A well-traveled life can change you. Lee and Sunny Allen believe it can also change the world.\u00a0The educators who have dedicated the bulk of their academic lives and love to NC State University have created an endowment that will make it possible for students to learn about ecosystems, wildlife and forestry operations around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Allen International Travel Endowment provides support for undergraduate and\/or graduate students pursuing a degree in the College of Natural Resources\u2019 Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources who want to travel internationally \u2014\u00a0 especially those travelling overseas for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lee and Sunny met at the University of Maine while pursuing their undergraduate degrees. They came to NC State in 1978, Lee to pursue a Ph.D. and Sunny to pursue a master\u2019s degree. Lee earned his Ph.D. in 1981 and was a professor of forestry until his retirement in 2008. Sunny earned her master\u2019s in wildlife ecology and taught in the Department of Biological Sciences at NC State until 1995, when she joined the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The couple has two adult children. Their son graduated from NC State in computer engineering. Their daughter, a systems engineer, graduated from Florida Institute of Technology.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe had no idea we would end up spending the rest of our careers in Raleigh,\u201d Lee said. \u201cThe real connection to NC State for us came through our work on the faculty, with the students that we interacted with, mentored and taught.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Part of that work included frequent international travel. \u201cWe always enjoyed those experiences as ecologists. We do spend a lot of time outdoors in our travels and we have had the opportunity to see how ecosystems, plant communities, wildlife and humans interact in different locations,\u201d Lee said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t have those opportunities as undergraduates.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s more important than ever to think globally when climate change has become a matter of great debate and urgency. One person, one country working alone can\u2019t solve these challenges, Sunny said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTraveling internationally gives me a totally different perspective on the world. It\u2019s a much broader perspective. And what I see all the time is that people have so much more in common than we have differences. I think experiencing other places is important because it makes you a more open-minded person.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lee and Sunny hope students who travel to see how other countries care for their forests, rivers and oceans, and inhabitants \u2014\u00a0human and animal \u2014\u00a0broadens horizons and spreads knowledge that could make the world a better place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe come to these issues, very similar issues \u2014 land use practices, habitat loss, climate change \u2014 from different cultures using different languages,\u201d Sunny said.\u00a0\u201cBut we’re all in this together. And that\u2019s how sustainability is going to be solved.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This story was written by Beth Grace for the NC State College of Natural Resources.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\n\n\n\n\n A well-traveled life can change you. Lee and Sunny Allen believe it can also change the world.\u00a0The educators who have dedicated the bulk of their academic lives and love to NC State University have created an endowment that will make it possible for students to learn about ecosystems, wildlife and forestry operations around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Allen International Travel Endowment provides support for undergraduate and\/or graduate students pursuing a degree in the College of Natural Resources\u2019 Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources who want to travel internationally \u2014\u00a0 especially those travelling overseas for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lee and Sunny met at the University of Maine while pursuing their undergraduate degrees. They came to NC State in 1978, Lee to pursue a Ph.D. and Sunny to pursue a master\u2019s degree. Lee earned his Ph.D. in 1981 and was a professor of forestry until his retirement in 2008. Sunny earned her master\u2019s in wildlife ecology and taught in the Department of Biological Sciences at NC State until 1995, when she joined the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The couple has two adult children. Their son graduated from NC State in computer engineering. Their daughter, a systems engineer, graduated from Florida Institute of Technology.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe had no idea we would end up spending the rest of our careers in Raleigh,\u201d Lee said. \u201cThe real connection to NC State for us came through our work on the faculty, with the students that we interacted with, mentored and taught.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Part of that work included frequent international travel. \u201cWe always enjoyed those experiences as ecologists. We do spend a lot of time outdoors in our travels and we have had the opportunity to see how ecosystems, plant communities, wildlife and humans interact in different locations,\u201d Lee said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t have those opportunities as undergraduates.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It's more important than ever to think globally when climate change has become a matter of great debate and urgency. One person, one country working alone can\u2019t solve these challenges, Sunny said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTraveling internationally gives me a totally different perspective on the world. It\u2019s a much broader perspective. And what I see all the time is that people have so much more in common than we have differences. I think experiencing other places is important because it makes you a more open-minded person.\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n Lee and Sunny hope students who travel to see how other countries care for their forests, rivers and oceans, and inhabitants \u2014\u00a0human and animal \u2014\u00a0broadens horizons and spreads knowledge that could make the world a better place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe come to these issues, very similar issues \u2014 land use practices, habitat loss, climate change \u2014 from different cultures using different languages,\u201d Sunny said.\u00a0\u201cBut we're all in this together. And that\u2019s how sustainability is going to be solved.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This story was written by Beth Grace for the NC State College of Natural Resources.<\/em><\/p>\n"},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A well-traveled life can change you. Lee and Sunny Allen believe it can also change the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":24662,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-post-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"showAuthor\":true,\"showDate\":true,\"showFeaturedVideo\":false,\"displayCategoryID\":173,\"caption\":\"Lee and Sunny Allen have established the Allen International Travel Endowment to provide study abroad opportunities for forestry students at NC State's College of Natural Resources. 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