One of most serious impacts of COVID-19 on UVA’s mission last year was the sudden cancellation of every one of our study abroad programs.  Between January and March of 2020, we scrambled to support the return of over 400 of our students, researchers, and faculty back to the United States from such diverse places as China, Italy, Spain, India, and even Antarctica, while engaging with our overseas partners to make sure students participating in longer-term programs for credit would be able to continue their studies remotely without any loss of credit. 

As the pandemic tightened its grip through the year, we worked hard to create global experiences for UVA students through other means, including by launching intensive foreign language training on virtual platforms to replace our summer study abroad courses,  transforming global internships in organizations around the world to online engagements between interns and mentors, and expanding the role of global practitioners in UVA classrooms through the internet in our pilot Global Mentors Program.

These remote experiences taught us new techniques for more resilient global engagement that will enrich our academic programs for years to come.  But for sheer impact on intellectual growth, they cannot compare with the more traditional aspects of education abroad such as living in another culture, trying to understand (and be understood!) on the streets of a foreign capital, and navigating radically different value systems and perspectives far outside our comfort zones. 

Thanks to the advent of increasingly available COVID vaccines and testing for our students and faculty, declining restrictions on international travel, and improving public health conditions in some destinations, we are excited to resume our more traditional education abroad offerings.  Starting this month, the first cohort of UVA students will leave American shores in more than a year to study overseas, including more than 36 undergraduates who will head to one of our longest-running and most popular programs for Spanish language instruction in Valencia.  As we move into the fall, other dormant programs will come back to life elsewhere around the world, before expanding even further in next winter’s J-Term and we hope a full complement of opportunities in the spring semester. 

Students, it’s time to get back into the world!  Please be sure to keep up with the International Studies Office’s website on education abroad opportunities to stay up to date with emerging opportunities, for which we will continue to have financial assistance resources thanks to the continuing generous support we’ve received from donors throughout the pandemic.

This summer, the University will also be lifting the prohibition on faculty and staff travel abroad to allow the resumption of our global research enterprise in full force.  Please stay tuned for details, and be sure to explore the opportunities for funding for global research at the Center for Global Inquiry and Innovation, which is open for business!

Finally, based on the success of our pilot Global Mentors Program this past spring, I am pleased to announce that we are accepting applications from faculty to sponsor an even broader cohort of global practitioners in a hybrid program of in-person and online engagements in UVA classrooms in spring 2022 – find out more here . Global Affairs looks forward to supporting even more global experiences on Grounds through this signature program.

(Image courtesy: International Studies Office)