Global Connections, Summer 2014

Welcome

Thank you for receiving our latest issue of Global Connections. After another exciting academic year, summer provides a welcome opportunity to regroup, reevaluate goals, and refresh our practices. It is an excellent time to consider ways to build greater intentionality in how we facilitate global learning among our students and our entire community.

At an event on “Educating the Global Citizen” in March, representatives from across the University came together to share thoughts on everything from helping students articulate the value proposition of global competence to optimizing curricula for specific outcomes to leveraging the diversity of the BU community here in Boston. Participants agreed that all of this takes increased awareness and coordination, but it also demands that we learn to communicate in new ways ourselves.

This summer we encourage you to join us as we reflect on what it really means when we set our sights to “educate global citizens,” what we are already doing well as a university and international community, and what we could do better. If you have questions or suggestions, please contact us at global@bu.edu.

With best wishes,

Willis G. Wang
Vice President and Associate Provost for Global Programs


In this Issue:

Global Days of Service: Pitching In Around the World

For the fifth time this past April, BU alumni, faculty, staff, and students answered the call to participate in the annual Global Days of Service, itself a collaboration between the BU Alumni Association and the Community Service Center. With “global” right in the title, one expects a robust international turnout – and 2014 did not disappoint.

In the academic triad of Education, Research & Service, education and research regularly get much of the attention, while service often takes a backseat. Efforts across the world this year demonstrate that BU is making strides toward a more holistic and engaged global community.

Service project highlights from beyond Boston include:

  • Padua, Italy – where 80% of Study Abroad students volunteered for associations and schools, including examples like working with children with learning disabilities and volunteering at a culinary school to help training chefs improve the English they use in the kitchen
  • Beirut, Lebanon – where the BU community was invited to package food for two soup kitchens that delivers meal to AIDS patients and food boxes to Syrian refugees and vulnerable Lebanese
  • Los Angeles – where Study Abroad students volunteered with the LA Food Bank and for an anti-trafficking organization

“We encourage all of BU to participate,” says Susan Richardson, director of alumni programs and events. “We want to continue to strengthen the tradition of service that has been important to BU since its founding. We hope that alumni, faculty, staff, and friends feel a sense of pride in the impact that BU is having on the world by getting involved in worthwhile service opportunities.”

GSDM’s Global Elective Externship Expands in China

Last academic year, BU’s Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) commenced an expansion of its Global Elective Externship program to include an exchange program with two institutions in China: Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Stomatology (SJUSS), located in Shanghai, and the Fourth Military Medical University School of Stomatology (FMMUSS), located in Xi’an. Over the course of two weeks in October 2013, students in the program observed surgical procedures, learning about the prevalence of certain conditions as well as experiencing firsthand the clinical culture of two world-renowned institutions for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS).

The program was initiated under the GSDM’s mission of expanding student externship opportunities to global locations, such as China. Professor of Oral Medicine and Biomaterials Dr. Laisheng Chou was appointed the leader of this program. Dr. Michelle Henshaw, professor of Health Policy & Health Services Research and associate dean for Global & Population Health, accompanied the first group of students on their externship. The intention of this program was to give students an opportunity to gain extra experience in advanced oral and maxillofacial surgery beyond working within U.S. hospitals and institutions, encouraging them to reflect on the influence of culture on the systematic nature of treatment in China.

Students spoke effusively of the experience, stressing the value of the clinical, social, and cultural learnings, while also noting the unique opportunity to train in a hospital with four floors for OMFS.

Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter praised the students along with Dr. Chou and Dr. Henshaw for the program’s success, stating: “I am very proud that students were able to have this truly unique clinical and cultural experience as we expand the global presence of the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine.” For more information, contact Elizabeth Anatori at eanatori@bu.edu.

Venice Study Abroad Students Awarded in Art Show

Click to view the full-size image

There’s Nothing at the Bottom, by Sophia Richardson, CFA ’16). Click to view the full-size image.

BU Study Abroad Venice and the College of Fine Arts (CFA) proudly announced that several students received accolades during an art show in Italy in April, collecting second prize overall and two honorable mentions. Seven out of nine graphic design students who were studying at the site took part in the “Drinking on the Right Side” competition that was sponsored by the Association of American College and University Programs in Italy (AACUPI) and was focused on raising awareness for responsible alcohol consumption in young adults.

Sophia Richardson (CFA ‘16) took home the second place honor with her piece There’s Nothing at the Bottom. In describing the work, Ms. Richardson explained, “I wanted to make a visual representation of the quest to ‘find a solution at the bottom of the bottle’ which often leads to over-drinking. Here we have a person, sitting at the bottom of an empty bottle looking out onto a forest of bottles.” Students Cody Lewis (CFA ‘16) and Bryan Fountain (CFA ‘16) also received honorable mentions for their work.

“We are so very proud of our students, not only for their technical and artistic talent, but for their intelligence in creating meaningful images that affect people’s lives,” praised Lynne Allen, professor of art and director for the School Of Visual Arts. “Our focus at the School of Visual Arts at BU is to train young artists, but also to empower students as critical thinkers and problem solvers. These three students totally exemplify that mission.”

BU Study Abroad is a member institution of the AACUPI. Awards were presented in Florence, video of which is available courtesy of the Italian newspaper La Nazione.

BU Law and CELOP Expand Partnership

For well over a decade, BU’s School of Law and the Center for English Language and Orientation Programs (CELOP) have partnered in the development of English language programs for international lawyers, including the 100+ foreign-trained Master of Laws (LLM) candidates who pursue advanced studies at BU Law each year. These programs include CELOP’s Summer Pre-LLM Legal English programs, Summer Legal Institute in London and Extended LLM Program option, which enables students to combine CELOP and BU Law coursework during their first semester of graduate studies.

In fall 2014, CELOP and BU Law will launch their latest legal English collaboration: a year-long Legal English Certificate Program (LECP). The LECP is a 25-credit, full-time, two-semester residential program designed to provide foreign professionals with intensive instruction in English communication and legal English, as well as graduated, foundational exposure to American legal culture, doctrinal concepts, persuasive advocacy and academic success skills, with a particular focus on U.S. legal studies. CELOP and BU Law jointly developed the specially-designed curriculum.

“Our new Legal English Certificate Program underscores BU’s leadership in Legal English as well as the university’s commitment to preparing foreign lawyers for success in LLM studies,” says John Riccardi, BU Law’s assistant dean for graduate and international programs.

Riccardi is highly optimistic about the program’s appeal to prospective LLM candidates. “Developing a certificate program that leads to graduate law studies was a natural outgrowth of our partnership with CELOP,” he says. “The reaction has been extremely positive thus far,” he adds. “It has been exciting to develop a program with the potential to meet such an important need in the international legal education market.” CELOP’s Managing Director Margot Valdivia shares in Riccardi’s excitement and has high expectations for the successful preparation of the first cohort of students entering the LECP at CELOP this fall.

BU Gains Momentum in Asia

In March, the largest gathering of alumni outside of the U.S. in BU’s history took place in Beijing, China. More than 300 BU alumni, parents, and friends attended, traveling from 12 countries. The event was appropriately titled BU Momentum—signifying the increasing Asian presence at BU, and the growing impact of BU’s Asian alumni on the University and in the world.

The three-day event was organized by the Boston University Alumni Association of China (BUAAC) in collaboration with BU Alumni Relations, and combined BU’s Asian Alumni Festival, Asian Business Forum, a celebration of the BU Questrom School of Business’s centennial, and the first Campaign for Boston University event in East Asia—one single opportunity to celebrate the energy, growth, and future of our great institution.

At the Campaign celebration—held in the famous Great Hall of the People, home to legislative and diplomatic activity in China—two alumni announced major donations to the University. Trustee Hugo Shong (COM’87, GRS’92) pledged to match all campaign gifts from alumni in Greater China, up to $1 million; and Harry Susilo, father of two BU graduates, made a gift to endow a new center for the study of international business ethics at the BU Questrom School of Business.

BUAAC president Weiqiang Han (GRS’89, Questrom’89) saw the event as a natural reflection of the growing size and influence of Boston University’s Asian alumni population, and as an important outreach to Asian students, who currently make up 67 percent of BU’s international student body. The event also demonstrated and celebrated how much alumni in Asia contribute to BU—not only financially but also intellectually and culturally. New ideas from “a true global village” enrich the entire BU educational experience, said Han.

“We know that BU owes a great deal of its increasing world footprint to activities in Asia,” said Scott Nichols, senior vice president for development and alumni relations. “Our alumni there continue to astound us with their energy, their eagerness to stay connected with us and with each other, and their incredibly successful efforts at organizing BU groups and activities.”

For more information about BU Momentum, and to see videos and photos from the event, visit bu.edu/beijing2014.

Did You Know…?

Webinars in the Global Programs Lending Library

Whether you want to explore partnership opportunities overseas, learn about internationalization best practices, or simply find out new ways to be an active part of BU’s global community, let’s face it: You have questions. Global Programs maintains webinars in our lending library to cover many common issues. BU faculty and staff can borrow archived webinars produced by ACE, NAFSA, and other professional organizations on topics like:

  • What Does an Internationalized Curriculum Look Like?
  • Today’s Chinese Student: Cultural Insights for Better Integration
  • Strategic Planning for Study Abroad Financing
  • Building Virtual Bridges for Cross-Cultural Learning

We also encourage you to sign up for the webinar invitation mailing list to learn about the live webinars and workshops we host in a group setting.