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CGSE 2021-23 Impact Report

WELCOME to the Center for Global Study & Engagement (CGSE) 2021-23 Impact Report!

I would characterize our last thee years in the CGSE at Dickinson as full of challenges AND rewards. Certainly, the pandemic changed how we think about our work and collaboration and has led us in some new and innovative directions. What has remained constant for me is the deep appreciation I have for the CGSE worldwide team: both my colleagues here in Carlisle and those around the globe. Their commitment to our team, their students and their local communities inspires me and fills me with so much hope.   

So, what have we been up to, you ask? We have created new programs and partnerships to better support our students, faculty and curriculum, and we have continued to demonstrate that we are thought leaders in the field of international education. And we have won more awards collectively and individually. This report reflects positive outcomes, exciting new opportunities and learning for our students, faculty and staff. It tells our unique Dickinson global story and demonstrates how we are moving towards our goal of creating more just, inclusive and sustainable communities.   

Enjoy, 

Samantha C. Brandauer '95

Associate Provost and Executive Director, Center for Global Study & Engagement 


Creating Just, Inclusive and Sustainable Communities through Global Education

You will see throughout this report evidence that we in the CGSE are connecting Dickinson’s many strengths in global, sustainable, DEI, and civic action learning and action across all that we do from support for international students, faculty development, new education abroad program development and beyond.  The work we are doing in the CGSE and across campus is also reflected in Dickinson’s new strategic plan:  

"Dickinson has developed an international reputation for our commitment to imbuing our students with an immersive global perspective, a holistic sustainability education, a community orientation and civic skillset, and the ability to think across disciplines and dialogue across differences. Through these interdependent dimensions of a Dickinson education, students are better able to connect their values to their career and civic goals. Our alumni are out in the world building more just, equitable, sustainable and prosperous communities."

 


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Awards and Accolades

In the CGSE, we have lots of evidence of our great work. But you don’t just have to take our word for it. In the last three years, we have won several awards and grants and continue to have robust data that highlights our national standing as a liberal arts college committed to international education and global learning. These awards also showcase our strengths at the intersection of global learning, diversity, equity and inclusion, civic action and sustainability. 

“Dickinson has long been a leader in global education and sustainability, but what is really impressive is the way they integrate these with justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion and ethical community engagement through impactful collaborations among faculty, staff, students, and partners.” 

—THE FORUM ON EDUCATION ABROAD on Dickinson winning their ADVANCING THE UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS THROUGH EDUCATION ABROAD (2022) 


SI Grant

Dickinson College is in its second year (2022-23 and 2023-24) of a prestigious Stevens Initiative Grant with the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. So far, we have had eight Dickinson faculty across the college build virtual exchange components, utilizing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, into one of their fall and spring courses in partnership with faculty at AUS. This has had a big impact on the learning of hundreds of students across all of these courses. In December 2023, we sent two Dickinson students with a delegation of other participating U.S. colleges to Dubai to COP 28, fully funded by the SI grant. 

Forum Award

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In 2022, Dickinson won the Forum on Education Abroad’s award for Advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals through Education Abroad. The award honors member institutions and organizations whose education abroad programs promote economic, environmental and social sustainability. 


Staff Awards
  • Melodi Hendrickson, director of international student and scholar services, won the International Office Consulting’s ISSS New Professional Award (2021-22) 
  • Nedra Sandiford, administrative director of Dickinson in Spain, won the NAFSA Rising Star Region VIII Award (2022) 
IIE Open Doors Data

Dickinson ranks in the top 30 of baccalaureate colleges hosting international students according to the IIE Open Doors Report.

  • 2021: No. 36 
  • 2022: No. 27 
  • 2023: No. 28 

Dickinson’s rankings among baccalaureate institutions in the 2021-2023 IIE Open Doors Report 

2021 (2019-20 data) 

  • 9th long term (academic year) study abroad 
  • 14th mid length (semester) study abroad 
  • 26th by undergraduate participation 

2022 (2020-21 data) * 

  • 7th short term study abroad 
  • 20th by undergraduate participation 

2023 (2021-22 data)* 

  • 6th long term (academic year) study abroad 
  • 27th by undergraduate participation 

*These were the years we were most interrupted by COVID. In 2020-21 most of our semester and academic year study abroad programs were suspended. We chose to prioritize our partners, staff abroad and communities who were not yet ready to be fully operational. In 2021-22 we reopened many of our programs but saw still limited participation as students prioritized having a more “normal” on-campus experience first. 


Where Global Meets Innovation

At Dickinson’s CGSE, we are well positioned to keep pushing the boundaries of what global learning looks like on our campus and beyond. Our campus culture supports innovation and our recognition around the globe gives us a platform to imagine new possibilities and make change happen. The following programs, projects and partnerships show that the work we are doing not only impacts our campus – students, faculty and staff, but also the field of international education.  


Globally Integrated Semester Spring 2021 and 2022

GIS was designed to provide students with a global experience while based in Carlisle for the spring 2021 and 2022 semesters, followed by a short-term study abroad experience in May/June. Students enrolled in one of the globally integrated courses, participated in globally themed workshops during the semester, and traveled to the corresponding Dickinson global center at the end of the spring semester to continue their academic program. Courses were taught by Carlisle-based faculty, global center-based faculty or were team taught by faculty in Carlisle and abroad.   

GISs utilized the academic and programmatic connections between Dickinson's Carlisle campus and our global centers abroad. While GISs were originally created to provide global opportunities to students who were unable to experience a traditional study abroad program due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, they have resulted in new and creative offerings for Dickinson students.  

While we hoped for post-semester travel in May/June 2021, COVID still prevented most of it from happening. We were still able to have students travel to Iceland and Spain in summer 2021, and in May 2022 students traveled to Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany and Iceland. 


The Institute of International Education and Dickinson College Partnership

The IIE and Dickinson partnership which started in fall 2019 continues to leverage the strengths of both institutions due to a common commitment to international education and a shared mission of building just, equitable and sustainable communities. Both institutions bring deep expertise and a global network that provides an opportunity to reimagine an international education framework that incorporates global, intercultural and equity/inclusion lenses. To date, IIE and Dickinson have led three sets of virtual workshops: Moving from Inclusivity Talk to Equity in Action in International Education Leadership (2020-21), Building Bridges: Committing to Global Equity and Justice in International Education (2022), and How Do You Know You Are Meeting Your Global DEI Outcomes? Assessing and Communicating Impact (2022).  

In fall 2023, we jointly published “Models of Change,” the first printed resource from the partnership. This comprehensive open-access publication aims at providing insights and case studies advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) in international higher education. Models of Change: Equity and Inclusion in Action in International Education collates and summarizes practical guidance for professionals seeking to build inclusive, equitable and sustainable communities within their higher education institutions and among the populations they serve. 

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SIT and Dickinson Partnership in Cameroon

SIT and Dickinson College have partnered to create a one-of-a-kind, interdisciplinary study abroad program in Cameroon that is open to all students. This program examines critical issues affecting communities and people in Cameroon, West Africa, and the Global South.

SIT and Dickinson's long presence in Yaoundé and dynamic on-site staff and faculty offer students opportunities to develop an understanding and appreciation of West African and Cameroonian culture and society. Students may choose an intensive French- or English-language program track with no language prerequisites. Through our new collaboration with SIT, we are reimagining study abroad as an opportunity to focus on ethical global engagement, sustainability and inclusion and equity through a local lens. 

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New Program Development

The on-going geopolitical and COVID challenges during this time frame, plus new curricular developments, shifts in student interest and ongoing faculty creativity at Dickinson spurred us to respond with new programs. These are the programs that launched from 2021-23. 


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Dickinson in Georgia in partnership with SRAS
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Dickinson in Washington, DC in partnership with Lutheran Colleges Washington Semester
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Dickinson in New Zealand at the University of Otago

Partner
  • CET Taiwan 
  • CEA CAPA Czech Republic 
  • Accademia Dell’Arte Italy
Short-term, faculty-led

Mosaics 

  • Energy Pasts and Futures: Sustainability and the Energy Transition in Germany (Spring 2022) 
  • Managing Death and Dying in Cross-Cultural Perspective (Spring 2022) 

Globally Integrated  

  • Sex and the City of Light: Early 20th Century Women of Paris, France (Spring 2023) 

Summer Programs 

  • Food Studies in Italy: Bioregions and Food Cultures of Italy- Italy (2022)  

Opportunities and Outcomes

Despite our challenges mid- and post-COVID, we continued to have a lasting, positive impact on our students, faculty, our campus community and the communities in which students learn and engage with abroad.  The data and outcomes below help to tell that story. We are particularly happy to highlight high participation rates of traditionally underrepresented students in study abroad, such as students of color, high need students, first-gen students and student athletes. And we continue to ask who is benefiting and who is not?   

We continue to provide high levels of support to our diverse group of international students as they make their way at Dickinson and find a sense of belonging on our campus. We have reimagined our all-new student orientation to be more inclusive of international students, changing arrival times to better meet student needs and interspersing sessions specifically for international students to meet them where they are.  

We also onboarded and supported several international visiting scholars from Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and China throughout this time frame.

"It's easy to point to all of the trips and sightseeing and recognize the amazing opportunities that arise while studying abroad, but being able to really learn a place all the way across the world is one of the most special parts of abroad. Making a place your home for a few months means walking the same route to class, having a campus meeting spot with friends, and using a grocery store self checkout with an accent. All of those little moments that become normal pieces of your lifestyle are so unique to study abroad because you're not only traveling to, but living in another place, which is something I love to look back on." —Vanessa Daniels '24


Global Internship and Community Engagement Opportunities

Students who study abroad learn in and outside the classroom in many ways, and on our programs their learning is often enhanced through internships and community engagement, like the ones illustrated in these examples from our programs in Bologna, Italy and Toulouse, France.  
 

Faculty Are Central to Everything We Do.

Since 2021, more than 30 (~15%) Dickinson campus-based faculty members have taught in or led CGSE off-campus programs. Whether on campus or off, they bring astoundingly high levels of energy, support and creativity to the work. 

Dickinson faculty members develop and lead short-term programs, serve as on-campus advisors, advise and mentor our incoming exchange students and invite colleagues from all over the world to our campus. They also integrate new perspectives they’ve gained abroad into their courses. And they lift up, advise and support our international students.  Global learning creates amazing opportunities for our students AND supports the growth and development of our faculty. 

“Working with our excellent in-country team to re-open the program during a pandemic gave me ample opportunities to develop important interpersonal and management skills, even while it placed some limitations on my ability to travel for research. The proficiency I achieved in Italian has since proven useful in research, for example on EU relations with North Africa. The new courses I developed on Mediterranean Politics and Media & Politics in Europe enriched my teaching upon my return in related topics, and are helping me develop ideas with colleagues for a possible mosaic program in the near future.”

—Ed Webb, Associate Professor of Political Science & International Studies and Dickinson in Italy: European Studies Faculty Director 2021-22. 


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Study Abroad and International Student Data and Outcomes

“I truly appreciate the effort you and the ISSS [International Student and Scholar Services] team have put into addressing the challenges faced by international students like myself… It's reassuring to know that Dickinson College is dedicated to listening to student voices and improving its support for the international student community. Once again, thank you for your time, diligence, and commitment to our well-being.” —international student from Vietnam, class of 2025 

View the latest data.

Thought Leadership

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The CGSE faculty and staff based in Carlisle and around the world do not only do this excellent work, we share it with colleagues and the field of international education through service, scholarship, presentations, workshops and webinars, and in interviews with the media.

Check out some of what we have all been doing. 


Donor Support

Many of the programs and global learning that happens through the CGSE is made possible by the support of our devoted and visionary donors. The following funds explicitly support CGSE programming: 

  • CHURCHILL FUND: supports global Mosaic programs 
  • DURDEN ANNUAL LITERARY SERIES FUND: supports a literary series for students in the Dickinson inGermany program 
  • DURDEN INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVE FUND: supports independent student-research abroad 
  • GELDRICH-LEFFMAN FUND: supports foreign-language study and the humanities 
  • GOUVERNET FUND: supports programming at the intersection of global and sustainability education 
  • NAUIOKAS FUND: supports programming in Cameroon 
  • NILSSON SCHOLARSHIP: supports personal expenses for a high-need, high-achieving student on the Dickinson in Italy Program, allowing them to take advantage of independent travel and cultural opportunities 
  • ROETHENMUND INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL FUND: supports science majors traveling to the Molecular Frontiers Conference in Europe
  • ROSE SCHOLARSHIP: Fully funded 4-year scholarships for five Ukrainian students. 
  • SAUNDERS FUND FOR THE TOULOUSE CENTER: supports the resident director position for the Dickinson in France program 
  • STREGER-PRICE FUND: supports programming focusing on Israel