Aligning with the campus goal and Provost’s Priority of Global Education for All UC Davis students, Global Affairs has launched two new courses starting this June through Undergraduate Education’s Summer Sessions and is starting the launch of a revamped Global Studies minor in fall 2021.
Tiven Buggy, a 2020 graduate of the UC Davis College of Engineering's civil and environmental engineering master’s program, now serves as director of water and sanitation for the nonprofit Puente, based in Constanza, La Vega, Dominican Republic. In this role, Buggy relies on data collection and analysis technology to help solve water crises in remote parts of the region. His passion for improving access to clean water ignited during his time in the Peace Corps and continued to be fueled by his global experiences while at UC Davis.
The Peru Project is an ongoing endeavor of UC Davis’ Engineers Without Borders chapter, a student-run, non-profit organization focused on providing engineering expertise and help to developing areas in need. The project, which began in 2016, seeks to provide a reliable source of potable water to a community in La Huaylla, Cajamarca, Peru.
Alumni engagement is one of the most powerful tools the field of international education has, but it is an often-overlooked piece of the education abroad experience. University of California-Davis (UC Davis) recently expanded the traditional returnee conference model and created the Global Learning Conference, which was open to all students interested in solving global issues—whether they had done a formal study abroad program or not. By actively bringing together study abroad participants, international students, first-generation college students, and students who have navigated intercultural spaces, the conference expanded each attendees’ network and knowledge in myriad ways. The conference launched in 2020 with more than 150 attendees, and participation is expected to double this year.
The UC Davis College of Letters and Science, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and the Global Learning Hub within Global Affairs, have over $40,000 in funding for students to cover partial-to-full cost of participation on virtual global learning projects this summer.
By virtually attending the 2021 Global Learning Conference: Preparing for Your Global Future in an Evolving World, participants will further advance their global perspectives in today’s interconnected world. Now open to all students and alumni, the conference aims to help them learn to articulate and market global leadership skills, further their personal and professional goals, and interact with global leaders in their fields of interest.
Among the many experiences lost as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has been studying abroad. Given the stay-at-home orders and health directives, the prospect of students traveling overseas became dangerous and study abroad programs have been canceled or moved online since March 2020. However, as vaccines begin to be distributed, hope for a travel-filled future lingers in the air and provides possibilities for students dreaming of a study abroad experience.
Global Affairs has launched a new fund, the Global Aggie Award for LGBTQIA+ Rights, thanks to the generosity of former UC Davis Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor and former Interim Chancellor Ralph Hexter and his husband Manfred Kollmeier.
Another shift in momentum could be toward giving students global experiences closer to home. For some students, that could mean “studying away” rather than studying abroad, getting a cross-cultural educational experience within the United States by spending time in diaspora or refugee community, often close to campus. The University of California at Davis, for example, offers global learning programs with Spanish-speaking migrant workers and Nepalese immigrants.
