Educating Citizens of the World
Nov. 16, 2009
A key aspect of the UAB experience is engaging not only with our local community but becoming true "citizens of the world." In that spirit, we are pleased to begin celebrating today International Education Week. I encourage faculty, students and staff (who, by the way, represent nearly 100 different countries) to enjoy some of the week's activities that include a film festival, food fair and a photo contest. You can keep track of the various events here.
This celebration complements a host of UAB programs that stress the exploration of different cultures through study abroad and service learning, including:
- Our Global and Community Leadership Honors Program, which has grown from 21 students in the inaugural year (2007) to a current enrollment of 96.
- The Study Away program, in which 184 students over the past year have studied in 57 sites around the world, from Costa Rica to Germany, New Zealand to Antarctica. To hear more about these students' experiences, you check out their blogs.
- And the Ireland Research Travel Awards program, in which 26 master's students — in disciplines ranging from biology and nursing to English and history — have done thesis work abroad since 2007.
These and other programs, and our celebration this week, truly make for a richer student experience and, later, rewarding careers that benefit communities at home and around the globe.
Carol Z. Garrison
President
The University of Alabama at Birmingham