Guest Editorial: Toward a Global GW
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Julie Woodford
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As the stories collected in this special issue
of GW Magazine illustrate, the University
is a leading force in research and practice that
affect and involve people on every continent.
Our efforts in teaching, research, and service
are global in a complex sense: On one hand, we
are blending experiences, points of view, voices,
and languages into new insights; on the other
hand, we are distinguishing and celebrating culturally
unique experiences, points of view, voices, and
languages. We recognize the good fortune represented
by our location in an international city, while
we pursue our global mission with more than the
occasional e-mail.
This spring and summer, GW faculty members, in
cooperation with the Office for Special and International
Programs, have organized and led programs in England,
France, Spain, Belgium, Eastern Europe, India,
Argentina, Panama, Chile, and China. Hundreds
of graduate and undergraduate students have been
served through courses that offered extraordinary
experiential and classroom learning opportunities.
Among our undergraduates, hundreds more have participated
in programs offered through affiliated study abroad
organizations and institutions. The number of
GW students studying abroad has grown so significantly
over the past several years that we have been
ranked 11th in the nation for the percentage of
the student body studying overseas. Beyond this,
many of our faculty members have participated
in scholarly research and conferences overseas,
presenting findings in concert with colleagues
in multiple countries. And our International Services
Office welcomes hundreds of students from overseas
to our Washington campus each year.
These students, most of whom are with us through
their full degree sequence, bring unique perspectives
to GW classrooms, as students from a vast variety
of U.S. and overseas backgrounds put their heads
together over topics from math to music. This
is the state of play for a major university such
as GW.
In every corner of our institution, you will
find international people and people with highly
developed international expertise. Even our neighborhood,
with the International Monetary Fund, Organization
of American States, World Health Organization,
and the State Department, bespeaks the global
nature of GW.
Our commitment to world issues is broad and
deep. I hope those whose energy and vision have
brought us to this point will enjoy seeing a small
sampling of what it means to be a world-class
and world-embracing institution.
Bon voyage!
Donna Scarboro
Assistant Vice President for Special and International
Programs
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