Six months after the COVID-19 pandemic upended American life, we’ve experienced more than enough of its sweeping negative impacts across every part of our society. Uncertainty about the future and worry for our families’ daily health and economic well-being. Fear of outsiders and disgraceful racism directed against them. Growing political extremism and stark challenges in making human connections. Vastly unequal impacts on the poor and disadvantaged and an increasing mental health crisis.
Nevertheless, we know from history that societies tend to emerge from pandemics with greater resilience, innovation, and intellectual and economic growth. The end of the Black Death in 14th century Europe quickly led to the end of feudalism, rapidly rising incomes, and astonishing intellectual and cultural ferment in the Renaissance. Centuries later, the influenza pandemic of 1918 fueled explosive growth in public health awareness and policies that led to unprecedented progress in defeating infectious disease, substantially increasing life expectancy. So too, we can already see the glimmer of emerging points of light that promise a better future beyond COVID-19.
Here at UVA, we’ve seen remarkable creativity in using technology to escape the bounds of quarantine to connect, learn, and grow around the world. There is greater awareness of the gaping socio-economic and racial inequalities in our society that the virus so pitilessly exploits – and a strengthening determination to right them. And, there’s a growing realization that whatever walls divide humanity, when it comes to surmounting COVID-19, we’re really in this together.
For this academic year, UVA Global Affairs intends to work tirelessly in building on these positive trends to remain true to UVA’s global aspirations, including working to ensure a global experience for every undergraduate student before graduation.
We will restore and expand our vibrant education abroad programs as soon as it is safe to do so, while seeking to expand philanthropic support for study abroad experiences. We will continue our active efforts to recruit the very best international students to enrich our community and identity as a global university.
We will apply the valuable experience we’ve had in using technology to significantly expand our global internship programs into the virtual sphere and support greater global engagement in UVA’s classrooms.
We will strengthen UVA’s popular Global Studies major with new faculty, course offerings, and a new track. With our newfound appreciation for the importance of global health, we will grow opportunities for virtual and in-person research in the Center for Global Health and the Center for Global Inquiry and Innovation.
And, we will use the ease of online connections to enrich our globally-themed programs for students and faculty, including three conversations with experienced diplomats in the coming weeks.
Stay Global!
