Global Education's Resilience and Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic |
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Dear Campus Partners,
We hope that you, your colleagues and loved ones continue to be safe and healthy during these difficult times. Every industry in the world has been adversely affected by the pandemic, and international education was no exception. Despite the obstacles we encountered, Global Education’s commitment to serving our students, faculty and staff remained unwavering.
Long before the pandemic, Global Education recognized that by utilizing technology we can efficiently serve our international populations regardless of their physical location. Because the pandemic catalyzed these efforts, Global Education now offers all services virtually, including advising, visa documentation processing, orientations, training, and webinars. Recognizing that the university experience is more than just coursework, Global Education also moved all programs to online platforms. Through creative virtual programming, students, faculty and scholars can connect with peers, access basic needs services, receive mental health and wellness support, learn new skills and more.
Though students were unable to participate in traditional international exchanges, Study Abroad UC San Diego saw this moment to reimagine the field of study abroad and develop new and innovative program modalities. Through opportunities such as domestic “Study Away” opportunities, virtual Global Seminars and international internships, students can have high-impact experiences without having to leave the U.S. These models are more accessible to students due to reduced cost and can engage new and under-represented student populations that are unable to participate in study abroad programs. Furthermore, through these more flexible programs, Study Abroad can engage with more faculty to incorporate international education opportunities into their curricula
In addition to adapting our business operations to accommodate our students and scholars, Global Education and campus leadership continue to advocate for our international community at the state and federal level. UC San Diego, together with other U.S. universities and higher education associations, sent a letter to Secretary Antony Blinken and Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas urging the Departments of State and Homeland Security to allow for greater flexibility so international students and scholars can arrive to the U.S. as soon as possible. UC San Diego is also actively working in tandem with other University of California campuses to engage with the Departments of State and Homeland Security to address ongoing visa and travel restriction concerns.
Though we look forward to a more normalized Fall 2021 at UC San Diego, we recognize that many of our international partners are still facing considerable hardship and uncertainty due to the pandemic. Additionally, the disparity around the world in mitigating the pandemic continues to affect students, faculty and staff who wish to travel abroad or come to UC San Diego. Global Education will continue to collaborate with our resilient populations and provide an optimal level of service until we can resume normal operations.
Sincerely,
Robert T. "Chip" Schooley, M.D.
Interim Faculty Director, Global Education
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Dulce Dorado
Director, International Students & Programs Office
Courtney Giordano
Director, Global Education
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Roark Miller
Director, International Faculty & Scholars Office
Kelly O'Sullivan Sommer
Director, Study Abroad UC San Diego
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Study Abroad UC San Diego |
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UC Education Abroad Program Awards Academic
Integration Grant to Eleanor Roosevelt College
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Eleanor Roosevelt College (ERC) has been awarded a $3,000 grant from the UC Education Abroad Program (UCEAP) aimed to promote the Academic Integration of Study Abroad. The grant was possible through the work of Professor Matthew Herbst, Professor Frank Biess, and Assistant Director of ERC's Making of the Modern World (MMW) Program Johanna Peterson. The grant will assist ERC in developing and updating study abroad information and resources, creating clear pathways for study abroad through students’ degree plans, and academically integrating UCEAP programs and coursework into the ERC academic framework.
Study Abroad UC San Diego works to ensure accessibility of programs for all UC San Diego students, and Professors Herbst and Biess’s proposal to do additional outreach and advising about study abroad to BIPOC and transfer students aligns perfectly with Study Abroad's office mission and strategic goals. ERC’s proposed creation of a database of pre-approved courses will help with recruitment and retention of students who will more likely choose to study abroad if they know that their coursework will be “guaranteed” as approved upon their return.
UCEAP has awarded several other UC San Diego departments with Academic Integration grants, including the Division of Biological Sciences, Cognitive Science, and Linguistics. Learn more about UCEAP Academic Integration grants and how to apply here.
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Spotlight: Study Abroad Faculty Directors |
Study Abroad UC San Diego's mission to make programs more accessible to an increasingly diverse student population can only be accomplished with strong support from academic faculty. UC San Diego's Faculty teach Global Seminars courses, direct UCEAP Study Centers abroad, establish exchange partnerships with leading universities abroad and assist students in the successful integration of courses abroad back into UC San Diego. Faculty are important advocates for Study Abroad, and they are key to helping students both realize and fulfill their study abroad goals.
UC San Diego Global Education partners with Faculty Directors to engage and serve as study abroad advocates and faculty intermediaries within the UC San Diego academic community. Current Faculty Co-Directors include Linguistics Professor Ivano Caponigro, Eleanor Roosevelt College Professor Matthew Herbst and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor Jan Kleissl. These faculty members regularly engage in special projects and advocacy work, such as recruiting faculty to teach Global Seminars, assisting faculty in helping individual departments establish bilateral student exchange programs, and coordinating with faculty to establish a Global Concentrations designation to enhance departments' global credentials and allow students to showcase global competency within the major.
Faculty Directors support Study Abroad staff on a wide range of administrative and academic matters, and their work is highly valued within Global Education. If you are a faculty member who is interested in becoming more involved with study abroad or has questions, contact Kelly O'Sullivan Sommer, Director, Study Abroad UC San Diego.
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International Students & Programs Office (ISPO) |
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ISPO Launches UC San Diego's First
International Graduate Recognition Website
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ISPO is celebrating the extraordinary achievements of our International Tritons Class of 2021 through the iGraduates Virtual Recognition Website. The challenges that international students have faced in navigating in-person and online university courses through this last year have been particularly difficult. Due to the ever-changing circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, international graduates may not be able to attend the in-person UC San Diego commencement.
Therefore, ISPO is honoring and celebrating the achievements of all international graduating students through their own biography pages on the website, with the option of self-translating the biographies into their native languages. The individual biographies also have a chance of being featured on ISPO Instagram stories.
ISPO has also created two Instagram filters for international graduates, along with their friends and family, to share and celebrate graduation virtually. The Cap & Gown filter features a Class of 2021 gown, with two different options - Congratulations! and I did it! written on the cap.
As UC San Diego expects a fresh new class of international graduates, ISPO has also created an alumni Instagram filter, with a feature that allows for UC San Diego alumni to fill in the year of their graduation. The filters are a fun and creative way of celebrating graduation and being a proud International Triton from anywhere in the world.
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International Faculty & Scholars Office (IFSO) |
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Streamlining Visa Processes Through the Pandemic |
IFSO staff have been working hard to make International Scholar Dossier (ISD) a more effective and easier tool to use. ISD is a web-based application deployed by IFSO in spring of 2020 to manage the invitation process for J-1 Exchange Visitors and H-1B/TN/E-3 employees at UC San Diego.
IFSO continues to expand the system’s capabilities and streamlining processes. Significant changes recently implemented include the following:
- Converting ISD Guidebooks for Departments and Scholars from pdf to web-based format for greater accessibility and ease of use
- Expanding scholars’ capabilities directly in ISD to meet federal reporting requirements, such as the following:
- Scholar registrations
- Scholar address changes
- Scholar departures (or early completion)
- J-1 Student Intern evaluation submissions
- Creating ISD records for all current IFSO-sponsored scholars present prior to ISD implementation
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Building (Virtual) Community |
There is more to IFSO than advising on and issuing immigration paperwork and helping the institution comply with federal laws; we want our scholars to have a transformative experience at UC San Diego! To this end we create a variety of programs, often in tandem with partners, to help build community for our visiting faculty and researchers, and their family members.
IFSO presents two different series of programs. In our popular Lunch & Learn series, we devise presentations that cover frequently asked questions sent to our office, such as “Understanding Taxes in the U.S.,” and perennially popular immigration topics, such as "Permanent Residency Overview: Process and Pathways." In our IFSO Programming series, we create a wide variety of programs geared for diverse interests or age groups to build community; some of our virtual programs from this past year include a brewery tour, interactive concert, interactive folk dance lesson, coffee/social hour, making holiday treats, and craft projects such as origami.
Some of our scholars are here for only a few months, others for a few years and some remain permanently! We hope that our programs offer something for everyone regardless of where they are in their UC San Diego journey. Due to the pandemic, we moved our community building online in a fun and engaging way, and this has inspired us to approach our programming more collaboratively, such as partnering with student organizations (Origami Folders, Facebook page) and local businesses (Rough Draft)!
Since July 2020, IFSO has had 55 virtual events, with 1,531 attendees! The flexibility of the virtual format has also engendered more participation from UC San Diego staff and community members.
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The Director's Office Global Education supports UC San Diego's vast global network by providing leadership on campus global education initiatives, serving as a resource for faculty and academic departments developing global partnerships and creating new modalities to support academic mobility.
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The International Students & Programs Office (ISPO) enhances the academic and intercultural experiences of international students, provides the highest levels of knowledge and expertise in advising and immigration services, and facilitates global education through programs and services to the campus community.
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Study Abroad UC San Diego is committed to making international academic and co-curricular experiences accessible to our diverse student population. Study Abroad UC San Diego program offerings include faculty-led Global Seminar summer programs, University of California Education Abroad Programs, Global Exchange programs, Opportunities Abroad Program, embedded study abroad programs and a variety of volunteer and field research opportunities.
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The International Faculty & Scholars Office (IFSO) is dedicated to serving UC San Diego academic departments and approximately 2,500 international faculty and researchers they invite annually to campus. We provide comprehensive informational resources, advising services, and educational, social, and cultural programs that support international scholars and their families in achieving their academic, professional, and personal goals. We also work diligently to help the institution meet its regulatory requirements relative to the U.S. Departments of Labor, State, and Homeland Security.
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Copyright *2020* *Global Education at UC San Diego* All rights reserved.
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