In today’s world, we need to build the widest range of connections to address global challenges. The Mandela Washington Fellows are determined to create a better tomorrow for all through their expertise and growing leadership in engineering, energy, sustainability and many other fields. I’m proud of UC Davis’ longstanding support of this program and the nearly 130 Mandela Washington Fellows we’ve hosted.
Mandela Fellows are “returning” to UC Davis. Thirty young African leaders from 20 countries will participate in public management training that the fellows will then put to use in their homelands. UC Davis had planned to host its fifth cohort of fellows a year ago, until the pandemic forced the program’s cancellation. This summer’s program, which started June 21, is virtual.
The UC Davis vice provost and dean of global affairs and professor of gender, sexuality, and women’s studies, Joanna Regulska, announced as one of the expert faculty members of the NAFSA Executive Internationalization Leadership e-Institute.
On March 12, the National Academy for International Education was launched. The Academy includes Joanna Regulska, the UC Davis vice provost and dean of Global Affairs. Regulska has been advocating for global learning at UC Davis since September 2013.
Joanna Regulska, the vice provost and dean of Global Affairs at UC Davis, is among 23 international educators inducted this spring into the inaugural class of the National Academy for International Education, an honorary society and think tank charged with shaping the future of international education.
An international team that includes Newcastle University's Professor John Mathers with UC Davis Professors Francene Steinberg and Mark Cooper, is celebrating their successful application to the competitive Grants for Advancing Sustainable Development Goals.
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.
UC Davis in the US has launched a fund to support students to gain global learning experiences that advance LGBTQIA+ issues and address the needs and strengths of the community.
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.
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.
