University of California, Davis has announced it will launch a Global Learning Hub in Fall 2019 to help with its ambitious goal of providing all UC Davis students with international and intercultural learning experiences before graduation.
The ‘Global Education for All’ program aims to move beyond traditional study abroad opportunities by providing students with a variety of experiences tailored to their interests, skills and aspirations.
“One of the first things we want to do is work towards creating a one-stop-shop”
Envisioned as a locus for the UC Davis community, the Hub will link programming and resources across campus that support global learning domestically and internationally.
In addition to offering a broad portfolio of academic coursework and study abroad programs, it will also offer new opportunities through academic coursework, domestic and international experiential learning and leadership activities on the Davis and Sacramento campuses.
“Our students are graduating into a world that’s highly interconnected and interdependent,” says Nancy Erbstein, director of Global Education for All.
“We really want them to be ready to take all the skills and knowledge they’ve developed at UC Davis and effectively use them across countries and cultures and communities after graduation.”
As a university responsible for preparing students to live and work in a globalising world, Erbstein said she considers global learning experiences key to helping students thrive—regardless of where they find themselves after graduation.
“One of the first things we want to do through the Global Learning Hub is work toward creating a one-stop-shop, so students can construct global learning pathways at UC Davis that reflect their interests and aspirations.”
Zachary Frieders, director of Study Abroad said a focus on global learning is key to helping students become global agents of change, regardless of where they study.
He said the Global Learning Hub will focus on getting students to think first about why it is it important to engage in global learning, and then to think about the ways, locations, and contexts in which they want to participate.
“It’s all about supporting students to consider the types of global learning interactions that fit with their experience, interests, and academic pursuits,” he added.
Read our PIE Chat with Joanna Regulska, vice provost and associate chancellor of Global Affairs at UC Davis here