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Over 70 Syracuse University students, faculty and staff virtually attended the first of two Global Engagement Campus forums Wednesday as part of an effort to get feedback from the university community on SU’s Academic Strategic Plan.

The forum was moderated by Erika Wilkens and Michael Speaks, the co-chairs for the Global Engagement Working Group committee. Attendees expressed support for expanding the study abroad program to new locations, the opportunities study abroad provides for students and professors and the financial support provided by SU through Fulbright scholarships.

Wilkens, SU’s assistant provost and executive director for the university’s study abroad program, said that the purpose of the forum was to hear from SU students, faculty and staff with experiences in study abroad and other global engagement opportunities.

“The University is committed to the value of global engagement as a cross-cutting opportunity throughout the other key pillar areas that were highlighted (in the Academic Strategic Plan),” Wilkens said.

Speaks, who is also the dean of SU’s School of Architecture, explained the purpose of the Academic Strategic Plan.

“The larger umbrella for the strategic planning effort is to really understand our areas of distinctive excellence at the university, and to speculate five years from now where might we be, how do we enhance those, and how do we address issues and problems in making those more excellent,” Speaks said.

Some attendees said SU needs to expand its abroad curriculum to make it possible for any student to go abroad.

Cathy Maritan, the academic director of the Syracuse London business education and experience program, specifically said the university needs to expand the abroad program further outside of general electives in the College of Arts and Sciences. Maritan said some degrees in the Whitman School of Management are more difficult to work toward while studying abroad.

Instead of just sending students to SU Abroad Centers, Maritan also said the university should consider integrating on-campus and Center programming.

Many in attendance shared highlights from their experience within SU’s abroad programs.

Beth Ferri, the School of Education’s associate dean for research and a professor of inclusive education and disability studies, said students gain a new perspective when engaging with communities outside of SU’s main campus.

“It’s been great for me and my students to study abroad,” Ferri said. “Teaching in Italy, it’s opened up research opportunities for me. The students don’t realize how amazing the opportunity is to engage with other students and professors as non-citizens.”

One of the biggest reasons why SU’s abroad program is so impactful to students is the lifelong connections made with people living outside the United States, some attendees said.

Jason Feulner, the senior director of development for international advancement at SU, said over 20,000 alumni originated from countries outside of the U.S. Feulner said that figure will be steadily increasing in the coming years.

Dessa Bergen-Cico, a professor in the Department of Public Health, discussed the professional opportunities provided for students.

Bergen-Cico coordinates with the Strasbourg, France abroad program as a member of Falk College. She said the program has connections with 25 non-governmental organizations and the Council of Europe, an organization founded in the aftermath of World War II that upholds human rights and democracies in Europe.

“It really is a phenomenal opportunity not just (for) traditional student engagement, but also looking at professionals across the U.S. that might want to engage in some of our education and advanced training,” Bergen-Cico said.

Forum attendees also highlighted the strong standing of Syracuse Abroad, which placed ninth in the U.S. News and World Report rankings.

A working draft of the plan will be finished by Jan. 2023, with feedback provided by SU students, faculty and staff. SU expects to fully finalize the plan in March 2023. The next Global Engagement Campus forum will take place on Oct. 26.

Associate Director of International Student Success Ling LeBeau said she wants SU to focus on the international students on campus as much as students going abroad.

“We (should) focus on the outward, but we also need to look in at what we have now on-campus,” LeBeau said. “We have a large population of international students, international faculty and staff on-campus. Those are our resources. Let’s take advantage of the resources we have here while we continue to explore outward.”

Published on October 13, 2022 at 9:51 am

Contact Dominic: dcchiapp@syr.edu | @DominicChiappo2