Global award honors GGC’s innovation in
International Education
G
eorgia Gwinnett is one of
only eight colleges selected by the Institute of International
Education (IIE) to be honored through
its annual Andrew Heiskell Awards for Innovation in International Education. “These are highly competitive,
worldwide awards, and this is GGC’s first international recognition,” said Dr. Stas Preczewski, president. “Everyone
associated with the college should be
proud of this remarkable achievement.” IIE’s Heiskell Awards showcase
today’s most innovative and successful
models for internationalizing the campus, study abroad and international partner-
ship programs, with an emphasis on ini-
tiatives that remove institutional barriers and broaden the base of participation in
study abroad and promote international teaching and learning on campus.
The awards honor the most outstanding
initiatives in international higher educa-
tion among the IIE’s membership associ-
ation of more than 1,300 institutions. This year’s awards recognize five campuses
with the Heiskell Award and three with
honorable mentions, representing six U.S. states as well as the nations of Australia, Morocco and the United Kingdom.
GGC won an honorable mention in
the Internationalizing the Campus award
category for its “Internationalization of the
“I believe it is crucial for my generation to become informed global citizens, and we must be able to put aside our personal biases in order to study topics through cultural lenses which may differ from our own.” – Hope Deraney, ’17
Curriculum: Engaging the World to Develop Global Citizens” Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). The QEP enhances student
learning and the student learning environ-
senior vice president for Academic and
Student Affairs and provost. “This helps graduates be better prepared to live and
work in the expanding global economy.” The QEP strengthens and supports
ment by creating internationalized courses
GGC’s other affordable, interdisciplinary,
and electives, as well as an optional Global
intercultural campus activities.
throughout the core curriculum, majors Studies Certification including foreign
faculty-led, study abroad programs and
languages, study abroad and a Global Studies Capstone course.
Students earning the certification
include political science major Christina “Hope” Deraney, ’17, shown at right.
She plans to pursue a master’s degree in international affairs and an international
career in human rights and gender equality. “The Global Studies Certification has
helped me consolidate my knowledge and have salient, informed opinions about
the current state of international affairs,” said Deraney. She highly recommends
the program to students of all majors for gaining interdisciplinary understanding of their fields of study.
GGC initiated the QEP in 2014 as a
required component for reaffirmation by
its regional accreditor, the Southern Association of College and Schools Commis-
sion on Colleges. GGC recei ved its initial accreditation in 2009 and its next reaffirmation will take place in 2024. “QEP-related internation-
alized courses created by our faculty enrich our students’ educational experience and their intercultural
and global competency,” said Dr. T.J. Arant,
e n g a g e. gg c. e d u
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