest and Enhance Learning in the Marketing Classroom. Panama City, Florida, March 2007.
2007 Association of International Educators (NAFSA) Annual Conference. Cultural Intelligence – People Skills for University Employees. Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2007.
2006 Association For Global Business (AGB) Annual Conference. Presentation provided by Udo Fluck, Maureen J. Fleming, Nader H. Shooshtari and Shawn F. Clouse titled: Enhancing Global-Mindedness in International Business Students Using an Online Multicultural Supplement. Newport Beach, California, November 2006.
2006 Citizen’s Diplomacy Community Summit – Advisory Commission on International Relationships, Keynote Speaker. Presentation titled: The Importance of Multicultural and International Awareness and Competence in Today’s Global Society and Environment, Civic Center, Great Falls, Montana, May 10, 2006.
2005 Association of Marketing Theory and Practice (AMTP) Annual Conference. Presentation provided by Udo Fluck, Maureen J. Fleming, Nader H. Shooshtari and Shawn F. Clouse, titled: The Dynamic Business School Environment – International Education at the University of Montana: Theory and Practice of Multicultural Training. Jekyll Island, Georgia, March 2005.
2004 Association of International Educators Conference (NAFSA) Region II. Presentation provided by Udo Fluck, titled: Hybrid Multicultural Learning: Enriching Existing Curricula with Multicultural Thinking and Global Awareness. Missoula, Montana, October 2004.
Awards & Recognitions
Since 2006, Dr. Fluck received over 10 distinguished recognitions:
Special Recognition Faculty Appreciation Award, 2016
Office of the Vice-President for Student Affairs, University of Montana
Montana Global Teacher Award (nominee), 2016
Montana World Affairs Council, Missoula, Montana
Outstanding Service to Students Award (nominee), 2012
Graduate School, University of Montana
Faculty Appreciation Award, 2010
Office of the Vice-President for Student Affairs, University of Montana
Community Recognition Award, 2009
Office of Foreign Student and Scholar Services / International Student Association
Faculty Appreciation Award, 2009
Office of the Vice-President for Student Affairs, University of Montana
Nancy Borgmann Diversity Award, 2008
Diversity Advisory Council, University of Montana
Special Recognition Award, 2008
Office of the Vice-President for Student Affairs, University of Montana
Faculty Appreciation Award, 2008
Office of the Vice-President for Student Affairs, University of Montana
Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award in Marketing and Management, 2007
School of Business Administration, University of Montana
Faculty Appreciation Award, 2007
Office of the Vice-President for Student Affairs, University of Montana
Faculty Appreciation Award, 2006
Office of the Vice-President for Student Affairs, University of Montana
Best Paper Award, 2006
Association for Global Business, in recognition of excellence in research.
Determined by peer evaluation. Udo Fluck, N. H. Shooshtari, and S. F. Clouse.