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NC State Global Launches 2021-22 Global Engagement Institute

January 10, 2022

The Global Engagement Institute (GEI) is an annual program offered by the Office of Global Engagement (NC State Global) to provide professional development for faculty interested in developing international collaborations. This year’s GEI cohort is coordinated by NC State Global staff, David Dixon, Director of Global Partnerships and Dr. Heidi Hobbs, Director of Faculty Engagement.

About the GEI

The objective of the GEI is to expand faculty/staff global engagement to strengthen and enhance NC State’s collaboration with its global partners. Institute activities include both in-person and virtual workshops, seminars, and expert consultation with local and global partners. “We see the Global Engagement Institute as a sustainable endeavor that enables participants to build active collaborations and develop leadership that supports global engagement at NC State,” David Dixon explains.

For the 2021-2022 academic year, the current GEI cohort focuses on developing academic collaboration through NC State Global’s Global Learning for All initiative. Specifically, this includes learning about Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) that leads to the creation of virtual and/or interactive educational opportunities for students through shared classroom experiences across the world. Moreover, the 17  Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) serve as an important framework for GEI activities and support NC State’s  UN Sustainable Development Goals campus programming initiative.

“We are excited that this year’s GEI will utilize our membership in the SUNY COIL global network to expand our collaborative online international learning footprint. This is our first year of membership in this organization and we are looking forward to learning from their long-term experience in this area,” notes Dr. Heidi Hobbs.

GEI Participants

For 2021-2022, the GEI cohort consists of nine faculty members, representing six colleges. Each participant was competitively chosen by their respective colleges for participation, subject to final selection by a review committee in the Office of Global Engagement.

  • “I chose to participate in the GEI because I am committed to affording students in the Youth, Family, and Community Sciences (YFCS) program the opportunity to develop a more global understanding of family science and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Establishing a meaningful connection with a program at a partnering international university will nurture global learning and strengthen students’ intercultural competence,” – Dr. Maru Gonzalez, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences. 
  • “The GEI gives me an international platform to engage in meaningful and impactful partnerships with countries in the global south that face disproportionate challenges in achieving the SDGs. I aspire to apply equity-driven approaches to ensure that all students have inclusive access to global learning opportunities, whether they can travel or not,” – Dr. Deepti Adlakha, Associate Professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning and Director of the Natural Learning Initiative. 
  • “I wanted to be part of the GEI to develop expertise in international learning and internationalize the graduate and undergraduate courses I teach in extension education. I intend to provide a virtual study abroad opportunity. NC State students will gain understanding of Bangladesh people – their lives and culture; food and agricultural systems; and higher education and extension systems. I anticipate a similar experience for Bangladeshi students in learning about North Carolina. I am excited about this work to enrich students with greater global fluency skills,” – Dr. Joseph L. Donaldson, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist and Director of Graduate Programs for Agricultural and Extension Education in the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences. 
  • “I am excited to extend my research and outreach program on a global scale and I believe the resources and networking opportunities at GEI will support this goal,” – Monique Pairis-Garcia, Associate Professor in the Department of Population Health and Pathobiology. 
  • “I have existing collaborations with the microbiology faculty at Czech University of Life Sciences (CZU) in Prague and would like to develop a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) course between CZU and NC State. Connecting these diverse student populations with their international peers will provide a high-impact global engagement experience and foster cultural exchanges. This could lead to increased interest and motivation for in-person study abroad experiences at NC State’s European Center in Prague,” – Dr. Alice M Lee, Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences.
  • “My goal is to enhance the global engagement in my research and teaching on public relations, social media, and crisis communication,” – Dr. Yang (Alice) Cheng, Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication.
  • “Over the past 9 years, I have made 23 trips to Ecuador. For at least one of my three planned trips to the Galápagos in 2022, I hope to create an easily accessible and perhaps interactive experience for students both at NC State and globally. This opportunity will be particularly interesting for veterinary students and those students interested in wildlife conservation,” – Dr. Greg Lewbart, Professor of Aquatic, Wildlife, and Zoological Medicine in the College of Veterinary Medicine. 
  • “I wanted to be part of the Global Engagement Institute to develop expertise in international learning and internationalize the graduate and undergraduate courses I teach in Extension education. I intend to provide a virtual study abroad opportunity. NC State students will gain understanding of Bangladesh people – their lives and culture; food and agricultural systems; and higher education and Extension systems. I anticipate a similar experience for Bangladeshi students in learning about North Carolina. I am excited about this work to enrich students with greater global fluency skills,” – Dr. Joseph L. Donaldson, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist and Director of Graduate Programs for Agricultural and Extension Education in the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences. 
  • “My primary goal is develop a stronger global network and find opportunities to develop relationships with individuals working both in and outside of NC State with a passion in global health,” – Monique Pairis-Garcia, Associate Professor in the Department of Population Health and Pathobiology. 
  • “Encouraging people to interact with people from other nations is central to what we in International Studies do. I applied for the GEI to help make global interactions an everyday part of life for students in my IS 200: Introduction to International Studies class.  My students will work with students at Japan’s Kansai University on group projects – so, they will simultaneously study international topics and develop globally sophisticated working methods. GEI’s advice and training opportunities are helping me develop this project in an academically rigorous way,” – Dr. Amanda Kennell, Assistant Teaching Professor in International Studies. 

This post was originally published in Office of Global Engagement.