GEO Newsletter - Fall 2024
GEO at a Glance
Contact Us
Have questions or want to get involved in GEO's work? Email us at geo@wwu.edu or stop by our office in Miller Hall on the 2nd floor.
Update from the Executive Director
Fall Quarter 2024 is well underway. Our new international students are settled into their university residences, adjusting to their classes, and exploring our community. Below you’ll read about our efforts to promote international student success through our new International Student Leadership Program. Likewise, our study abroad students have arrived at their host universities and program sites around the world for what is sure to be a transformative academic experience.
We’re excited to announce that the Institute for Global Engagement is becoming the Office of Global Engagement and will be more colloquially referred to as the Global Engagement Office, or GEO. Historically, Global Engagement was structured under the university’s collection of academic institutes, programs, and centers. GEO will move out of that structure and will report directly to the Provost. This restructuring positions GEO to grow over time into supporting the university community’s global learning, teaching, research, and operational goals in broader ways.
Finally, keep an eye out for our plans for the State Department’s International Education Week, which amplifies the importance of study abroad, international students, and global learning, teaching, and research for one week each November.
-Ryan Larsen, Ph.D.
GEO in Action
EdAbroad Featured in International Educator
What is important to Gen Z when they think about studying abroad? WWU’s own Hannah Nevitt was featured in NAFSA’s International Educator September Edition on the Enrollment Shift. The article highlights strategies we use to engage students and encourage them to study abroad.
University of Liverpool - New Exchange Partner
WWU and the University of Liverpool signed a bilateral exchange agreement. Next fall we will welcome two students from UL at WWU. Western students can study abroad on exchange for the cost of in-state tuition, even if they are an out-of-state or international student.
NAFSA Biregional Conference
Hannah Nevitt and Karissa Ringel represented WWU at the NAFSA Biregional Conference in Vancouver, BC. Ringel chaired a panel discussion on building a sense of belonging for international students on campus, while Nevitt partnered with the US State Department's Gilman scholarship on strategies to expand access and promote study abroad to underrepresented populations.
Sondra Cuban Elected to ACMS Board of Directors
Sondra Cuban was elected to the American Center for Mongolian Studies Board of Directors. ACMS is a non-profit educational organization and member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. It has worked with WWU on a variety of initiatives to advance Mongolian Studies, and faculty have benefited from ACMS's support.
International Education Week
Each November, universities across the United States participate in the State Department’s International Education Week. This year’s dates are Monday, November 18 - Friday, November 22. The week is meant to amplify the importance of US students studying abroad, international students studying in the USA, and faculty incorporating global learning into their curricula as well as teaching and researching abroad. Check out our IEW 2024 website for the several events and programs we have planned, including the few examples below.
Passport Fair
The first step to being a world traveler is to have your own passport, and you can apply for one right on campus! Come to the Viking Union from 2:00 - 5:00 pm on Thursday, November 21st. Be prepared to bring everything on this checklist to submit your passport application. Open to students, faculty, and staff, this event will also pay for the $35 processing fee (not the passport fee) for all students!
If you're not ready to apply for your passport, that's okay too. Join us to learn about study abroad opportunities, scholarships, and how to fill out your passport application. Free pizza and refreshments for all attendees.
This event is sponsored by the Office of Global Engagement, OCE Testing Center, USAC, and CEA-CAPA.
WWU Around the World
Thinking about studying abroad? Want to make friends from different places all over the world? Come meet students studying abroad at WWU on exchange, learn about their home universities and cultures, and get inspired to go abroad yourself!! Pizza and drinks provided.
Exchange is one of the most affordable, immersive pathways to study abroad. You pay in-state tuition, even if you are an out-of-state or international student!! Come learn about different opportunities and see if you can picture yourself on a different campus next year!
This event is co-sponsored by the Office of Global Engagement and ISEP Study Abroad.
COIL Information Session
On Thursday, November 21 at 4:00 PM, the Office for Global Engagement in partnership with the Center for Instructional Innovation and Assessment will hold its annual information session on COIL@Western and the COIL Faculty Fellows program. Please join us and members of last year’s Fellows cohort to learn more about this innovative way to incorporate global learning into your syllabus.
COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) is a form of online virtual exchange embedded for several weeks into an existing face-to-face, online, or hybrid course. COIL enables a Western professor and their students to collaborate with an instructor and students in another country on a shared assignment or project. Courses that contain a COIL component include a faculty partnership to create the joint curriculum, highly interactive student-centered learning in an intercultural environment, and a variety of choices regarding the use of synchronous and/or asynchronous online technology.
The information session will be held in Miller Hall 223C, with an option to attend via Zoom. If you would like to participate remotely, please RSVP by November 18.
If you are unable to attend the November 21 information session but would like to learn more about COIL@Western, please contact GEO’s Director of Faculty Global Engagement Mark Greenberg.
International Student Leadership Program
International Student Leadership Program
GEO’s International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) is excited to announce the launch of the International Student Leadership Program. The program matches current students who have been chosen to be International Student Leaders (ISLs) with small groups of incoming international students for their first academic year at Western. ISLs provide guidance and support, while encouraging new students to connect widely with the campus and community. Leaders develop valuable mentorship skills and gain experience working in a cross-cultural environment, along with receiving an ISSS scholarship.
Welcome to our 2024-2025 cohort of ISLs:
- Lesivya Mohamed Elsayed (Egypt)
- Sebastiano Silvetti (Italy)
- Kei Inamura (Japan/Malaysia)
- Arun Shrestha (Nepal)
- Dani Bailey (New Zealand)
- Aashir Ahmed (Pakistan)
Resources for your Students to Study Abroad
Study Abroad is for Everyone!
Our goal is to guide students through the process of determining what is the best, most affordable pathway for them to study abroad. Over the summer, the EdAbroad team worked together to continue to refine systems to best serve students at WWU. As students research programs and prepare for departure, they will begin to develop intercultural competencies and skills important to their study abroad experience and valuable for their future careers. We want to challenge students to think beyond what they have seen on social media and consider places where they will have the most immersive and affordable experiences. Maybe that means studying abroad in Sweden with a university leading the way in green energy, or considering a program in Latin America to become proficient in the second most spoken language in the United States. There are opportunities all over the world that make study abroad possible for all WWU students.
If your students are interested in studying abroad, they can start their journey here. In addition to our newly developed Canvas course, we also offer Western Abroad 101 and 201 sessions multiple times every week, so they can get advice from our team of advisors.
We look forward to helping your students find AFFORDABLE pathways to study abroad that move them toward degree completion!
