Author: lalqafsh

03/1/22

CGE March Newsletter

New Faculty Grants for International Education

We are pleased to announce two new faculty grant opportunities offered by the Center for Global Engagement (CGE):

  • IDEAS Grant for developing a short-term study abroad program

IDEAS Site Visit Grants are available to UM-Flint faculty and administrators in support of developing a new short-term education abroad program. Learn More

  • RISE Up Grant for supporting international scholarship, research, or teaching

RISE Up Site Visit Grants are available to UM-Flint faculty and administrators in support of:

  • Developing and/or conducting an international research project
  • Enhancing international scholarship
  • Conducting international teaching

Learn More

  • Combined Grants

The RISE Up Site Visit Grant can be combined with the IDEAS New Program Development Site Visit Grant. Applications that include objectives to diversify education abroad (IDEAS) and advancing international scholarship, research, and/or teaching (RISE Up) at UM-Flint are preferred. Combined grant award packages are available up to a maximum of $5,000 per site visit and need not be matched by funding from the academic unit(s).

Please contact the Associate Director for Global Engagement, Sarah Pattison, [email protected], for more grant application information.

Upcoming Education Abroad Program Application Deadlines

Tamkang University Mandarin Language Program (Summer 2022)  

Are you looking to activate and enhance your Mandarin Chinese language skills while studying abroad this upcoming summer? Apply now to the Tamkang University Mandarin Language Program in Taiwan. Read More!

Semester in Detroit (Fall 2022) Looking to get out of the classroom?

Spend a Semester in Detroit! Students on the Semester in Detroit program have interned with local partners in arts & culture, media, urban agriculture, law & public advocacy, business development, youth development, immigration, housing justice, and more! Read More!

Canadian Parliament Internship in Ottawa, Canada (Summer 2022)

Are you interested in international diplomacy, comparative politics, and governance? Intern in the Canadian Parliament this summer! Students will be placed with a Member of Parliament or a Senator while also taking part in several cultural activities and meeting with prominent Canadian public officials.

ZSEM Adriatic Leadership Academy in Croatia (Summer 2022)

The Adriatic Leadership Academy is a new and bold approach to leadership development. Through an intensive, thoughtfully tailored itinerary, you will engage with Croatia’s storied history, rich culture and stunning landscape while deepening your leadership skills and forming connections with high-achieving peers from around the globe. Read More!

Center for Global Engagement Scholarship Guarantee

All enrolled students will receive up to a $1,500 scholarship to be applied to the costs associated with a credit-bearing learning experience managed by the Center for Global Engagement. Best part about it is that there is no application!

The CGE Scholarship Guarantee can be applied to programs such as:

  • Semester on Exchange in France at Burgundy School of Business
  • USA, France, Morocco: A Three-Country Comparison of Healthcare Systems
  • Semester in Detroit
  • Semester on National Student Exchange in California at University of California Santa Cruz

GLOBAL WOLVERINE SPOTLIGHT

UM-Flint students from the School of Management and the College of Arts and Sciences are currently studying abroad in Italy and in South Korea.
Where will you study abroad?
Sign up for Education Abroad Advising today!

The University of Michigan-Flint’s Service Saturdays program offers a community service learning experience on the local level during select Saturdays throughout the year. Participants spend time learning about our urban community and many of the social issues that residents face in Flint. On designated Saturdays, participants will meet at the selected service site to engage in meaningful action towards a greater understanding of root causes of relevant issues. Following the project, participants reflect and analyze social justice issues they experience first-hand.

Who: Service Saturdays are open to UM-Flint students, alumni, family, and community members.

When: March 14, 2020 at 9:00am – 12:00pm (Lunch provided)

Where: Food Bank of Eastern Michigan (2300 Lapeer Rd, Flint, MI 48503)

Check in: 8:30am – 8:45am

Optional Practical Training (OPT)F-1 Visa Students

02/1/22

CGE February Newsletter

A Note from the Associate Director for Global Engagement

As we step into 2022, I’m looking back and realizing that this past year has seen a flurry of global engagement at UM-Flint despite the pandemic. At the Center for Global Engagement, we have taken this opportunity to focus on Global Learning … Read more

WorldLink: The UM-Flint Education Abroad Portal

Have you ever wondered what study abroad programs are offered at UM-Flint? Where do you go to apply to study abroad programs? Where can you find more information? The portal for browsing and applying for Education Abroad programs is WorldLink via goabroad.umflint.edu
Do not hesitate to contact the Education Abroad Coordinator for any and all questions about Education Abroad programs and the WorldLink portal by sending an email to: [email protected]

Virtual Education Abroad Fair: In Case You Missed It!

During International Education Week, the Center for Global Engagement organized a Virtual Education Abroad Fair packed with information sessions about study abroad programs, discussion panels with UM-Flint alumni from the Semester in Detroit and Japan Center for Michigan Universities programs, as well as information about Education Abroad scholarships, post-graduation service opportunities, and how to apply for a U.S. Passport. 
If you weren’t able to attend, you can now watch the recorded sessions here! 
Thank you to our guest presenters for making this year’s Virtual Education Abroad Fair happen and to all attendees who joined us live!

Summer 2022 Education Abroad Programs

Students participating in any Summer 2022 Education Abroad Program will receive a Center for Global Engagement Scholarship of up to $1,500.00

Join us for Education Abroad 101 sessions!
Every Tuesday and Friday

  • Click here to make a Virtual Education Abroad Advising Appointment
  • Follow Education Abroad on Instagram
  • Like Education Abroad on Facebook

Global Wolverine Spotlight

Congratulations to Lydia Powers for receiving the U.S. Department of State Gilman International Scholarship! The Gilman International Scholarship allows Pell Grant recipients to study or intern abroad. Award recipients are chosen by a competitive selection process to receive up to $5,000 to study or intern abroad. Applicants who are studying a critical need language can apply for a supplemental award of up to $3,000.
Lydia Powers, who received both a Gilman International Scholarship Award and a Gilman Critical Need Language Scholarship Award, will be studying abroad in Seoul, South Korea for a semester to pursue her studies in Computer Science, Korean, and Mandarin Chinese. As a part of her follow-up service project, Powers intends to help develop study abroad resources for STEM students.
Interested in applying for a Gilman International Scholarship?Contact [email protected]

National Student Exchange

National Student Exchange (NSE) provides accessible collegiate study away to undergraduate students at member colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Hear from one of our students that is currently studying History and decided to do NSE at University of Alaska Fairbanks. “As someone who likes to travel, the NSE program was the perfect excuse to travel far from home while still making academic progress. While studying at the University of Alaska Fairbanks I’ve been able to hike glaciers, rock climb in the Alaskan mountain range, backpack in some of the most scenic places in North America, and spend my nights observing the northern lights, all thanks to the NSE program.”
NSE allows you to take classes not available at your school, study with new professors and experts in your field, and broaden your educational perspective. Additionally, it allows you to experience personal growth and independence, live in different geographic and cultural settings, gain international and/or intercultural understanding and develop practical skills for use in your professional development. 
NSE is a wonderful program that students should strongly consider doing during their time at the University of Michigan-Flint!

My Flint

Flint is a series of events designed to help familiarize faculty, staff and students to the Flint community. If you are interested in exploring the Flint community please be on the lookout for the following activities… Read more

International Education Week

International tea and coffee
The CGE represented three different cultures and served their traditional tea or coffee:
Chinese by Boonie Zhang
Indian by Vrustiben Patel
Saudi by Lamis Alqafshat
Thanksgiving Dinner
The CGE hosted a Thanksgiving dinner to gather the
UM-Flint community in a traditional meal while listening to Celia Perez Booth talking about the Native American culture.
Diwali Night
The Indian Student Association gathered UM-Flint community to celebrate the Indian festival of lights with Indian food, cultural performances and a lot more. 

The CGE also held a virtual International Leadership Panel and offered the virtual Fulbright Program information session

Follow us on Instagram or Facebook page @UMFlintCGE to find out more about our up coming events!

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-FLINT FALL GRADUATES

Doctor of Nursing Practice
Ajifolokun, Olufunke G
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Chinagozi-Amanze, Nina C
Master of Business Administration
Escarzaga, Nancy
Kolli, Siri Chandana
Wang, Kemeng
Master of Science in Computer Science & Information Systems
 Chalapaka, Leela Sairam Santosh Kumar
Kaur, Japnit
Shaik, Farooq Ali
Master of Public Health 
 Nallapaneni, Mounica M		Bachelor of Business Administration
Alhussain, Maan W
Bachelor of Science 
Dai, Anlan
Elagamy, Karim E
Kersey, Sasha
Liu, Yipeng
Pathak, Sharvari S
Bachelor of Science in Engineering
 Abuhasoon, Mohammad
Kim, Byungwoo
Zhang, Mingshu
Zhang, Zhaoshen

01/27/22

My Flint

My Flint is a series of events designed to help familiarize faculty, staff and students to the Flint community. If you are currently a faculty/staff member and you are working with students, can you please inform them of these events and ask them to attend? Additionally, if you are interested in exploring the Flint community please be on the lookout for the following activities.  

  • Taste of Downtown – Join us as we explore Flint’s amazing downtown eateries! This guided walking tour features free food and free gifts! Discover your community, make new friends, and have some fun!
  • Farmers’ Market Frenzy:  Ever been to the Market? There are more than 30 indoor vendors year round, and in the spring, summer and fall there are approximately 75 vendors outside the market. Come with us and discover one of the most incredible places in the University of Michigan-Flint’s “backyard”.   
  • ArtWalk: Join us as we explore the arts scene! ARTWALK features a rotating exhibition and takes place the second Friday of every month. It offers live
  • music, catered food and beverages. ARTWALK includes Buckham Gallery, Pages Bookstore and other partners — all within two blocks in beautiful downtown Flint!
  • Service Saturdays: The University of Michigan-Flint’s Service Saturdays program offers a community service learning experience on the local level during select Saturdays throughout the year. Service Saturdays are open to UM-Flint students, alumni, family, and community members. Participants spend time learning about our urban community and many of the social issues that residents face in Flint. On designated Saturdays, participants will meet at the selected service site to engage in meaningful action towards a greater understanding of root causes of relevant issues. Following the project, participants reflect and analyze social justice issues they experience first-hand.
  • Park(ing) Day: – Did you know Flint enjoys more public green space than most cities in the country? To celebrate our wealth of parks, local people are
  • creating mini-parks in downtown parking spaces during Park(ing) Day, a national event designed to promote the value of our cities’ parks.
  • Flint Cultural Center: The Flint Cultural Center invites you on a journey of discovery and imagination to a place where you can experience entertainment, embrace knowledge, and dream beyond the world you know. As home to a group of nationally-recognized cultural institutions aimed at furthering the arts, sciences and humanities, the FCC offers a truly unique educational and entertainment resource. Through live performances, unique exhibits, classes and more, the FCC brings it ALL within your reach. 
01/20/22

A Note from the Associate Director for Global Engagement

As we step into 2022, I’m looking back and realizing that this past year has seen a flurry of global engagement at UM-Flint despite the pandemic. At the Center for Global Engagement, we have taken this opportunity to focus on Global Learning at Home. We hosted the Taiwan Bunun Indigenous Music and Film Festival. Folks from Michigan to Taipei came together in-person and online to listen to Bunun music, attend lectures about indigenous cultures in Taiwan, and watched a film, “Listen Before You Sing” about the power of Pasibutbut, the song of harmonious sharing and mutual support. The film’s director, Chih-Lin Yang, joined us virtually from Taiwan for a live Q&A directly after the screening of his film. Those on campus in the Kiva Room that day shared a sense of connection and purpose from the message of Director Yang’s film: we are in this together and home is here, in our hearts.

(Photo by Tom Travis)

We also supported Hostile Terrain-Flint, a participatory art project sponsored by the international Undocumented Migration Project. Flint’s installation of Hostile Terrain 94 had community-wide participation. Volunteers began working on the project just before the COVID-19 shut down two years ago. During those months of shutdown, hundreds of folks across our campus and in our community hand-wrote over 3,200 toe tags honoring those that have lost their lives trying to cross the Sonoran Desert of Arizona between the mid-1990s and 2019. Our installation of Hostile Terrain 94 was on display at the Flint Farmers Market in November of last year. We also came together for a screening of “Border South” a documentary that follows migrant routes from southern Mexico to the U.S. Mexico border. Director Raul Paz-Pastrana joined us virtually from California in a live Q&A after the screening of his film. Like the screening of “Listen Before You Sing”, the message of Director Paz Pastrana’s film resonated strongly with us in the Kiva Room that day as we considered themes of belonging and home, and the despair that so many face at our border with Mexico.

Global Learning at Home also includes Virtual Exchange. Emily Feuerherm, Associate Professor of Linguistics and TESOL Program Director, participated in the tri-campus Virtual Exchange Initiative Faculty Workshop where she met Sebastian Concha from UNIMINUTO in Bogotá, Colombia. They partnered together to design an English language teaching course for students in Flint and Bogotá. The students met virtually, participated in community service teaching the English language, and presented at a professional conference together–all virtually. Emily’s partnership with Sebastian continues this semester as some students completing their Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certificate are teaching virtually alongside Sebastain’s students in two community organizations that support children in foster care in Colombia.

International Education Week (mid-November annually) was an opportunity for us to offer a plethora of in-person and virtual activities centered on global topics and opportunities. We hosted international tea and coffee hours representing regions around the world, we held an International Leadership Panel, offered a Fulbright Program information session, provided an Indigenous Perspective Thanksgiving Dinner, and co-sponsored the Diwali festival.

Though we are still in the midst of a pandemic that complicates international travel, we have learned a lot and collaborated with the Global Engagement Team at the Ann Arbor campus to learn how to prepare faculty and students for the obstacles they will face when travelling abroad. With the increased and more robust health and safety planning measures in place here and in Ann Arbor, we are ready to support international travel again. Many locations are approved for undergraduate and graduate study abroad. We continue to monitor the country to country developments that affect the programs that we manage. In short, we are ready to open up international travel for Global Engagement again!

That means that this year’s focus will be on strengthening our Education Abroad program and partnering with our faculty to build short-term study abroad programs (Faculty-Led programs), promote the opportunities offered through our exchange partnerships that fit your budget and your life, and build community-engaged learning experiences in tandem with our faculty and our community partners in Flint, Genesee County, and beyond. 

So, WE WANT YOU to get globally engaged! Whether that is in a virtual exchange on your laptop in your bedroom, a study abroad trip to Barcelona, or in a community service learning project here in Flint; all of the experiences that we support at the CGE will expose you to global issues and diverse communities. 

Are you interested in studying abroad? Come meet with Kristen, our Education Abroad Program Coordinator and learn more. Are you interested in being engaged with our communities in Flint and Genesee County? Come meet with Gary, our Community Engaged Learning Program Manager. Are you interested in our events and activities designed to enhance the international student experience? Come meet with Kim, our International Student and Scholar Services Manager. Do you want to learn how to incorporate Global Learning at home, abroad, or in the community into your course, in person or virtually? I can help with that!

Finally, the best for last: I am very happy to announce that we can now guarantee that every new and continuing UM-Flint student is eligible to receive up to $1500 in scholarship funding to help them pay for costs associated with our Education Abroad, Study Away, and Community Engaged Learning programs. 

So that leaves us with only one question: What will you do with your Global Engagement Scholarship?

I hope to hear from you soon!

~Sarah