NC State Welcomes the World at Global Partners Day
NC State welcomed the world to campus on May 24 for the inaugural Global Partners Day, a precursor to the NAFSA Annual Conference and Expo in Washington, D.C. The event showcased the university’s opportunities for increased student mobility, innovative models for collaboration, world-class facilities, and more to representatives from partner institutions.
Representatives from the following universities were in attendance: Chulalongkorn University (Bangkok, Thailand); Czech Technical University in Prague (Prague, Czech Republic); Shanghai Jiao Tong University (Shanghai, China); Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Uppsala, Sweden); Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez (Santiago, Chile); Universidad de los Andes (Bogotá, Colombia); University of Copenhagen (Copenhagen, Denmark); University of Freiburg (Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany); University of Manchester (Manchester, England); Universidad de Manizales (Caldas, Colombia); University of Surrey (Guildford, England); Vienna University of Economics and Business (Vienna, Austria).
“NC State continues to open up more avenues for international collaborations, and Global Partners Day is an effective way to show off NC State’s excellence in person and what programs we can offer for strengthening partnerships,” said Bailian Li, senior vice provost for Global Engagement, “This opportunity gave our peers from around the world a chance to network with NC State faculty and professionals and see how we’re leading the way in global higher education.”
Attendees met with NC State faculty, staff and students, took a walking tour of campus, and toured the Gregg Museum of Art & Design, James B. Hunt Jr. Library and Wolf Ridge Apartments. They also attended sessions on support for student mobility, new models for partner collaboration, and student innovation on campus.
NC State Global’s efforts to boost student mobility have greatly paid off in recent years. Due to participation in the Generation Study Abroad initiative, campus participation in study abroad increased more than 50 percent in recent years. The Study Abroad Office also continues to add programs to encourage students to make the world their classroom.
Additionally, NC State Global maintains a commitment to supporting new models of international collaboration. This includes the Global Training Initiative, which develops customized short-term education and training opportunities for students and professionals from around the world. More than 5,500 participants completed GTI programs over the past 10 years.
The Intensive English Program (IEP) expands the university’s international reach by welcoming international students to campus and helping them build academic, cultural, and technological skills that prepare them for life in and out of the American classroom. IEP’s recent piloting of the Pathway Program speaks to NC State’s commitment to truly global education.
This program combines IEP courses and undergraduate credit courses, where students can earn academic credit while in the IEP and receive additional support and advising. All aspects of NC State’s international excellence were on display during Global Partners Day.
“We hope that Global Partners Day will help us work with other universities to share ideas and programs like the ones we’ve grown here at NC State,” said Li. “This will give our students the chance to learn and be successful on campus and wherever they choose to study around the world during their time here.”