For many years, UVA has celebrated Global Week each year in late October to bring attention to the many opportunities for, and benefits of, global engagement – a celebration that takes on special significance this year as we begin to emerge back into the world from more than a year and a half of the COVID-19 pandemic. Please join us for this year’s Global Week from October 23-30 for the many events taking place around Grounds. There will be a passport drive to process passport applications on Grounds for University students, faculty, and staff, including scholarships for students who need assistance in paying the application fee. We will highlight the struggle for democracy in Myanmar with an event featuring UVA’s own resident Burmese democracy activist Myo Yan Naung Thein, and profile the current crisis in Afghanistan. We will feature experienced U.S. diplomats in discussing careers in diplomacy and development experts on careers in international development and humanitarian aid.
Naturally, Global Week will devote substantial attention to supporting the University’s strategic goal of ensuring an opportunity for an international experience for every undergraduate before graduation, particularly as we prepare to restart study abroad programs in a big way. There will be expanded office hours for our education abroad advisors to assist interested students in finding a program to suit each need and resources to pay for it, as well as a panel discussion on how to link study abroad experiences to future career opportunities. There will be an introductory workshop on how to apply for many of the prestigious Global Fellowships available to UVA students, and a session on how to pursue teaching opportunities overseas. We’ll also host a reunion of Global Studies majors who will discuss how their participation in the program opened up new pathways for their professional development. And we will highlight support for the heroic efforts of nurses around the world who have contributed so much to the world’s recovery from COVID.
There will also be substantial opportunities to enjoy a rich array of world cultures here on Grounds, including a special program at the International Residential College and a global café with the University’s acclaimed Volunteers with International Students, Staff and Scholars (VISAS) program. And don’t miss the 34th annual Virginia Film Festival from October 28-31, which this year will feature more than 20 international films including a women’s boxing drama from South Korea (“Fighter”), a Danish animated documentary on the painful memories of an Afghan refugee (“Flee”), shorts from Sudanese filmmakers, Tunisia’s first horror movie (Dachra), and a documentary on the impact of psychological identity on international politics featuring UVA’s own Dr. Vamik Valkan (“Blind Trust”).
(It’s never been so easy to) Stay Global!
