Dr. P.V. (Sundar) Balakrishnan, Professor at UW Bothell School of Business, delivered the keynote address at the International Great Lakes – North American Society for Marketing Education in India (NASMEI) conference in Manamai, India in December. He also facilitated an interactive session on management leadership. Read more…
News and features
Studying world’s largest carnivores, scientists call for preservation
Together with colleagues from the US, Australia, Italy, and Sweden, UW’s Dr. Aaron Wirsing recently co-authored a review paper on the world’s largest carnivores. The co-authors examined 31 of the Earth’s largest meat-eaters and highlighted their important ecological roles. Read more from UW Today…
NPR pundit highlights Dept. of Classics ‘War Games’ course
Classics professor Sarah Stroup’s ‘War Games‘ course examines Greek athletic games and Roman gladiatorial battles, proposing that many modern team sports descend from these ancient, winner-takes-all contests. Sports commentator Frank DeFord of NPR interviewed Professor Stroup, and UW football players who took the course, for an opinion piece. Read more and listen…
International students meet local 5th grade pen pals
After exchanging letters for several weeks, 45 UW international students met their 5th grade pen pals from White Center Heights Elementary School for the first time on December 5. “I really enjoyed participating in the Pen Pal program,” says Bader Al Farhan, a sophomore student from Kuwait. Read more from FIUTS…
Global public good? Examining strategies to combat global warming
UW researchers led a three-year project bringing together scholars from diverse disciplines to consider new geoengineering techniques designed to counteract the effects of climate change. Read more from UW Today…
UW researchers ask what works in global digital activism
Examining hundreds of international news stories, UW researchers identified and studied over 400 well-documented cases where digital activism was used to affect social change. The study found that digital activism is most effective when social media tools and street-level organization are used in concert. Read more from UW Today…
Vice Provost to visit UW Rome Center
The Vice Provost for Global Affairs will meet with faculty and staff at the UW Rome Center during his visit to the city from November 16 – 22. The meetings will familiarize the Vice Provost with the facility and its operations. Together with Rome Center faculty and staff, Vice Provost Riedinger seeks to put the center on a more sustainable and dynamic footing.
The Office of Global Affairs is exploring opportunities to expand programming for UW students at the Rome Center, including study, research, and service learning, and also to position it as a host for scholarly conferences and a base of operations for faculty conducting research in Italy. “We’re looking at what more we can do to make the Rome Center a true platform for teaching, research, and student engagement,” says Vice Provost Riedinger.
UW welcomes Humphrey fellows
The University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Affairs is hosting ten Hubert H. Humphrey Fellows this year. Mid-career professionals from a variety of fields, this year’s fellows hail from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and South America. Humphrey fellows are selected for their dedication to public service and potential for leadership.
Only 17 U.S. universities host Humphrey fellows each year. Since 1987, UW has hosted more than 300 fellows from 100 nations. Kenneth Peavler coordinates a weekly leadership seminar for the fellows on campus. He sees UW as an ideal base for Humphrey fellows, offering “world class opportunities”.
Fellow Naseer Uddin Sarwar, Director of Pakistan’s Department of the Auditor General, will focus on issues of government accountability and transparency during his time at UW. “I aim to develop a personal relationship with the Evans School, and to strengthen the relationship between Pakistan and the U.S.,” he says.
Paula Correa, a Uruguayan fellow who serves as the Entrepreneurship Programs Specialist in her country’s Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining, is excited to learn about and use new technologies while at UW. She says, “I’m taking a class where the students are all in front of computers… it’s totally new for me and not what I expected from a university course”.
Throughout the year, the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellows Presentation Series will feature talks by the current fellows highlighting their expertise. On November 21, fellow Estelle Antilahy will present “Challenges toward Water Supply and Management in Developing Countries: A Case Study of Madagascar”. Follow the UW Hubert H. Humphrey Fellows on Facebook for updates on future presentations.
Middle: Mohammed Laid Slougui (Algeria), Bo Liu (China), Seokhoon Cho (Republic of Korea)
Front: Estelle Antilahy (Madagascar), Paula Correa (Uruguay), Aziza Msaaf (Morocco), Maria Lille (Estonia) Photo: Evans School of Public Affairs
Meeting of public universities features Vice Provost
Vice Provost Riedinger attended the annual meeting of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) from November 10 – 12. A member of APLU’s Commission on International Initiatives Executive Committee, he served as a discussion panelist and engaged with university leaders from across the country around issues related to international education.
The panel discussion, titled The Future of International and Foreign Language Education: What More Can Government and Universities Do Together?, explored opportunities for partnership between the US Department of Education and public universities to support world language and international education. The panelists also discussed the need for universities to equip graduates for success in the global economy. Maureen McLaughlin, the US Department of Education’s Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Education and Director of International Affairs, as well as leaders from the University of Arizona and The Ohio State University also participated as panelists.
Vice Provost Riedinger also attended a working dinner convened by APLU President Peter McPherson to brainstorm strategies for increasing US student participation in study abroad in the absence of increased federal funding for scholarships.
UW leaders connect with alumni and parents in China
UW’s President Young and Vice Provost for Global Affairs Riedinger visited China and Japan from October 26 to November 7, making stops in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. The leaders met with UW alumni and friends, parents of current UW students, as well as key institutional partners.
The trip marked the beginning of an exciting new chapter for UW’s connection with international alumni, students, and parents. In Beijing and Shanghai, President Young and Vice Provost Riedinger connected with UW alumni and parents. Leadership groups of UW alumni living in China provided ideas for how UW can support the development of alumni organizations and deepen international alumni involvement.
In the first-ever meetings between university leadership and parents of international students in their home country, Vice Provost Riedinger was “impressed with the strength of [the parents’] affection for UW… and their keen interest in the success of their daughters and sons, both inside and outside of the classroom.” Feedback from the parent meetings highlighted the need for improved communication with international students and parents about the resources available at UW – from academic advising to faculty office hours.
Meetings with institutional partners focused on strengthening research partnerships, increasing collaboration among faculty, and creating additional opportunities for UW students to engage in research, internships, and experiential learning in China.