UC Davis Global Affairs
ANNUAL REPORT 2020-21
Global Engagement for the Global Good
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1
Message from Vice Provost and Dean Joanna Regulska
2
UC Davis at a Glance
5
2020-21 Global Fast Facts
6 Advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Through Global Education, Engagement and Services 10 Innovating in Remote Global Teaching, Learning, Engagement and Services 18
Partnering to Confront Challenges, Locally and Globally
25 Celebrating Global and International Engagement and Action 30 Inspiring Global Curiosity, Understanding and Engagement 32 Supporting the Future of Global Learning, Research and Engagement
About UC Davis Global Affairs Global Affairs brings the world to UC Davis, welcoming more than 10,000 international students, scholars and leaders, and hosting programs that inspire global curiosity, understanding and engagement. Compelled by the valuable outcomes of thinking globally, we make transformative opportunities a reality by supporting the thousands of students and faculty learning and researching globally—and by facilitating collaborations that tackle the world’s most pressing challenges through more than 150 global partnerships. Putting our vision of a UC Davis community that engages, thrives and leads in this interconnected world into action, Global Affairs is in pursuit of an ambitious goal: Global Education for All.
GLOBAL AFFAIRS MISSION To inspire global curiosity, understanding and engagement.
GLOBAL AFFAIRS VISION We envision a UC Davis community that engages, thrives and leads in an interconnected world.
MESSAGE FROM VICE PROVOST AND DEAN JOANNA REGULSKA Dear friends of UC Davis Global Affairs, At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the traditional ways students connect with global learning opportunities, faculty and staff pursue global engagement, and global partners connect and collaborate across the world, UC Davis is adapting. I invite you to take time to find inspiration in the pages of the 2020-21 UC Davis Global Affairs Annual Report. The continued global pandemic creates an ongoing impact on global education and engagement. Global Affairs is persevering by innovating. We are committed to discovering and strengthening opportunities for collaboration, partnership and exchange for our students, faculty, staff and partners. The Global Learning Hub continues to support our campus community through expanded global learning opportunities and more. Services for International Students and Scholars remains dedicated to supporting international students, scholars, visitors and families from well over 100 countries. In 2020-21, UC Davis also continued to host fellows from around the world joining our campus through prestigious fellowships— both virtually and in-person as programs allowed. From humanitarian efforts and integrated global classrooms to conferences and collaborative seminars, our staff continues to connect across disciplines to advance the work of our faculty, staff and students. Furthering UC Davis’ commitment to social, racial and environmental justice, Global Affairs is proud to partner with Sustainability and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to offer several programs to engage with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Grants for Advancing Sustainable Development Goals to facilitate local and global multidisciplinary faculty work and more. Through this collaboration, UC Davis became one of the first universities to complete a Voluntary University Review of our work within the SDG framework. As we write to you, the world is suffering from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This violence has created catastrophic damage to communities, severed hopes and dreams, and taken and destroyed lives. We are committed to supporting our students and scholars from Ukraine and affected countries and to continuing to strengthen international collaborations and global engagement. These connections help us to rebuild amid the devastation and inspire empathy and compassion for one other. Now more than ever, we must find ways to connect and engage. These pages are dedicated to you: our partners, staff, faculty, students, friends and supporters. Our mission to inspire global curiosity, understanding and engagement remains undeterred. Thank you for your steadfast support and commitment to advancing this critical mission. May 2022 bring joy, health and even more meaningful connection. Sincerely,
Joanna Regulska Vice Provost and Dean - Global Affairs Professor of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies University of California, Davis
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UC Davis AT A GLANCE About UC Davis Founded in 1905, the University of California, Davis, is the most academically comprehensive university on the West Coast and in the University of California system. UC Davis is a public, land-grant, research university with highly-ranked academic programs within four colleges (Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering and Letters and Science) and six schools (Education, Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing and Veterinary Medicine). The 2020-21 student population was 38,440 across over 100 undergraduate and 100 graduate programs. UC Davis is internationally known for working across disciplines to solve the world’s most pressing challenges and for its commitment to artistic and cultural expression. UC Davis earned $968 million in sponsored research funding in 2020-21 and contributes more than $8.1 billion each year to the California economy. Among numerous rankings, UC Davis is recognized as the fifth best public university in the U.S., ranks first in the U.S. and second in the world in veterinary science and agriculture, ranks first among U.S. universities for diversity and internationalization, and ranks first in the U.S. and fifth in the world for campus sustainability.
Innovation and Community During COVID-19 At the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic, UC Davis partnered with the city of Davis to develop and implement Healthy Davis Together. Taking a holistic approach and using real-time data, the unique campus-city partnership includes free COVID-19 testing, contact tracing and vaccine clinics for our global community, as well as resources for quarantine housing and isolation and support for local businesses.
A COVID-19 testing site on the UC Davis campus.
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“I’m incredibly proud of the success of Healthy Davis Together—a collaborative effort between UC Davis and the city of Davis to protect our community against COVID-19. It demonstrates the value a leading research university with a world-class medical center can extend to our surrounding communities,” said UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May. As a part of its comprehensive Campus Ready initiative, UC Davis launched the Aggie Public Health Ambassadors (APHA) program. The roughly 250 student employees are stationed at high-traffic campus locations to model healthy behavior, educate about campus protocols, and encourage healthy choices.
The asymptomatic COVID-19 testing program was established and is run by the UC Davis Genome Center, which uses technology developed originally for use in agricultural genetics and can run thousands of saliva-based tests a day with typical results delivered within 24 hours. Among other international and national recognition, in July 2021, the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities recognized UC Davis as one of two inaugural winners of its Research Response to a Community in Crisis Award.
Student Aggie Health Ambassadors Aliyah Kleckley (left), Justin Arquel (middle) and Rosalinda Ramos (right).
2 | UC Davis Global Affairs 2020-21 Annual Report
Anna Montalvo, a third year nutritional sciences (public health) major, shares, “The APHA program is giving me hands-on experience that relates to what I am studying here at UC Davis. It is making me consider pursuing further studies in public health and/or epidemiology so I can continue to address public health issues and come up with solutions to ensure the safety of our community.” In collaboration with Student Affairs, faculty leaders from the Department of Public Health Sciences at the School of Medicine oversaw training and supervision for the program.
Global Recognition for Global Impact In May 2021, for the second year in a row, UC Davis tied for the first spot for Diversity, Inclusiveness and Internationalization in the QS World University Rankings: USA. This honor followed UC Davis’ recognition as the only university to earn the Platinum Institutional Award for Global Learning, Research and Engagement from the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) and the only comprehensive research university to earn the Senator Simon Award for Comprehensive Campus Internationalization from NAFSA: the Association of International Educators, in 2020.
Global Aggie Scot Marciel ’81 Earns Emil M. Mrak International Award In February 2021, Scot Marciel ’81 was announced as the recipient of the Emil M. Mrak International Award as a part of the 48th annual Alumni Awards. Marciel began his work in public service during his time at UC Davis, where he majored in international relations. His passion led to a Scot Marciel ’81 career in the Foreign Service over the last 36 years, including serving as ambassador to Indonesia and Myanmar and as deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, during which time he also served as the first U.S. ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Marciel was honored for his commitment to UC Davis, holistic approach to addressing critical world issues and embracing of the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion to sustain a culture of mutual respect.
Joanna Regulska Named Founding Member of National Academy for International Education In March 2021, Vice Provost and Dean of Global Affairs Joanna Regulska was named one of 23 founding members of the National Academy for International Education by the Institute of International Education (IIE). The academy will address global challenges and build a more equitable world as members introduce collaborative projects to reduce inequalities—such as racism, xenophobia and sexism—in and through international education.
In February 2021, UC Davis Global Affairs and the Institute of International Education (IIE) earned a Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Award for their ‘Future of International Education: Leadership Perspectives from Around the World’ panel series in the category of special events. The innovative five-part series included regional and global discussions with university presidents and chancellors from across the world. More than 1,100 people from more than 70 countries joined for critical and collective discussions on internationalization and global engagement during COVID-19 and beyond. The full series and a briefing paper of the key themes is available online.
SISS Team Members Recognized with Staff Excellence Awards Services for International Students and Scholars (SISS) within Global Affairs was well-represented in the 2021 UC Davis Staff Excellence Awards program. Tammy Silver, assistant director of student services in SISS, received an honorable mention for the Supervisor Award, and Emily Taylor, systems analyst and SEVIS coordinator, received an honorable mention for the Innovation Award.
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UC Davis Students Earn Scholarships to Advance Their Global Education International Students Launch Projects for the Global Good In the spring of 2021, the Donald A. Strauss Scholarship Foundation awarded two UC Davis students $15,000 each for their high-impact projects in public service or social change at home and abroad. Thanks to this award, international student Chidubem Nnaji, a civil engineering major and construction management minor in the College of Engineering, will see his solar-powered water well project through to completion in Amurri, the community Chidubem Nnaji in Nigeria where Nnaji was born and raised. He hopes that the solar-powered well will adequately serve the community over the next decade and increase knowledge around sustainable practices. “My project aims to provide readily accessible clean and safe water, remove the stress and risk factors associated with traveling long distances for water, and educate families, teachers and young students about the importance of exercising sustainable water practice,” said Nnaji With the Donald A. Strauss scholarship, Rishi Sharma, a biochemistry and molecular biology major in the College of Biological Sciences and an international student from the United Arab Emirates, will develop a free endocrine specialty clinic along with other holistic services at Imani, a Rishi Sharma UC Davis student-run clinic serving the Oak Park community in Sacramento. “I am launching an endocrine clinic to provide allopathic services and fill in the voids created by systemic racism in health care. In the future, I hope to extend this passion by learning more about AI technologies and how they can be leveraged to accelerate metabolic research and improve health care outcomes for humanity,” said Sharma.
Critical Language Immersion In the summer of 2021, a record six UC Davis undergraduate and graduate students received Critical Language Scholarships from the U.S. Department of State to study and master foreign languages that are critical to national security and economic prosperity. Recipients included: Marium Khan (Urdu)—undergraduate cognitive science major, India and South Asia studies minor, College of Letters 4 | UC Davis Global Affairs 2020-21 Annual Report
and Science, Camille Randolph (Arabic)—undergraduate international relations major, global studies minor, College of Letters and Science, Alisha Singh (Punjabi)—undergraduate political science–public service and science and technology studies double major, College of Letters and Science, Jason Sutherland (Japanese)—undergraduate animal science and Japanese double major, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and College of Letters and Science, Aron Tillema (Arabic)—Ph.D. student in religion focusing on Ancient Mediterranean religions, College of Letters and Science, and Sunny Yan (Chinese)—Ph.D. student in history focusing on modern Chinese history, College of Letters and Science.
Marshall Scholarships In December 2020, two UC Davis students, Naomi Murray ’21 and Valencia Scott ’20, were awarded prestigious Marshall Scholarships to pursue advanced degrees at British universities. An evolution, ecology and biodiversity graduate in the College of Biological Sciences, Murray is pursuing two M.S. degrees: one in climate change at University College London and one in science communication at the University of Manchester to help her communicate about climate change. Scott, an anthropology and international relations graduate from the College of Letters and Science, is pursuing a doctorate in criminology at the University of Oxford, focusing on the criminalization of Black Immigrants.
Foreign Affairs Fellowship
Naomi Murray ’21
Valencia Scott ’20
In January 2021, Nina Forest ’20 became the first UC Davis recipient of a Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship, funded by the U.S. Department of State and managed by the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center at Howard University. The fellowship provides Forest, a College of Letters and Science Nina Forest ‘20 graduate, up to $42,000 annually for two years to complete a master’s degree in international affairs—followed by the chance to work at least five years as a Foreign Service officer in Washington, D.C. or at U.S. diplomatic missions around the globe. The program also places her in two internships—one with the U.S. State Department and the other with the Foreign Service overseas.
2020-21 GLOBAL FAST FACTS
14,000+ participants across 130+ virtual events, programs, panels, workshops and presentations
9,900+
students participated in global learning experiences offered through Global Affairs programs, often developed in collaboration with partner units and organizations
7,919
international students (12th most among public U.S. universities)
2,132
international scholars (5th among public U.S. universities) IIE Open Doors, 2019-20
129 students participated in new virtual summer internships across 11 different
program tracks, including global health, design and fashion, green technology, business and communications, human rights and more
173
international agreements and partnerships across
46 countries
3 health and
wellness workshops for Global Affairs staff on resilience, balance and mindfulness
59
Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Conference projects incorporated global perspectives and earned a ‘Global Aggies’ designation
124+ international virtual visitors as a part of delegations from 26+ institutions across 17+ countries
22
students participated in the Global Engagement Opportunity Living and Learning Community where international and domestic students reside together
22
Global Ambassador Mentors from different countries helped welcome new international students to UC Davis
9
42 students from 29+ fields of study worked on virtual global projects with NGOs thanks to
$40,000 in funding from the
Pitzer Foundation, Global Affairs, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and College of Letters and Science
363 students
participated across
27
First Year Seminars courses tied to Global Learning Outcomes
161 students
participated across
10 First Year Aggie
3 Grad Slam
Finalists earned the ‘Global Education for All’ designation for their ties to the Global Learning Outcomes and/ or UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
170+
30
students worked on virtual international teams with students from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China) and Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico)
6+
‘Global across Classroom’ courses through a grant from Universitas 21 (U21)
Connections seminars tied to Global Learning Outcomes
Global Education for All Fellows worked on campus projects
4
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ADVANCING DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION THROUGH GLOBAL EDUCATION, ENGAGEMENT AND SERVICES In April 2021, UC Davis released a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Investments resource showing how the university invests in programs, people and processes to make the university a more diverse, equitable and inclusive place. The resource highlights several Global Affairs commitments.
Global Education for All A commitment to diversity, global engagement and preparing students for an interconnected world drives the campus Global Education for All initiative, which aims to provide 100% of undergraduate, graduate and professional students with global learning opportunities. This Provost’s Priority and goal in UC Davis’ Strategic Plan To Boldly Go focuses on helping students build capacity to collaborate effectively across cultural and geographic boundaries for the global good. Diversity, equity, inclusion, cultural humility and social justice are at the core of our approach to global learning and global learning outcomes. Among Global Affairs’ investments are expanding global learning opportunities and increasing their accessibility through the Global Learning Hub, creating a new advising coordinator position to facilitate equitable access and an intercultural programming team to foster inclusion among international students, supporting students to recognize the value of global/intercultural engagement skills cultivated through lived experience, and fostering the translation of global learning into postgraduate employment and education.
Engagement with Sustainable Development Goals Furthering UC Davis’ commitment to social, racial and environmental justice, Global Affairs partners with Sustainability and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to offer several programs to engage with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a global “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.” Among several investments, Global Affairs supports Grants for Advancing Sustainable Development Goals to facilitate local and global multidisciplinary faculty work across economic, social and environmental objectives. One grant is reserved for a project focused on reducing inequalities, and one grant is reserved for CAMPOS/CAMPSSAH scholars who encompass multicultural perspectives in STEM, social sciences, arts and humanities, and who are expanding the presence of women and underrepresented faculty. 6 | UC Davis Global Affairs 2020-21 Annual Report
UC Davis and APRU Partner to Pilot Asia-Pacific Women in Leadership Mentoring Program In the fall of 2020, in partnership with the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU), Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and nine other institutions, UC Davis Global Affairs and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion launched the pilot of the Asia-Pacific Women in Leadership (APWiL) Mentoring Program. The year-long program has brought together 30 mentor and mentee participants across ten universities to grow the pipeline of aspiring women leaders, increase awareness of challenges that women face, and introduce global and intercultural dimensions of women leadership across the APRU network and beyond. The APRU APWiL is led by co-chairs Sabrina Lin, senior advisor to the president at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Joanna Regulska, vice provost and dean of Global Affairs and a professor of gender, sexuality, and women’s studies at UC Davis, and Program Coordinator Chelsey Hawes, study abroad program coordinator and advisor in the Global Learning Hub within Global Affairs. “We’re thrilled to see what started as an idea bloom into what we hope will be the beginning of a commitment to mentorship and relationship building for the future of women’s leadership around the Pacific Rim,” said Regulska. “Many of the current challenges around the world related to COVID-19 are amplifying the obstacles women face as they
The Asia-Pacific Women in Leadership (APWiL) Mentoring Program was launched on October 30, 2020 with a virtual kick-off meeting hosted by the APRU secretariat in Hong Kong.
continue to advance their professional career. This program is building a network of leaders around the Pacific Rim to mitigate some of these and other ongoing challenges.” One mentorship pair, Jessica Bissett Perea, associate professor in the Department of Native American Studies in the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis, and Yvonne Lim Ai Lian, director of the International Relations Office at the University of Malaysia, organized a seminar in August 2021 to connect faculty, students and alumni from the two universities who conduct research with, by and for Indigenous Peoples and communities. They set up a year-long seminar bringing together faculty from both universities to explore future research collaborations, joint grant proposals, capacity building and global learning opportunities for graduate students. “The APWiL program is significant because it seeks to balance the gender equity scale by bringing together talented scholars from universities around the Pacific Rim, and positioning women in international networks to share best practices and different structures, all of which contribute to building emerging leaders,” said Renetta Garrison Tull, vice chancellor of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Welcoming the World to UC Davis In embracing a diversity of cultural perspectives and in support of international students, scholars, visitors and families from well over 100 countries, Services for International Students and Scholars (SISS) and the Global Learning Hub within Global Affairs conduct several workshops for international students and scholars on a variety of topics, including cultural humility, and teach several staff learning and development courses targeting academic advisors on a wide variety of topics related to international students and scholars, including understanding different cultural perspectives. Global Affairs’ Global Ambassador Mentorship Program focuses on intercultural learning and diversity, equity and inclusion when training students to serve as mentors for incoming international students. Global Affairs maintains connections with more than 296 former fellows from 105 different countries as a part of the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program and 128 African leaders and former fellows from 35 countries through the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. Continued collaborations with these international leaders include projects related to energy access in Côte d’Ivoire, sustainable agriculture in Mexico, female entrepreneurship in Rwanda, and climate action in the U.S.
Supporting Refugees Around the World in Reclaiming Their Right to Education Developed in 2018, Article 26 Backpack is a joint project of UC Human Rights Studies and UC Davis Global Affairs. This multilingual tool safely stores critical academic and other documents digitally, fostering educational and employment
Keith David Watenpaugh (left), professor and director of Human Rights Studies in the College of Letters and Science, leads the Article 26 Backpack project. (Joe Proudman/ UC Davis)
mobility, and building solidarity across different at-risk and refugee communities through its secure sharing capabilities. It is the only universal and secure digital ecosystem that provides a way for refugees and others to curate, store and share their educational documentation. It is free, open to all, and is available in Arabic, Persian, English, French and Spanish. Most importantly, Article 26 Backpack is built on the human rights principle of digital dignity—the idea that everyone has the right to control and share information about themselves, their educational achievements, training and goals without interference by the state or undue regulations, social impediments or costs. Keith David Watenpaugh, professor and director of Human Rights Studies in the College of Letters and Science, leads the project. With the support of the Mastercard Foundation, UC Davis, in collaboration with the Rwandan-based educational NGO, Kepler, has embarked on a project to learn how the UC Davis Article 26 Backpack can help empower refugees to overcome those barriers in Rwanda and elsewhere in SubSaharan Africa. “Drawing on past and ongoing Backpack projects around the world, this pilot project in Rwanda will help determine to what extent Backpack contributes to broader efforts to secure the human right to education for refugees and the forcibly displaced,” said Watenpaugh. “We’re also assessing how the Backpack plays a role in fostering improved agency, self-efficacy, and knowledge of human rights, and in aiding workforce development and the transition to employment. Lastly, we hope to determine if Backpack can be scaled globally and adapted to support educational and training initiatives beyond higher education.” The project also supports and trains ‘Backpack Guides’ in the refugee community and collaborates with the higher education community to increase awareness and implementation of Article 26 Backpack as a resource for admissions and scholarship application processes. “The international nature of Backpack fosters the creation UC Davis Global Affairs 2020-21 Annual Report | 7
of a global community of refugee and displaced students. It also provides opportunities to expand knowledge in host countries and countries of resettlement about the humanity, capabilities and talents of refugee young people,” said Watenpaugh. “Consistent with Human Rights Studies disciplinary practice, the refugee young people using Backpack are not research subjects, rather they are collaborators, and indeed will play an important leadership role in its sustainability and growth.”
on concrete actions to ensure that the tenets of diversity, equity and inclusion inform who we are and what we do every day,” says Lazzara. “Our expressed desire is to foster an inclusive global community—rooted in belonging—and reject discrimination and exclusion in all its forms.”
As people set up their ‘Backpack,’ they will have access to advising, college counseling and broader career development, such as opportunities to create employment application materials, including resumes and statements of purpose.
“We are committed to addressing systemic racism, reducing inequalities and closing opportunity gaps in higher education—including for international, transnational and transcultural students,” says Regulska.
In spring 2021, Watenpaugh launched an internship program for students to support the research and outreach needed to implement Backpack in locations throughout the U.S., Middle East, South America, Central America and Southeast Asia. Fourteen students in majors such as international relations and political science split into five teams. Focusing on different regions of the world, the student teams took part in outreach and partnership-building, setting up meetings and offering workshops to help set up Backpacks as well as create multilingual instructional videos to enable more selfservice enrollment. “Over the last few months working as an intern for Article 26 Backpack, I’ve seen how impactful a tool it is for displaced young people,” said Jeneva Toolajian, a political science major and human rights minor in the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis. “When the crisis began in Afghanistan [in 2021], we were able to help hundreds of Afghans enroll in Backpack and protect their documents, even from thousands of miles away. I believe that Backpack is the future of educational mobility and self-determination, which is why I’m so excited to begin working in partnership with educators in Rwanda. I think that working together, we’ll be able to make a huge difference,” said Toolajian.
Global Affairs Prioritizes Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Through New Task Force At UC Davis Global Affairs, diversity, equity and inclusion and global engagement go hand in hand. Since its inception, Global Affairs has worked to embed this commitment across its programming, training, services and resources. In support of this ongoing commitment to fostering a culture that thinks and acts in accordance with the values of diversity, equity and inclusion, Global Affairs convened a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Task Force, supported by Joanna Regulska, vice provost and dean for Global Affairs, and Michael Lazzara, associate vice provost for Academic Programs and Partnerships in Global Affairs. “The goal of this task force is to develop a vision and advise 8 | UC Davis Global Affairs 2020-21 Annual Report
The work of the task force includes presenting a broad DEI vision, articulating specific steps to translate that vision into action and suggesting methods for assessing success and impact.
Since February 2021, the Global Affairs DEI Task Force has met monthly to discuss a variety of programs and resources and has created small working groups tasked to move these goals forward. “Through the Global Affairs DEI Task Force, we have identified a myriad of resources thanks to input from task force members, experts within Global Affairs and faculty and staff across campus,” says Marianne McClelland, a member of the task force and international agreements manager for Global Affairs. “These contributions are helping us advance diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice both internally within Global Affairs and externally with our global partners. Our task force is also recommending strategies to deepen individual and organizational commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice through policies, programs and practices in an effort to inspire community and understanding in responding to local and global issues. Of these strategies, some of the anticipated impactful recommendations include conducting a holistic review of DEI in Global Affairs hiring practices to implement best practices to recruit and retain a diverse workforce.” Outcomes of this work include coordinating DEI workshops for Global Affairs staff on allyship and gender pronouns, launching Global Affairs intranet web pages that provide resources, such as articles, policies, book and movie recommendations, and regularly disseminating DEI information from around campus to Global Affairs staff. They will continue to work on refining and developing policies, creating opportunities for impactful conversation and offering programming for Global Affairs staff, the campus community, and colleagues around the world.
Bringing Focus on Cultural Humility and Intercultural Leadership Through Global Learner Series In the winter of 2021, Global Affairs partnered with the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) to launch a Becoming a Global Learner Leadership Series for a cohort of undergraduate students from 17 universities, including UC Davis, to explore the concepts of culture, cultural values, identity and power, as well as engage in a deeper
reflection on how they and others “make meaning,” evaluate intercultural dynamics, address inequality, and deal with conflict.
WHAT STUDENTS HAD TO SAY “It has allowed me to adopt a cultural awareness of other people and develop cultural humility before jumping to conclusions and judging others.” “It was remarkable for me to be able to differentiate between identity and culture and my classmates’ experiences were really insightful.” “I loved being able to apply the D.I.E. (describe, interpret, evaluate) strategy to a real-life example and to see how I can implement that in my daily life.” “It gave me an understanding of how I approach conflicts, which will guide me in the future to foster meaningful relationships by changing my style depending on the counterpart.” “I learned to embrace diversity.” “I will remember the amazing experience broadening my personal understanding by hearing international perspectives.”
Global Community Emergency Fund Global Affairs launched the Global Community Emergency Fund in October 2020 to provide direct support to members of the UC Davis community including visiting scholars, students, faculty and their families who have an urgent and immediate financial need related to natural disasters, humanitarian crises, and other circumstances beyond their control. Chancellor Gary S. May and Provost Mary Croughan generously committed $50,000 to support an effort to bring visiting scholars from Afghanistan to join the UC Davis community. Thanks to the generous support of donors during our October Crowdfund UC Davis campaign, Global Affairs raised additional funds for the Global Community Emergency Fund.
Global Aggies: Amplifying Global LGBTQ History in the Classroom and Across East Asia An expert in East Asian studies dedicated to advancing LGBTQ history through international collaborations, Howard Chiang is an associate professor in the College of Letters and Science’s Department of History. His pioneering threevolume Global Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) History, for which he served as editor-in-chief, won the 2020 Dartmouth Medal thanks to its merging of global LGBTQ history into one resource with contributors hailing from nearly 40 different countries.
Howard Chiang is an associate professor of history specializing in East Asian studies. (Howard Chiang/ UC Davis)
Born in Taiwan and raised in Canada, Chiang says that he appreciated working with experts in fields different from his own area of specialization throughout the crosscultural editorial and research process. “This includes the stellar board of seven associate editors that co-edited the encyclopedia with me, as well as the hundreds of authors who contributed,” he said. “I enjoyed learning about queer actors, stories and events in the past and, by extension, synthesizing them into a framework.” For Chiang, the Global Encyclopedia of LGBTQ History represents a work of synthesis that highlights the need for and importance of international collaboration in LGBTQ history. “Within national or local contexts, LGBTQ subjects tend to be invisible, which makes the study of their history challenging,” Chiang said. “Collaboration helps scholars overcome obstacles that might otherwise hinder their individual research. Knowing people, becoming networked and learning from each other are very crucial for a small, but growing, field like LGBTQ history.” When it comes to his students, helping them understand how gender and sexual minorities have been treated in different areas of the world plays a key role in fostering their appreciation for cultural differences. To enhance intercultural competency, empathy and connection, Chiang emphasizes the importance of reading scholarly work in gender studies and taking courses in the history of sexuality. “This helps both students and teachers become more fully engaged with global trans and LGBTQ history and aid in the expansion and interdisciplinary nature of the fields,” he said. As a part of the Global Education for All initiative at UC Davis, Global Affairs recently launched our Global Aggies Award for LGBTQIA+ Rights. This grant will support UC Davis student global learning and engagement that advances the wellbeing and rights of LGBTQIA+ communities worldwide.
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INNOVATING IN REMOTE GLOBAL TEACHING, LEARNING, ENGAGEMENT AND SERVICES Teaching and Learning
Designing Global Classrooms for Real-World Challenges Thanks to a grant from Universitas 21 (U21) during 202021, UC Davis partnered with Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico and Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China to create a Global Classroom framework for teaching the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With support from Global Affairs, UC Davis faculty—across four courses in functional apparel design, plant biochemistry, housing and social policy, and social change and agriculture development—leveraged cross-institutional modules and complementary courses with partner faculty abroad. As a result, more than 170 UC Davis students worked on real-world projects, learning to navigate time zones, virtual platforms and language barriers, while gaining awareness and contributing to several SDGs, such as SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being, SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities and SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. In one course, Gozde Goncu-Berk, an assistant professor in the College of Letters and Science, worked with a colleague at Tecnológico de Monterrey on her course objective for students to design and present on novel textile-based wearable products that support human physical, mental and emotional well-being. “We had teams targeting kids who are in distance learning, adults with knee problems, and people recovering from COVID,” said Goncu-Berk. “One of the teams designed a distance-learning apron for students. It was an electronic, textile-based apron. It was like a second layer of interactive communication for children.” In another Global Classroom, Li Tian, a professor in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, taught a plant biochemistry course while her colleague at Shanghai Jiao Tong University taught a corresponding course on traditional medicine. Ashna Nayyar, a student from the College of Biological Sciences, was one of the 58 students from UC Davis who benefited from exploring global perspectives and approaches to learning. “The course taught me how to process what I was learning through a critical lens,” Nayyar said. “One of the most beautiful parts of this project was applying classroom knowledge, not only to our lives, but also extending that knowledge to think about how it could benefit people globally, which was quite enlightening for me.” 10 | UC Davis Global Affairs 2020-21 Annual Report
New Summer Sessions Courses and Revamped Minor Support Students as Global Change Makers Aligning with the campus goal and Provost’s Priority of Global Education for All, Global Affairs launched two courses in June 2021 through Undergraduate Education’s Summer Sessions and revamped the Global Studies minor, which began in fall 2021. During the course ‘Becoming a Global Professional: How to Prepare for Careers in an Interdependent World,’ students constructed resumes that reflected global and intercultural experiences and developed networking skills within the frame of cultural humility, resilience and adaptive thinking. During the course ‘Becoming a Global Collaborator: Innovative and Inclusive Ways to Address Global Challenges,’ students linked their studies with global challenges and solutions, such as those articulated by the SDGs, while exploring ways to make a difference in their careers, communities and lives. Similarly, the revised Global Studies minor is interdisciplinary and open to undergraduate students from all majors. The minor is focused on building global awareness, engaging global diversity, practicing global action and preparing for today’s global job market and interconnected society.
Virtual and Experiential Programs Provide More Access During the summer of 2021, thanks to $40,000 in funding from the Pitzer Foundation as well as UC Davis Global Affairs, the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the College of Letters and Science, 42 students from more than 29 fields of study—from business to biology to design to food science to Spanish—had the opportunity to work on virtual projects with organizations and/or peers in Germany, Haiti, Italy, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Sierra Leone,
Singapore, South Africa, Ukraine and elsewhere around the globe. Programs were coordinated through Team4Tech, API Innovation Lab, People and Friends Global Entrepreneurship and Omprakash Widening Circles Program. The 42 undergraduate, graduate and professional students contributed to and learned through real-world engagements and reflected on the challenges and possibilities of international and intercultural collaboration. Grantees reflected a diversity of UC Davis students: 74% were people of color, 33% were identified as underrepresented minorities, 31% were transfer students and 21% were international students. Many award recipients reported that the funding and the virtual program design facilitated their participation.
WHAT PARTICIPANTS HAD TO SAY “I’ve always wanted to participate in a study abroad program. But as a single mother, my situation limits my ability to travel abroad. This virtual internship was exciting and intriguing. We had frequent virtual tours through VR glasses of places like Hong Kong and New York. I had the opportunity to learn fascinating things about my team members and how business structure differs all around the world. My experience in People and Friends will prepare me for my career path in business and entrepreneurship.” “Our diverse team came from vast parts of the world such as the U.S., Poland, England and the Philippines. This program challenged us to work together to help reduce inequalities…We joined our two passions, healthcare and education, and developed the idea to make a series of children’s books that will highlight different disabilities to educate and advocate for the disabled community in a child-friendly way…Our goal is to produce at least ten books on ten different disabilities, some well-known and some that are not as commonly acknowledged.” “I am an international student, and I’ve always worked as part of international teams, which made me seek out international experiences…I am very grateful for the immense learning opportunity on so many levels, from people skills to international work to communication, presentations, negotiating and persuasion, but most importantly for learning so much about myself.”
get that type of engagement and interaction from this virtual program.” In addition, the Global Learning Hub launched new Virtual Summer Abroad Internships for the summer of 2021. In total, 125 undergraduate, graduate and professional students participated across 11 different programs, including Business and Communication (Argentina); Business and Communication (Japan); Comparative Global Health (worldwide); Counseling and Humanitarian Action (Jordan); Design and Fashion (worldwide); Engineering and Computer Science (worldwide); Global Health in Ghana (Ghana); Green Technology, Sustainability and Environment (worldwide); Human Rights and Social Impact (South Africa); and International Development (worldwide).
Global Learning Conference Prepares Students and Alumni for Global Future Over 700 students and alumni advanced their global perspectives and professional skills during the second annual Global Learning Conference: Preparing for Your Global Future in an Evolving World, held virtually in April 2021.
“The Global Learning Conference emphasizes global engagement as a continuous, life-long pursuit that can take many forms. It’s an exciting and synergistic space linking diverse attendees with global industry, disciplinary experts, career coaching professionals and peers,” said Zachary Frieders, executive director of the Global Learning Hub within Global Affairs. “Our aim is to both help students translate their global experiences into postgraduate opportunity, and to spark just global impact across the UC Davis community.”
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The conference’s 30 sessions included plenaries, networking and panels on global learning, public service opportunities and career development. In addition to the sessions, participants were able to network within the conference app; there were 48 student-initiated discussions and more than 5,400 messages in community discussions and private chats.
“The program has taught me about team dynamics in being flexible with various team changes and working with like-minded individuals who all come from different experiences and cultures. It has also been helpful that we were taught a certain skill and given the opportunity to apply those skills right as we learned them. Active learning has proven to be beneficial to my academic goals, so it was great to UC Davis Global Affairs 2020-21 Annual Report | 11
“The virtual conference gave participants an opportunity to learn from and interact with students and professionals from around the world. In addition to fostering connections during isolating times, students learned how to articulate and market their global skills in preparation for a global professional future. Seeing students enthusiastically engage with peers and global leaders throughout the weekend was refreshing and inspiring,” shares Paula Levitt, assistant director for global experiential learning in the Global Learning Hub within Global Affairs. The Global Affairs Advisory Council was among the more than 20 conference sponsors and several council members shared their expertise by participating in sessions, including Institute of International Education (IIE) President Allan E. Goodman, GCA Law Partners LLP Partner Naoki Shimazaki ’80 and Paradigm Sports President Eivind Lange III ’77. Additional alumni speakers included Toni Cusumano ’94 and Marisa Liao ’08.
WHAT PARTICIPANTS HAD TO SAY “It was incredibly helpful to hear the personal experiences of professionals and the various global paths.” “The networking breakout rooms with global professionals in long-term careers proved extremely insightful.” “I have a deeper understanding of globally-focused career paths.” “Having the global consultant there to provide insight into how employers evaluate candidates and having someone direct from LinkedIn was valuable.” “The global pandemic has made it difficult for daily life. It was refreshing and even therapeutic to attend the Global Learning Conference. I really enjoyed learning from different professionals.”
Showcasing All That Global Learning Has to Offer The Global Learning Hub revamped its annual Study Abroad Fair into a more comprehensive Global Learning Showcase in the fall of 2020. Held online, the showcase reached 550 students, advisors and professionals through 28 sessions over three days. The first day focused on understanding global learning and leadership and included sessions such as Global Learning 101, LGBTQIA+ Identity in a Global Context, and Going Global after Graduation. The second day featured sessions highlighting funding opportunities, Peace Corps experiences, and global internships and fellowships. The final day spotlighted study abroad and funding opportunities. During 2020-21, Global Affairs programs, often in collaboration with partner units and organizations, engaged more than 9,900 students in global learning. 12 | UC Davis Global Affairs 2020-21 Annual Report
New Career Development Series The Global Learning Hub’s newly launched Global Career Development Series offered 17 events over 2020-21, reaching more than 500 attendees. Events were often co-led with organizations such as LinkedIn, Peace Corps, the California Aggie Alumni Association, the Humboldt Berlin Internship Program and the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. Sessions supported students and alumni in preparing for their global futures, building their global brands, finding jobs and internships, and learning about global research, teaching and service opportunities near and far.
First Year Aggie Connections and First Year Seminars Have Strong Global Ties Ten First Year Aggie Connections brought together 161 students in sessions tied to Global Learning Outcomes, such as “A Sense of Place,” “Black America & Entrepreneurship,” “Global Aggies Facing Global Challenges,” “Spoken World Storytelling” and “Multilingual Aggies.”
Engagement UC Davis Leads Virtual Humphrey Fellowship Leadership Workshops and Multi-Campus Seminar Series Despite not being able to host an in-person cohort of Hubert H. Humphrey Fellows in 2020-21 due to COVID-19, UC Davis worked with all the Humphrey Fellowship Program campuses to host virtual workshops and seminars. Throughout two leadership enhancement workshops in March and April 2021, more than 60 fellows from 40 countries explored evidence-based approaches to leadership behavior—such as learning how to articulate a vision and create motivated organizational cultures—as well as the need for leadership to address challenges on local, national and global scales and the use of digital platforms for global connections. Building on the U.S. Department of State’s strategic goals to assist Hubert H. Humphrey Fellows in developing and refining tangible career skills, five host universities of the Humphrey Fellowship Program joined together to provide
Humphrey Fellows from several campuses joined by Global Affairs staff as they take part in the Multi-Campus Seminar Series.
a comprehensive Multi-Campus Seminar Series. During the 16-week program, UC Davis, Cornell University, Syracuse University, University of Minnesota, and Vanderbilt University hosted sessions on topics such as conflict resolution, communications and understanding unconscious bias. The series provided fellow-to-fellow co-learning and networking opportunities among cohorts in a virtual space. Humphrey Fellows affiliated with UC Davis and other institutions also provided valuable research support for UC Davis’ first Voluntary University Review on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development (SDGs). Tatevik Markosyan (Cornell University, 2020-21, Armenia), and Natalya Minchenko (Cornell University, 2020-21, Belarus) participated in a virtual professional affiliation with UC Davis, during which they reviewed spring 2021 UC Davis course descriptions and compared these with SDG targets and indicators to assess whether the courses covered SDGrelevant content. Vindyani Jayasinghe (UC Davis, 201920, Sri Lanka) laid groundwork for this analysis during her in-person professional affiliation with UC Davis in 2019. The analytical work performed by the three Humphrey fellows provided significant support to the overall course assessment, which found that 1,408 out of 2,647 spring 2021 courses contained SDG-related content. Read more about the Voluntary University Review on page 20.
UC Davis (Virtually) Welcomes Back Mandela Washington Fellows UC Davis Global Affairs virtually hosted its fifth cohort of fellows in June and July 2021 as a part of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship program of the U.S. Department of State’s Young African Leaders Initiative. From UC Davis’ first cohort in 2016 to this year’s, the university has hosted 128 Mandela Washington Fellows. The 2021 cohort of 29 fellows included engineers, doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs and leaders in public health and medicine, energy, gender equity, education, water resources, environmental protection, governance, public management and more. While remaining in their home countries, Mandela Washington Fellows participated in leadership training, networking, mentoring and professional development. Session speakers and special guests included UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May, Provost and Executive Vice
Uplifting and Educating Women to Solve Global Inequalities Born in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, to a family of teachers, 2021 UC Davis Mandela Washington Fellow Titchinmin Kone has always felt passionate about the sciences. After six years of practicing data analysis and marketing, Kone realized there was a lack of accurate data on population patterns in her country. Working collaboratively, Kone created a panel data collection app called MondSonage.app to combat misinformation and inaccurate data mining. “I think the Mandela Washington Fellowship helps me to communicate more effectively and to be aware of the best practices to share my app. Surely, the fact that we are having it online has changed our experience of the Fellowship, but it is a new professional world itself that has been challenged,” Kone said. “So, we must take full advantage of every little opportunity we have to learn how to engage people more effectively.” Kone and many in her cohort actively engage with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As a woman in a scientific field, Kone is passionate about SDG 5: Gender Equality, and looks for ways to uplift and educate other women to solve global inequalities. “We cannot reach the other goals on poverty eradication and innovations if women are not empowered and girls educated,” Kone said. Chancellor Mary Croughan, Vice Provost and Dean of Global Affairs Joanna Regulska, City of Davis Mayor Gloria Partida, City of Davis Vice Mayor Lucas Frerichs and faculty and community partners.
Insights From International Scholars
Chancellor May (top row, center) during his session with the Mandela Washington Fellowship.
As a part of International Education Week in November 2020, Services for International Students and Scholars within Global Affairs put together an expert panel on Communication with Impact. The discussion, led by international scholars from the Department of Communication and Department of Computer Science, brought together more than 90 participants and focused on how communication, media and technology affect behavior, health and well-being. UC Davis Global Affairs 2020-21 Annual Report | 13
Global Affairs Services
with direct training on fostering, hiring and supporting this important aspect of university life.
Staff Learning and Development Courses Bolster International Community at UC Davis
“In order to provide immigration and visa services for international faculty, researchers and other academic visitors, SISS depends on host department staff to provide much of the information needed to arrange for visa support and work authorization for scholars,” says Wesley Young, director of SISS within Global Affairs. “We offer courses in three areas: J-1 visas, H-1B visas and Permanent Resident cases.”
As a global campus, UC Davis aims to address the challenges faced by students and scholars from all around the world. By addressing the impact challenges have in both their local and global contexts, Global Affairs supports students and scholars arriving at the university from other areas within the region, state, country and world. Global Affairs provides a plethora of training resources that help staff support scholars and students throughout their global educational journeys by offering staff learning and development courses through Services for International Students and Scholars (SISS) and the Global Learning Hub. As part of the Global Education for All initiative, Global Affairs launched the brand-new staff learning and development course, Advising for Global Impact: Helping Your Students Become Globally Engaged. The course has been accepted as a formal elective for the UC Davis Academic Advising Certificate, Level One. “As the Global Learning Hub integrates global learning into the UC Davis campus culture and curriculum, it is vital that we build systems that support advisors and other campus stakeholders,” says Brianne Holden, director (interim), global learning advising and outreach in the Global Learning Hub within Global Affairs. “By staff members completing the new Advising for Global Impact course, students are one step closer to emerging from their educational experiences at UC Davis as community members who approach their posteducational endeavors with empathy and understanding of differences—and with skills to help them navigate global challenges.” The Advising for Global Impact course aims to arrive at three major outcomes: sharing skills, resources and advising frameworks; orienting the advising community to the wide range of opportunities that the Global Learning Hub offers; and sharing key resources and tools that advisors can most readily share with their students. Additionally, advisors are given the opportunity to collaboratively address relevant global issues. Ultimately, Advising for Global Impact provides an opportunity to build networks and connections and discuss global learning activities that are happening across campus, in addition to the offerings within the Global Learning Hub, because global learning is relevant to domestic students, international students, undergraduate, graduate and professional students, faculty and staff.
INTERNATIONAL SERVICE MISSION Global learning plays an essential part in helping scholars and students build skills that prepare them to navigate different cultural, political and regulatory environments. With this in mind, Global Affairs offers a host of staff learning and development courses through SISS that provide staff 14 | UC Davis Global Affairs 2020-21 Annual Report
SISS makes sure host department staff work closely with SISS advisors to provide what is needed to get international scholars here in a safe and timely manner and also facilitate work authorization for scholars who will be working at UC Davis. “When visas and work authorization are obtained in a timely and smooth manner, international scholars and their families can focus on the many other challenges of coming to a new and different culture to live and work,” says Simone Kueltz, assistant director of international scholar services for SISS. “If these things are difficult, the transition can be even more stressful than usual and can even derail the purpose of coming to UC Davis in the first place. So technical details that may seem like a bureaucratic bother can greatly affect the sense of welcome.” Furthermore, she says that the courses also help host department staff better understand the challenges faced by new international scholars and their families. This often leads to a greater sense of empathy on the part of host department staff and more appreciation for both the knowledge international scholars bring and their contributions to the cultural variety of our community. “Because the research conducted by UC Davis faculty is highly specialized, there is often a very small community of scholars located around the world who can fully understand and contribute to the collaborative effort that most scientific fields require to make progress,” says Kueltz. “Even outside of STEM disciplines, scholarly collaboration is often a prerequisite for successful research and publication. This same logic that explains the benefits of a diverse group of scholars on research and teaching extends to the service mission of UC Davis.” Kueltz says that international students share in the rich diversity of faculty research and subsequent discovery of new knowledge, noting that a recent survey found that over 30 percent of UC Davis faculty members did their first university degree outside of the United States. “UC Davis faculty and researchers work to provide solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems—hunger, climate change, international conflict, just to name a few,” she says. “The mission of UC Davis is to make the world a better place, whether that be in our community, in our state, in our nation, and even in other countries. That is the university’s service mission, and SISS is proud to play a role in its success, especially through these courses.”
Global Ambassadors Provide Mentorship and Support, Near and Far When coming into a new environment, finding an uplifting community is vital for feeling welcomed, unafraid, and eager to explore. Through the Global Ambassador Mentorship Program at UC Davis, new first-year and transfer undergraduate international students are matched with current students based on similar social and academic interests in order to foster a greater sense of belonging and friendship. Through social events like group dinners in downtown Davis and game nights, new students and their mentors share their cultures and develop relationships based on cultural awareness and mutual appreciation.
for International Students and Scholars within Global Affairs reached thousands of participants by hosting several webinars based on the latest government and campus policies, world events and in-demand topics. Webinars featured immigration attorneys to offer information about the latest U.S. government policies, the State of California Franchise Tax Board to discuss how to file taxes, and specialized webinars focused on listening to concerns from students and scholars from countries heavily impacted by COVID-19 or other challenges. Meeting the UC Davis international community online became an effective way to answer questions and provide support for students and scholars located all over the world.
The Global Ambassador Mentors are students eager to help incoming international students navigate U.S. university culture while also honoring students’ home culture, like Arista Wu, a fourth-year civil and environmental engineering major who says: “The collaborations and the bridging formed between individuals from different countries and cultural backgrounds enrich everyone’s perspective, for there is shared knowledge of others’ cultures.” Being that the mentors are current students, they understand the challenges of adjusting to a new university and often give practical and personalized advice to their student mentees. Margaret “Macy” Lee, a Global Ambassador Mentor and third-year psychology and international relations double major, offers some advice: “Remember that in your journey in college, do everything with a purpose and with empathy. Focus on what matters and be yourself and everything else will follow.”
INTERNATIONAL SCHOLAR SPOTLIGHT Originally from China, married couple and UC Davis international scholars Yan Yun and Jane Wang came to UC Davis for six years, following their doctoral studies at the University of Newcastle in Australia. Drawn to UC Davis for its high-quality research and diverse community, Yan joined as a researcher focusing on reproductive biology in females in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics in the College of Biological Sciences. The couple has enjoyed traveling and visiting nearby sites such as San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Monterey, and Lake Berryessa with their young daughter (all pictured together).
Student mentors can help ease the transition for new international students as they acclimate to life in the United States at UC Davis. (Karin Higgins/ UC Davis)
In-Demand Webinars for International Students and Scholars In addition to ongoing webinars and orientations for UC Davis’ more than 10,000 international students and scholars—ranging from informal virtual coffee hours to formal Optional Practical Training (OPT) and Curricular Practical Training (CPT) workshops—in 2020-21, Services UC Davis Global Affairs 2020-21 Annual Report | 15
GLOBAL LEARNING
SPOTLIGHTS STUDENTS PUT ENGINEERING AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS INTO GLOBAL PRACTICE
Jennifer Lainez works remotely with leaders at Reforestamos in Mexico.
During fall 2020, students in a UC Davis University Writing Program engineering writing class had a new way to engage in global collaborations thanks to an industry partnership. Students put professional writing and communication skills into practice through ten small-scope, high-impact projects offered by companies based in Austria, Germany, Ireland, Mexico and Spain. They met with global project leads over Zoom, researched benchmarks and technologies, wrote a series of status reports, and presented a final report to their industry partners. The project was created by Brad Henderson, University Writing Program continuing lecturer and STEM writing specialist, in collaboration with Telanto, an Academic Business Network and technology platform that fosters collaboration between universities and industry. “The projects require students to apply a mix of core engineering and professionalism skills—problem-solving, system thinking, teamwork, project management, business savvy, cultural awareness, globality and, of course, advanced elements of oral and written communication,” said Henderson. Through the course, Jennifer Lainez, an aerospace science and engineering major in the College of Engineering, worked with Reforestamos, a nonprofit consortium in Ciudad de México, Mexico interested in using automation to reseed land damaged by drought, fire, disease or over-logging.
GLOBAL AFFAIRS INTERNSHIPS
Santiago J Garcia Martin, pictured here in his native country, Mexico, was motivated to become a UN Sustainable Development Goals intern because of his passion to improve and protect the natural environment.
Global Affairs established the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Internship in Spring 2020 as an opportunity for undergraduate students to gain knowledge and professional skills by engaging with the SDGs. Since then, 12 students have participated in the internship program, which provides academic credit. The program is open to students from all majors, and has included interns who are focused on international relations, political science, global disease biology, human development, biochemical engineering, civil engineering, environmental studies and landscape architecture, among others. The SDG interns have assisted Global Affairs in gathering data on SDG activities across campus, planned and supported virtual events with partners on campus and with other universities, and conducted outreach to inform student organizations about the SDGs and opportunities for involvement. Global Affairs established the Global Centers, Latin America and Caribbean Internship in fall 2020 for undergraduate students who are interested in supporting UC Davis linkages with the region. The interns have collected information on UC Davis activities and student organizations that are connected to the region, and have conducted outreach to learn about and amplify collaborations between UC Davis and institutions operating in the region.
16 | UC Davis Global Affairs 2020-21 Annual Report
GLOBAL AGGIES: VENTURING ACROSS CULTURAL AND VIRTUAL LANDSCAPES
Now an alumna of the UC Davis College of Letters and Science, Christal Juarez ’20, studied abroad in Switzerland through the summer program, The Politics of Global Inequality, before working as a student advisor in the Global Learning Hub in Global Affairs. “I began to truly see myself as a globally engaged student, and felt compelled to seek out more global experiences,” Juarez said. Through Global Affairs, Christal Juarez was introduced to and participated in the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) student leadership program as well as the UC Education Abroad (UCEAP) Human Rights and Cultural Memory program in Argentina and Chile. During her final year at UC Davis, Juarez put her interest in the SDGs from her time abroad into action back on campus as a part of the virtual Global Affairs SDG Internship.
Christal Juarez in Geneva, Switzerland, outside of the United Nations’ historic Palais des Nations.
GLOBAL EDUCATION FOR ALL FELLOWS LAUNCH PROGRAMS BY STUDENTS, FOR STUDENTS
“Many of the conferences, webinars and gatherings that were happening outside of UC Davis have turned into virtual events, which means that I’ve actually been able to participate in events that may have otherwise been limited to me geographically,” she said. “I feel enormously grateful to be receiving a degree in higher education, and deeply feel that it is my job to create those spaces for future students who are and are not like me.” Read Christal’s full Global Aggies story.
Throughout the year, the 2020-21 UC Davis Global Education for All Fellows worked together and with others across and beyond UC Davis to advance Global Education for All. Some of the programs include the launch of Global Aggies Near and Far, a podcast series featuring Aggies in California and beyond; Student Farming Around the World, a three-part symposium series on agricultural sustainability; and Travel by Zoom, virtual events hosted by fellows aimed at learning more about world regions with peers who are from those regions or have spent significant time there. Focusing on food as it relates to the health of animals, people and the planet, one group of fellows supported a session at the campus One Health Symposium. Another team of fellows planned focus groups to improve graduate and professional student advising resources focused on global learning, while others served on the Global Education for All Steering Committee.
Global Education for All Fellows alongside students from other universities during a Zoom meeting for the Student Farming Around the World project.
INTERNATIONAL BIOCHEMISTRY QUIZZES
In spring 2021, Distinguished Professor in the College of Biological Sciences Walter Leal organized and moderated a set of virtual and international biochemistry quizzes. Leal brought together students from UC Davis and Cardiff University in Wales to compete, including answering questions related to SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19 illness. “I am absolutely delighted to provide this opportunity for our students to learn biochemistry, have fun, work as teams and build international ties,” said Leal. “Yes, remote learning is challenging, but it also creates new opportunities.”
Ironic Bonds captain Catherine Rodriguez, upper right, answers a question about SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease, or COVID-19.
UC Davis Global Affairs 2020-21 Annual Report | 17
PARTNERING TO CONFRONT CHALLENGES, LOCALLY AND GLOBALLY Advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) “The SDGs connect UC Davis with the world and provide us with a globally recognized framework for collaborations that find solutions for today’s most critical global challenges,” said Joanna Regulska, vice provost and dean of Global Affairs. “The SDG Agenda connects the local and global, which is critical—especially in the midst of COVID-19, as we mitigate challenges in California and around the world.” “The 2030 Agenda, and the Sustainable Development Goals that are a part of this Agenda provide a collective vision for the future of humanity and the planet. They are equally relevant to local communities, national policy conversations and international cooperation. For UC Davis, engagement in this framework opens new avenues to work collaboratively with researchers, educators and leaders around the world
UC DAVIS CHANCELLOR JOINS STATEMENTS ON SUSTAINABILITY GOALS Chancellor Gary S. May reaffirmed UC Davis’ commitment to a better planet by joining with 57 other university leaders around the world on a statement calling for action on the SDGs announced at an online forum hosted by Zhejiang University in China in April 2021. “With less than ten years left to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals…it is more important than ever for the global community to mobilize for collective resolve and accelerated action,” the statement said.
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for a common purpose: to forge sustainable and inclusive solutions to today’s most vexing challenges,” said Jolynn Shoemaker, director of global engagement in Global Affairs. Read more in the Forum on the UN SDGs Spotlight on pages 21-22
Global Conversations Series Global Affairs launched a virtual Connecting with the World: UC Davis Global Conversations Series to explore global topics, challenges and opportunities that merge disciplines, cross borders and connect audiences with the world. The series features presentations and discussions with leaders on global topics, challenges and opportunities—including those outlined in the SDGs. Four events in 2020-21 brought together more than 350 people around the world for discussions on a range of topics, including COVID-19’s Impact on Global Agricultural Supply Chains, Promoting Women’s Resilience in Africa’s Arid Regions in the Age of COVID-19, Lake Conservation in California and Chile, and Achieving Zero Hunger. Each online conversation showcased expert perspectives, from UC Davis (Chile Life Sciences Innovation Center; Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Markets, Risk & Resilience; Global Affairs; Tahoe Environmental Research Center; World Food Center) and around the world (BOMA Project in Kenya; EARTH University in Costa Rica; Fundación Chile Lagos Limpios; Frutas Tropicales de Guatemala; International Livestock Research Institute in Kenya and Ethiopia; ISAM: International School of Agri Management in Spain, Malawi Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism; Newcastle University in the United Kingdom; Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; Chile’s Ministry for Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation for the South Macro Zone; and Stellenbosch University in South Africa).
Inaugural SDG Action and Awareness Week In March 2021, UC Davis participated in the University Global Coalition’s SDG Action and Awareness Week to promote awareness and inspire action. Since UC Davis and EARTH University in Costa Rica are working in partnership to address SDG 2: Zero Hunger as part of the University Global Coalition’s Decade of Action Initiative, UC Davis SDG student interns and EARTH University students hosted a symposium to highlight efforts on SDG 2, including the work being done at the student farms on each campus. In partnership with students and faculty from Newcastle University in the United Kingdom, UC Davis Global Affairs also presented a panel addressing SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation.
VOLUNTARY UNIVERSITY
REVIEW VUR PROCESS
KEY FINDINGS
In 2021, Global Affairs, Sustainability, and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion released the first UC Davis Voluntary University Review (VUR) on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This unique campus partnership brought together UC Davis commitments to global engagement, environmental and social sustainability, and diversity, equity and inclusion, in line with the People, Planet and Prosperity focus of the SDGs. The VUR documents UC Davis SDG-related activities in research, teaching, service and operations, and it is based on more than a year of campus input, desk research and analysis, as well as a robust stakeholder engagement process.
The VUR highlighted a number of key findings about UC Davis contributions to the SDGs, including: •
UC Davis is engaged in a broad range of activities that support the full scope of the 2030 Agenda and the core principle of Leave No One Behind. All SDGs are represented across research, teaching, service and operations activities.
•
Through a series of VUR surveys, UC Davis faculty, staff and students self-reported that they were engaged in 2,583 SDG-related activities taking place globally. Research, teaching and service activities are distributed across 82 countries and every continent.
•
The VUR highlighted the ways that the UC Davis organizational structure shapes a culture of collaboration and interdisciplinary approaches. Faculty are engaged in a multiplicity of academic units, centers and institutes, and more than 50 percent of graduate programs at UC Davis are organized as interdisciplinary graduate groups (a unique structure of inter-departmental collaboration). Faculty, staff and students who self-reported indicated that they work on more than one SDG, demonstrating that the SDGs are integrated and indivisible.
•
The VUR process showed that numerous individuals and units are championing the SDGs across campus by incorporating the SDGs through their own work. The VUR also revealed emerging opportunities to connect in a campus community of practice on the SDGs.
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More than 50 percent of courses offered during the Spring 2021 Quarter were determined to have content related to the SDGs. Most of these courses focused on SDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing, SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth and SDG 15: Life on Land.
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The VUR underscored that UC Davis is making steady strides toward a more sustainably operated campus, with 112 of the 169 individual SDG targets being addressed through campus operations.
•
This VUR highlighted the vital importance of external partnerships and collaborations–at the local, domestic and international levels. UC Davis is working with local communities and partners around the world to support this transformative agenda.
The VUR process had four main objectives: •
Begin to measure UC Davis progress in addressing the SDGs
•
Build SDG awareness and inspire involvement among faculty, students and staff across campus units
•
Bring together campus strengths in internationalization, sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion towards the SDG Agenda
•
Inform UC Davis SDG-related programs and projects with collaborators across campus, the community, region and globally
SUMMARY As a public, land-grant institution and comprehensive research university, UC Davis has a critical role to play in contributing to the SDGs. “The first UC Davis Voluntary University Review (VUR) gives us a baseline understanding of the contributions at UC Davis to social, economic and environmental progress–both locally and around the world. It is a tremendous resource for faculty, researchers, staff and students. We also hope that our experience can support other universities around the world in measuring and sharing their own contributions to the 2030 Agenda,” said Jolynn Shoemaker, director of global engagement in Global Affairs. UC Davis is one of only five public universities in the U.S. with a breadth of expertise that spans human health, animal health, agriculture and the environment. Interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches are interwoven across the university, as is a strong commitment to environmental, social and racial justice. UC Davis has a long tradition of collaborating with partners–across disciplines and geographic boundaries–to develop practical solutions to pressing social, environmental and economic challenges locally and globally.
To access the full report, visit vur.ucdavis.edu
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FORUM ON THE UN SDGs
SPOTLIGHTS
Overview
Global Affairs, Sustainability and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, partnered to put on UC Davis Forums on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The three-part series aimed to build a community of practice to think and work together and help chart a course for intentional and sustained commitment to the SDGs. More than 315 people attended the three virtual forums and another 250 watched online. The fall 2020 forum showcased UC Davis activities that contribute to the SDGs and provided resources and engagement opportunities. The forum featured special guest Gbemi Disu, then-chief business officer for George Mason University’s Korea Campus, and lightning talks by UC Davis affiliates: Christine Kreuder Johnson, a professor from the School of Veterinary Medicine, John Largier, a professor from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Nisha Marwaha, an alumna of the College of Engineering (B.S. ‘18 and M.S. ‘20) and Laura Van Auker, a professor in the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing. The winter 2021 forum focused on the connections between the SDG Agenda and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, and highlighted ways that UC Davis contributes to specific SDGs, including SDG 2: Zero Hunger, SDG 13: Climate Action, and more. Special guests included Helen Bond, associate professor of curriculum and instruction in the School of Education at Howard University, and Natalia Deeb-Sossa, professor of Chicana/o studies at UC Davis, as well as panel discussions between Arturo Condo, president of Earth University, Ermias Kebreab, associate dean of Global Engagement in the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; Katharina Ullman, director of the UC Davis Student Farm in the Agricultural Sustainability Institute; and Bernadette Austin, director of the UC Davis Center for Regional Change. The spring 2021 forum spotlighted campus teaching, research, service and operations efforts related to the SDGs. Special guests included Camille Kirk, director of Sustainability, Renetta Garrison Tull, vice chancellor of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Arisa Oshiro, Global Affairs SDG intern and College of Letters and Science student, Laura Gomez, Arboretum Ambassador and College of Letters and Science student, Erin Schoemehl, Arboretum Ambassador and College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences student, Michael Carter, director of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Markets, Risk and Resilience and distinguished professor of agricultural and resource economics, Li Tian, professor and co-director of the UC Davis Cannabis and Hemp Research Center in the Department of Plant Sciences, Ashna Nayyar, College of Biological Sciences student, and Josh Morejohn, director of energy and engineering for Facilities Management. 20 | UC Davis Global Affairs 2020-21 Annual Report
RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT: NOVEL SOLUTIONS FOR ERADICATING POVERTY AND GENDER INEQUALITIES During the spring 2021 Forum on the SDGs, Michael Carter, director of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Markets, Risk, and Resilience, gave a lightning talk on how he and his team are leading research projects that examine poverty in rural areas to empower families in their financial resourcefulness. “We currently are funding about 25 different projects,” said Carter, a distinguished professor of agricultural and resource economics in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “These projects involve multiple graduate students as well as undergraduate students and rely on a global classroom model to build their cross-cultural skills.” Motivated by the SDGs, particularly SDG 1: No Poverty, Carter’s lab focuses on asset building and protection targeted at poor women in particular regions. In researching for one project in a pastoralist region in northern Kenya, Carter observed gender inequalities related to the division of labor within families. He noted a tendency for the responsibility of caring for, feeding and ensuring the well-being of children to fall solely on female spouses, regardless of the ability of the male spouse to contribute or of the availability of financial means or support. Consequently, a big component of the project is to develop insurance mechanisms that allow women to protect the assets they have to ultimately create more gender equality.
(Courtesy of Pablo Delvaux)
TEACHING SPOTLIGHT: CONNECTING THE LOCAL AND GLOBAL THROUGH GLOBAL CLASSROOMS ON SDGS Li Tian, a professor in the Department of Plant Sciences in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, presented alongside one of her students, Ashna Nayyar from the College of Biological Sciences, about her Global Classroom module as a part of Global Affairs’ Global Education Enhancement Fund grant from Universitas 21 (U21),
an international network of research-intensive universities. “In working with our collaborative team at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, we came up with the module on Traditional Medicine, Natural Plant Products and UN SDGs,” said Tian. The module required students to work with a plant of their choice and examine both the traditional medicine and the functional components in connection to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being. “I actually didn’t know about the UN SDGs until I took this class,” said Nayyar, who considered how crops could play a role in reducing poverty, promoting diversity and aiding in health and well-being.
SERVICE SPOTLIGHT: ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP, EDUCATION AND OUTREACH THROUGH NATURE RX With the health and well-being of the university community in mind, the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden has expanded its Nature Rx educational programming to better connect to the region and contribute to the SDGs. Arboretum Ambassadors Erin Schoemehl, an agriculture and environmental education major in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and Laura Gomez, a 2021 human development and communication graduate from the College of Letters and Science, presented on this environmental awareness endeavor. As part of the Arboretum and Public Garden Learning by Leading Internship Program, the programming provides opportunities for the university and greater Davis community to nurture their outdoor connections, including therapeutic activities done in nature that support mental and physical well-being in conjunction with the SDGs, specifically SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being. “We provided tangible Nature Rx recommendations, such as green exercise, engaging with the outdoors, practicing mindfulness or doing art projects in the Arboretum,” said Schoemehl. The Arboretum Ambassadors are also reinforcing SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities through workshops on Nature Rx and Equity in Green Spaces. “We highlighted both campus and regional organizations and advocacy spaces that provide opportunities for BIPOC communities to feel safe when spending time outside,” said Gomez. “Through our Nature Rx programming, we’ve shown that implementing these SDGs in people’s lifestyles is tangible, applicable and fun!”
fossil fuels by shifting to renewable energy supplies at the beginning of spring 2020 and continuing for the next two years. Josh Morejohn, director of facilities management for energy and engineering, presented on this large-scale construction project, called the Big Shift, a collaboration between UC Davis Campus Planning and Environmental Stewardship, Design and Construction Management and Facilities Management. “While it is initially about a heating system for the campus, the ultimate goal is to transform the entire energy supply to the buildings on campus,” said Morejohn. The project directly supports SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities and SDG 13: Climate Action.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: BRIDGING TECHNICAL AND CROSS-CULTURAL SKILLS TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO CLEAN WATER
UC Davis alumnus Tiven Buggy, a 2020 graduate of the UC Davis College of Engineering’s civil and environmental engineering master’s program, turned his global experiences into a career for the global good. He serves as director of water and sanitation for the nonprofit Puente, based in Constanza, La Vega, Dominican Republic. His passion for improving access to clean water ignited during his time in the Peace Corps and continued to be fueled by his global experiences at UC Davis. “The ability to think about big systems, to break them down into smaller components, and design each of those components to work together, to ensure the final solution is culturally appropriate, cost-effective and easy for the community to maintain—I learned it all in the course,” he said in explaining the UC Davis course on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WaSH), which is foundational to his work at Puente. Global Affairs also supported Buggy’s work by providing grant funding and connecting him with other non-profits focused on clean water, opening doors for future projects in Latin America. Buggy has been working with Cruz de Cuaba community leaders and volunteers to collect data aligned with the town’s priorities. This work has resulted in addressing water issues through a collaborative community project based on the SDGs and, specifically, SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation.
OPERATIONS SPOTLIGHT: THE BIG SHIFT TO NET ZERO CARBON EMISSIONS To support the University of California’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2025 and aligning with the SDGs, UC Davis has a plan to dramatically decrease reliance on
Buggy shares, “At Puente, the UN SDGs act as our Bible. All of the areas we ask about in our surveys—demographics, water, sanitation—we try to put them in line with the SDGs and with the specific indicators. This approach gives our projects clear goals and measurable outcomes. Thanks to the SDGs, we are able to see results and help tell a story.” UC Davis Global Affairs 2020-21 Annual Report | 21
Partnerships for the Global Good Food for Thought, Transformative Energies and the UN SDGs
TRANSFORMATIVE ENERGIES: REPOWERING AND EMPOWERING THE PLANET 2022-23
Over the course of two academic years, the Campus Global Theme program identifies a topic linked to one or more of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and connects the entire UC Davis community in discussion, learning, discovery and action that is personally, academically and professionally significant.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: FEEDING OURSELVES, FEEDING THE PLANET 2020-21
With events running between January 2020 and May 2021, the inaugural Campus Global Theme “Food for Thought: Feeding Ourselves, Feeding the Planet” engaged more than 600 participants across a variety of backgrounds and disciplines on the global dimensions of food. Although a portion of the scheduled Food for Thought programming was canceled or postponed due to COVID-19, 34 events were nonetheless held virtually. During this time, UC Davis Global Affairs awarded Food for Thought minigrants to 19 grantees in 2019, and eight grantees in 2020. Ranging from $250 to $1,000, this micro-funding provided faculty, staff and students with the opportunity to address important global issues related to the Campus Global Theme. Erica Kohl-Arenas, faculty director of Imagining America: Artists and Scholars in Public Life, and Ermias Kebreab, associate dean of global engagement in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and director of the UC Davis World Food Center, co-chaired this inaugural program.
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UC Davis’ second Campus Global Theme, “Transformative Energies: Repowering and Empowering the Planet,” invites the campus community to explore the humanistic, social and scientific dimensions of energy. Faculty co-chairs, Suzana Sawyer, professor of anthropology in the College of Letters and Science and Rebecca R. Hernandez, associate professor in the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources and co-director of the UC Davis Wild Energy Initiative at the John Muir Institute of the Environment, stress the need for strategies for achieving a just energy transition given the environmental crisis that global warming poses in their statement of purpose. The theme, Transformative Energies, dares to imagine repowering and empowering the planet as being two sides of the same coin. Transformative Energies calls upon our campus to share creative ways to reconsider and reconfigure our relationship to power through scientific, social, humanistic and artistic experimentation and analysis.
Engaging with Global Networks UC Davis was very active in several international networks that focus on the promotion of the SDGs: University Global Coalition (UGC), Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and UN Academic Impact. UC Davis had many opportunities to share campus efforts to advance the SDGs with other universities, to exchange practices and lessons learned, and to get involved in new initiatives. UC Davis involved these networks in SDG forums for the campus community, participated in dialogues on thematic issues, and worked with colleagues around the world on events and programs. In December 2021, UC Davis was featured in a webinar hosted by UN Academic Impact to discuss how to plan and implement a Voluntary University Review (VUR), and the UC Davis VUR was also featured in an article on the UN Academic Impact website.
New Global Partnerships Assessment Tools Beginning in May 2020, UC Davis Global Affairs has been developing and further refining the Global Partnerships Assessment Tool to support strategic decisions regarding global partnerships. Based on extensive research and reviews within Global Affairs by the Campus Global Strategy Advisory Committee, and Academic Senate Committee on International Education, the assessment tools help identify strong existing or emerging partnerships that hold the potential to be transformative for colleges, schools or the university as a whole. Transformative global partnerships are multidimensional, have threads across campus, and involve multiple stakeholders and disciplines. These partnerships often include research, teaching, mobility and opportunities to enhance global engagement and produce impactful outcomes for local and global communities.
Partnership Spotlights HOSTING THE SISTER2SISTER EXCHANGE PROGRAM In the summer of 2021, UC Davis joined the Sister2Sister program as a partner institution. The program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, gives young women STEM students from Pakistan the opportunity to study and grow as leaders, aligning well with UC Davis’ emphasis on access and equity in STEM education as well as on global engagement and global learning. Three Pakistani students were paired with faculty and student mentors and participated in the new Global Affairs course on “Becoming a Global Professional,” geared toward cultivating leadership skills, cultural humility, intercultural communication, resilience and adaptive thinking. A final roundtable event on ‘Words of Wisdom from Women
in STEM’ was moderated by Vice Provost and Dean of Global Affairs Joanna Regulska and featured panelists Shakira Bandolin, assistant clinical professor and director of global health for the Department of Emergency Medicine in the School of Medicine, Arpana Vaniya, academic coordinator at the Genome Center and Kyeema Zerbe, associate director of the Innovation Institute for Food and Health. The leaders shared their journeys overcoming barriers in STEM and finding their strengths in research, academia or industry. One of the students from Pakistan, Hijab Khan, is an environmental engineering student at the University of Engineering and Technology in Lahore.
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“Without a doubt, it is one of the best experiences of my life,” Khan said. Global Affairs and STEM Strategies at UC Davis partnered to create an experience that would be enriching not only for the Pakistani students but also for UC Davis students and faculty. College of Engineering transfer student Ansley Guillebeau and Associate Professor Colleen Bronner served as mentors for Khan. Guillebeau said she was inspired by Khan’s passion for the UN SDGs. “That inspired me to recommit to the lens of sustainability,” she said of her plans to pursue graduate studies and be a consultant for water quality and treatment. Bronner said she and Khan talked about the workings of academic programs, graduate school, women in engineering and more. She and Khan agreed to continue talking every other week.
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“I’ve never had a mentor before,” Khan said. “I’m blessed.” UC DAVIS SELECTED TO WELCOME INDONESIAN STUDENTS AS A PART OF INAUGURAL AWARDS PROGRAM In May 2021, UC Davis was selected to participate in the inaugural Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards program, as one of four universities in the U.S. and the only west coast institution to participate in the scholarship program. Launched and funded by the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture, the program provides well-qualified Indonesian undergraduates the opportunity to enroll as visiting students at UC Davis, building upon UC Davis’ strong ties to Indonesia.
Hijab Khan is one of three Pakistani students who participated virtually in classes and mentoring opportunities through the U.S. Sister2Sister program hosted by UC Davis this summer.
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UC DAVIS PARTNERS WITH UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE FAISALABAD IN PAKISTAN In June 2021, UC Davis and the University of Agriculture Faisalabad in Pakistan signed an agreement of cooperation to partner on research and capacity building collaborations in horticulture and animal science, building upon past agreements between the two universities signed in 2008 and 2013 as well as ongoing collaborations between UC Davis and Pakistan. As a part of the agreement signing, Joanna Regulska, vice provost and dean of Global Affairs, and Ermias Kebreab, associate dean for global engagement in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, welcomed a Pakistani delegation to campus.
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“We’re proud to partner across the world and look forward to the mutually beneficial collaborations to come through this new agreement with our colleagues at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad in Pakistan,” said Regulska.
Osaka University conferred an honorary degree to Raymond Rodriguez, professor emeritus in the College of Biological Sciences, for his contributions to the institutional partnership between UC Davis and Osaka University, student exchanges and collaborative research for more than 30 years. UC Davis and Osaka University researchers are working on an energy and transportation joint research symposium to foster research collaborations and funding opportunities.
UC DAVIS CHILE LIFE SCIENCES INNOVATION CENTER LAUNCHES EXTENSION AND INNOVATION PROGRAM In May 2021, the UC Davis Chile Life Sciences Innovation Center (UC Davis Chile) within Global Affairs launched its Extension and Innovation Program. An online launch event featured panelists including Chile’s Minister of Agriculture María Emilia Undurraga, UC Davis Chile General Manager Mauricio Cañoles, Fruit Tree Advisor Tomás Labbé, and General Manager of Agrícola Vista Volcán Raimundo Arnaiz. The new program is bringing together industry producers, advisors, researchers, exporters and trade organizations, among others, to solve challenges that affect productivity and competitiveness in Chile. The program is focused on four main topics—cherries, walnuts, European plums (which has already led to results) and viticulture—and on critical points for their sustainability, such as climate change, maximization of water productivity, loss and waste management, integrated pest management and more. In January 2021, UC Davis Chile released a five-year report on its research and innovation work in Chile.
Pictured left to right: California State Medical Board Member Asif Mahmood, Governor of Punjab and Chancellor of UAF Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, Consul General of Pakistan in Los Angeles Abdul Jabbar Memon, UC Davis Vice Provost and Dean of Global Affairs Joanna Regulska, and UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Associate Dean for Global Engagement Ermias Kebreab following the agreement signing at the UC Davis International Center.
STRENGTHENING AND EXPANDING PARTNERSHIP WITH OSAKA UNIVERSITY Building on decades of collaboration between the two universities, UC Davis joined Osaka University in Japan as a Global Knowledge Partner in 2020. In January 2021, Chancellor Gary S. May signed a joint statement indicating intent to work with a small network of research-intensive universities to create new virtual education platforms, develop joint research projects and engage with society on the UN SDGs. In April 2021, UC Davis participated in Osaka University’s 90th anniversary celebration, and in May 2021, UC Davis and Osaka University students joined a roundtable to discuss student perspectives on the SDGs. In June 2021,
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UC Davis Chile Life Sciences Innovation Center (UC Davis Chile) within Global Affairs launched its Extension and Innovation Program focusing on cherries, walnuts, European plums and viticulture, and based on the experience of UC Cooperative Extension.
CELEBRATING GLOBAL AND INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT AND ACTION Global Affairs’ sixth annual International Connections Reception in March 2021 brought together the UC Davis community to celebrate several awards and grant programs. Over 140 faculty, staff and administrators attended the online event.
2021 Chancellor’s Awardees Honored for Global Engagement at UC Davis and Around the World The awards recognize faculty and staff members for outstanding international engagement in advancing the university’s teaching, research and service missions, whether through leading global research projects, collaborating with colleagues around the world, promoting global learning or innovative pedagogy, or facilitating those activities to create positive change.
Left to right: Art History Professor Katharine Burnett, Epidemiology and Disease Ecology Professor Jonna AK Mazet, and Prestigious Scholarship Advisor Scott Palmer.
2021 Chancellor’s Award Recipients Katherine Burnett, a professor of art history and faculty director of the Global Tea Initiative for the Study of Tea Culture and Science in the College of Letters and Science, builds lasting interdisciplinary partnerships and brings together students, academics, researchers, government officials, industry leaders, marketers, consumers and communities across the globe, including from Asia, Africa, the Americas and Europe. Award nominators describe Burnett as “a tireless leader with a global vision to build the most unique and comprehensive program for the study of tea culture and science at any university in the world.” Jonna AK Mazet, a professor of epidemiology and disease ecology and founding executive director of the One Health Institute in the School of Veterinary Medicine, has led groundbreaking research with international partners and has trained thousands across more than 30 countries. Her teams have partnered with over 100 institutions, discovered over 1,000 viruses, improved global capacity, and trained over 6,000 people across Africa, Asia and the Americas. Members of her team are now vital frontline responders and experts in COVID-19 response. “She combines her service-oriented skills and transdisciplinary approaches to solve critical scientific and societal issues relating to global health and emerging infectious diseases,” said award nominators. Scott Palmer, a prestigious scholarship advisor in the Office of Undergraduate and Prestigious Scholarships within Financial Aid and Scholarships, has directly increased student participation among 27 scholarship programs. His comprehensive advising, seminars and promotion of programs have led to a momentous increase in Gilman Scholarship and Fulbright U.S. Student participation, solidifying UC Davis’ ranking as a Top Gilman Producer in 2016-17 and 2018-19 and as a Top Fulbright U.S. Student Producer in 2019. Most recently, in 2020, two students earned Marshall Scholarships, doubling UC Davis’ participation since the highly competitive program began nearly 70 years ago. According to award nominators, Palmer “shows students that nothing is beyond their reach, that international engagement is not a dream, but a reality—and he is there to help them reach it.”
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Leading Pediatric and Fetal Surgeon Diana Farmer Honored for Global Leadership During the reception, Chancellor Gary S. May also recognized Diana Farmer, chair of the UC Davis Department of Surgery and surgeon-in-chief of UC Davis Children’s Hospital, for earning a 2020 U21 Award for global leadership and for contributions to internationalization in higher education. The U21 Award, given by the Universitas 21 network, celebrates individuals who demonstrate a truly global vision in higher education, further international opportunities for students and staff, and improve collaboration within the university and with external partners.
These team-focused grants of up to $7,500 fund global and multidisciplinary programs contribute to 11 of the 17 SDGs—locally and globally—bringing together more than 20 faculty, researchers and students from across UC Davis and collaborating institutions worldwide. One grant was reserved for a project focused on SDG 10.3: “Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies and action in this regard.” Two grants were reserved for Center for the Advancement of Multicultural Perspectives on Science (CAMPOS) and Center for the Advancement of Multicultural Perspective on Social Science, Arts, and Humanities (CAMPSSAH) Scholars, programs whose missions encompass the multicultural perspectives of academic faculty while focusing on expanding the presence of women and underrepresented faculty in those disciplines. This year’s projects include developing a public plant breeding program that accounts for culturally relevant foods, supporting international migrants in navigating legal barriers to acquiring citizenship, advancing student farming around the world, addressing water security, advancing food security in the circumpolar Arctic through Indigenous-led and Indigeneity-centered approaches, better supporting marine ecosystems, and creating an online and international graduate course on human health and well-being, global food systems and climate change.
School of Medicine Dean Allison Brashear (left) and Dr. Diana Farmer (right) with the U21 Award from Universitas 21.
2021 Grants for Advancing Sustainable Development Support Collaborations Locally and Globally In partnership with Sustainability and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Global Affairs announced seven Grants for Advancing SDGs projects in the spring of 2021.
Photos from some of the Grants for Advancing Sustainable Development project teams.
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2021 Grants for Advancing Sustainable Development Goals Projects Culturally Diverse Participatory Public Plant Breeding: Supporting Farmers of the Asian Diaspora Ga Young Chung, an assistant professor of Asian American studies in the College of Letters and Science, E. Charles Brummer, a professor of plant sciences and director of the Center for Plant Breeding in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and Katharina Ullmann, director of the Student Farm in the Agricultural Sustainability Institute, earned a grant for their project addressing SDG 2: Zero Hunger, SDG 4: Quality Education and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities. The team plans to build a collaboration between UC Davis’ Departments of Plant Sciences and Asian American Studies, the UC Davis Student Farm, and Namu Farm, a farm focused on Korean vegetables based in Winters, California, and the state’s Asian Diaspora community. Since diets around the world are culturally diverse, the team hopes to build more understanding and develop a public breeding program that accounts for culturally relevant foods, addresses food security and broadens the education of UC Davis students in participating in this work.
Migrant Citizenship for Inclusive Societies Jeannette Money, a professor of political science in the College of Letters and Science, and Gabriel ‘Jack’ Chin, the Edward L. Barrett, Jr. Chair and Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor in the School of Law, are using their grant to collaborate with colleagues Anna Boucher from the University of Sydney in Australia and Le Ahn Nguyen Long from the University of Twente in The Netherlands in pursuit of SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities and SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. Their project was selected for its specific focus on SDG 10.3 to ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome. Knowing access to citizenship represents one important avenue for providing migrants with equal opportunity within an inclusive society, the team’s project seeks to identify and help international migrants navigate legal barriers to acquiring citizenship. The team plans to build institutional partnerships while combining theoretical and policy components to identify determinants of states’ naturalization legislation and to better understand migrant decision-making on whether or not to naturalize. These findings will help generate recommendations to facilitate change and to enhance knowledge of citizenship opportunities.
Groundwater Quality and Water Security Under a Changing Climate Jasquelin Peña, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering and a CAMPOS Scholar, and Heather Bischel, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering, are teaming up with Humberto Marotta, an associate professor from Universidade Federal Fluminense in Brazil, to contribute to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being and SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation. The team of collaborators from across Brazil, Switzerland and the United States is addressing water security by examining biogeochemical processes, ecosystem services and human health in Amazonian floodplains. By studying the sources, dynamics and concentrations of elements like arsenic, manganese and iron in water, the team aims to help communities identify safe drinking water in addition to water wells that might become vulnerable. The research will also inform a Global Learning Seminar for students as a part of the First-Year Seminars program.
Community Mentorship Program Pilot for Radical and Relational Approaches to Inuit Food Security Jessica Bissett Perea, assistant professor of Native American studies in the College of Letters and Science, Maria Marco, professor of food science and technology in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and Stephanie Maroney, postdoctoral scholar and program manager for the Mellon Public Scholars Program in the Humanities Institute, are collaborating with Aviaja Hauptmann, a postdoctoral scholar from the University of
Greenland, to contribute to SDG 2: Zero Hunger, SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being, SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals. The team is engaging in inclusive and collaborative transdisciplinary research with international communities and university partners to better understand, document and share traditional Inuit subsistence lifeways and food preparation methods as a means to advance food security in the circumpolar Arctic. Their work blends scientific approaches, such as emphasizing microbiology in homes, with arts and humanities approaches that are Indigenous-led and Indigeneity-centered.
Healthier Lives, Healthier Planet Francene Steinberg, chair and professor of nutrition in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and Mark Cooper, assistant professor of community and regional development in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, are using their grant to collaborate with John Mathers, professor of human nutrition at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom, to further institutional partnerships and advance SDG 2: Zero Hunger, SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being and SDG 13: Climate Action. UC Davis and Newcastle University will co-develop and co-deliver a graduate course to be offered online simultaneously at both universities that could later potentially be offered to other international partners. The course will aim to challenge students to see their work related to global contexts—such as human health and well-being, global food systems and climate change—and to develop skills that contribute to healthier people and to a healthier planet.
Student Farms Around the World: Learning While Feeding Communities Katharina Ullmann, director of the Student Farm in the Agricultural Sustainability Institute, Maria Cecilia Colombi, a professor of Spanish in the College of Letters and Science, and Amanda Crump, an assistant professor of plant sciences in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, are using their grant to contribute towards several SDGs: SDG 2: Zero Hunger, SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production and SDG 13: Climate Action. Their project brings together student farms and student farmers at UC Davis and the University of Talca in Chile to understand challenges, help each other using interdisciplinary and systems-based perspectives, and organize a Global Student Farm Symposium, building on work underway in collaboration with the Global Education for All Student Fellows. In addition to focusing on food production, the international collaboration will center on agroecological principles, community and recognizing students as key leaders in pushing boundaries.
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Developing an Interdisciplinary Framework to Study the Sustainability of Marine Ecosystems in Chile and California Fernanda Valdovinos, assistant professor of environmental science and policy in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and a CAMPOS Scholar, and John Largier, professor of environmental science and policy and associate director of international programs at the Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, are collaborating with their colleague Sergio Navarrete from the Estación Costera de Investigaciones Marinas at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile to contribute to SDG 14: Life Below Water. The team is generating an interdisciplinary framework that will integrate food web modeling, empirical data and the modeling of the physical aspects of marine ecosystems to evaluate how marine ecosystems respond to different scenarios of fisheries and climate change in Chile and California. This project will support two graduate students and a postdoctoral researcher who will lead the framework development, publication writing and development of a minicourse to train 40 undergraduate and graduate students from both universities.
2021 Global Affairs Seed Grant Projects Aim to Solve Global Challenges Global Affairs Seed Grants for International Activities projects are interdisciplinary and entrepreneurial in nature, have spurred new partnerships for UC Davis and have created long-term collaborations—ones that empower communities, build new opportunities and advance the condition of health for people, animals and the planet. As a matching collaboration between Global Affairs, the academic deans and the Office of Research, Seed Grant projects have helped
faculty from every college and school at UC Davis to forge and expand important relationships with leading international universities, government agencies and industry partners, as well as community and non-governmental organizations.
2021 Global Affairs Seed Grants for International Activities Projects A Partnership Across Borders to Improve Legal Protections for Asylum Seekers (Colombia and Venezuela) Raquel E. Aldana (professor of law, School of Law) with Holly Cooper and Amagda Pérez (co-directors, UC Davis Immigration Law Clinic)
Co-Creating an Educational and CulturallyRelevant Environmental Monitoring Program for Indigenous Maya Youth in Southern Belize Heidi Ballard (professor and founder and faculty director of the Center for Community and Citizen Science, School of Education) with Erin Bird and Michael Dobbins (postdoctoral researchers, School of Education)
Creating a Community of Practice of Scholars of Forced Migration (Latin America) Amanda Crump (assistant professor of teaching in International Agricultural Development, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences) with Sarai Lillian Acosta and Lena Allison Pransky (graduate students, International Agricultural Development, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences)
An International Collaboration to Use Electron Microscopy to Understand How Cells Make Protein (United Kingdom) Christopher Fraser (professor of molecular and cellular biology, College of Biological Sciences)
Permeable Roadside Infrastructure for Road Drainage, Sewage and Stormwater Treatment: Conceptual Studies, Road Map, and Team Building (Costa Rica and Kenya) Maureen Kinyua (assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, College of Engineering) with John Harvey (professor of civil and environmental engineering, College of Engineering)
Seasonal Subtropical Highland Climates Impact on Dairy Cattle Health in Central Mexico Using Cryptosporidium as a Biomarker (Mexico) Photos of the “Lake Modeling to Support Sustainable Development and Climate Resilience in Northern Patagonia” Seed Grant project team working in Chile, led by S Geoffrey Schladow, professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center. (S Geoffrey Schladow/UC Davis)
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Xunde Li (associate researcher of population health and reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine) with Edward Robert Atwill (professor of population health and reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine)
Deciphering Rules of Cell Division Plane Orientation in Land Plants Through a Collaboration (Israel)
2021 Excellence in Teaching in Study Abroad Award Recipients
Bo Liu (professor of plant biology, College of Biological Sciences)
Crop Manage: A Decision-Support Tool for Farmers and Researchers in Botswana Jeffrey Peter Mitchell (extension specialist in plant sciences, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences) Supported by the Gurdev S. and Harwant K. Khush Seed Grant
The Design and Implementation of an Online Corpus Query Tool for Spanish Learners’ Errors (Spain) Claudia Sánchez-Gutiérrez (assistant professor of Spanish, College of Letters and Science) with Agustina Carando (assistant professor of Spanish, College of Letters and Science) and Kenji Sagae (assistant professor of linguistics, College of Letters and Science) Supported by the Richard F. Walters Seed Grant
Lake Modeling to Support Sustainable Development and Climate Resilience in Northern Patagonia (Chile) S Geoffrey Schladow (professor of civil and environmental engineering, College of Engineering, and director of the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, Office of Research)
Integrating Cognitive and Cultural Approaches to Empower Youth Against Misinformation (Georgia) Narine Yegiyan (associate professor of communication, College of Letters and Science)
UC Davis Study Abroad Instructors Celebrated for Commitment to Students The Academic Federation and Academic Senate’s Excellence in Teaching in Study Abroad Awards are conferred jointly between the Academic Senate and Global Affairs. The awards recognize UC Davis instructors who go above and beyond in designing and teaching UC Davis Study Abroad programs, and the recipients demonstrate exceptional dedication to student global learning.
Photos from the UC Davis Study Abroad programs: Art, Culture, History in the Eternal City (Italy) (left) and Music, Film and Culture in the Global City (Argentina) (right).
Jay Grossi, a continuing lecturer in Italian in the UC Davis College of Letters and Science’s Department of French and Italian, has been teaching at UC Davis for almost 27 years and has been leading the Summer Abroad program in Rome, Art, Culture, History in the Eternal City, for 13 of those years. Award nominators praise Grossi’s enthusiasm and knowledge along with his dedication and openness to making Continuing Lecturer in his program accessible for Italian Jay Grossi all students, whether they are studying art history, mathematics, political science or any number of other majors. “It was the most delightful experience of my college career,” said one student nominator. Ana Peluffo, a professor of Spanish and chair in the UC Davis College of Letters and Science’s Department of Spanish and Portuguese, created the Summer Abroad program in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Music, Film and Culture in the Global City, in 2004. Since then, she has led the program 15 times, engaging students with the culture and people of Argentina, helping them develop their own relationship with the place, and ultimately develop Professor of Spanish Ana Peluffo confidence and autonomy as they engage with more unfamiliar places. According to award nominators, Peluffo “offers students a kaleidoscopic view of the history and culture of Argentina.” UC Davis Global Affairs 2020-21 Annual Report | 29
INSPIRING GLOBAL CURIOSITY, UNDERSTANDING AND ENGAGEMENT Global Aggies: Challenge Accepted! Since arriving at UC Davis, environmental science and
a survival guide so other students wouldn’t have to go through some of the same challenges that I did.” The guide, which now serves as a resource at the UCEAP program level, includes information on where to find housing, what housing to avoid, and how Dutch systems work. Chen even wrote a section on where to find affordable groceries. Thanks to her experiences growing up in Taiwan, immigrating to the U.S., working in Washington D.C., and studying in different countries, Chen hopes to leave UC Davis in a position to serve as a link between the local and the global.
Annie Chen, an environmental science and management major in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, has embraced global learning opportunities in the U.S. and abroad.
management major in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Annie Chen, has embraced so much of what the campus offers in terms of global learning opportunities and experiences. Over the course of one and half years, through resilience and constantly overcoming challenges, Annie completed a coveted UC Davis Washington Program internship with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C., as well as two UC Education Abroad Program opportunities in environmental science—at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and Wageningen University in the Netherlands.
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“By overcoming my own challenges, I feel a responsibility to build bridges, to actively engage in conversations and represent communities I identify with here and in other parts of the world,” Chen said. “Having to learn English formed my habit of being an active listener, and through listening I was able to understand people’s needs. I can help others while respecting differences in people and a diversity of cultures and backgrounds. I’m able to be that bridge now.”
“I grew up in Taiwan speaking Mandarin Chinese and Taiwanese, so I started learning English very late in life,” she said. “I think English definitely has been a challenge—I would say I probably learned 95% once I arrived in the States!” When Chen decided to pursue study abroad programs in environmental science, she was quick to recognize the importance of building upon the knowledge she had already gained through her internships and academic work.
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“After I came back from the Netherlands, I realized I had compiled all these resources through the challenges I encountered there that could be useful to other students,” Chen said. “So, I created 30 | UC Davis Global Affairs 2020-21 Annual Report
Annie Chen on a visit to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., during her UC Davis Washington Program internship. (Courtesy of Annie Chen)
Global Aggies: Teaching and Researching the Human, Social and Economic Aspects of Migration
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“Migration is what mixes us in terms of people, and if you see the value in this—the economic value, the social value, the human value—you can really contribute to making the world a better place,” Peri said. “My biggest joy is when I see young people and young scholars excited about understanding more, excited about change. I think that’s part of why I became a professor to begin with.”
Engaging with Colleagues Across Campus as Advisors
Giovanni Peri, an international scholar from Italy, is the founding director of the UC Davis Global Migration Center.
One example of UC Davis’ global advocacy is the work of the UC Davis Global Migration Center, led by founding director and international scholar Giovanni Peri. As an expert in labor economics, urban economics and the economics of international migrations, Peri is a professor of economics in the College of Letters and Science who has expertise in the repercussions of migration.
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“Having a better understanding of the human aspect of migration, the economic aspect, the social and the legal is going to be critical in order to deal the best we can with the policies of our immigration system,” Peri said. “The facts are complex sometimes, so that’s why they require a multidisciplinary approach. When we come together, we’re able to discuss a common problem from many different points of view.” “We are expanding to include partners in the UC Davis School of Medicine who are working on infectious disease in immigrants, and they have been very, very useful in helping understand how COVID-19 is spread among them—and how access to health care is a real issue,” Peri said. “Research is serious, and a competent research center that can also provide information and policy input, for action and for training, is key.” While the research itself is crucial, the most exciting part of Peri’s job is teaching graduate and undergraduate students about the intersection of migration’s components—and the impact that has on life, not just in every town across America, but across the globe.
Global Affairs is grateful to campus colleagues who work alongside our staff to ensure the advancement of global education and engagement at UC Davis. Involving these representatives from colleges, schools and campus organizations across various committees that inform our work facilitates mutual interests, advances our global campus and drives global education and global engagement forward at UC Davis. Their partnership, feedback and wisdom are invaluable. The UC Davis Global Strategy Advisory Committee engages in high-level strategic and policy-related conversations to coordinate, elevate and shape the directions that global engagement is taking at UC Davis. Led by Michael Lazzara, associate vice provost for Academic Programs and Partnerships in Global Affairs, the committee includes members representing all ten UC Davis colleges and schools. The Global Education for All Steering Committee and Global Education for All Fellows include representatives from each school and college, Academic Senate, Academic Federation, Staff Assembly and other vital units supporting student life and learning, and undergraduate, graduate and professional students. The committees, led by Nancy Erbstein, associate vice provost for Global Education, guides the Global Education for All initiative across the university. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Global Learning Hub Programs Committee and Health and Safety Committee took on the challenge of recommending program suspensions and closures due to global travel and health concerns. The programs committee, which brings together staff members from Global Affairs and partners across campus, also reviews new program proposals. The Global Studies Minor Program Committee oversees the minor and is charged with providing feedback to strengthen or further develop any and all aspects of the minor. These committees, along with other committees and advisory groups, are pivotal in Global Affairs’ success. With their support, we continue to advance global education and engagement.
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SUPPORTING THE FUTURE OF GLOBAL LEARNING, RESEARCH AND ENGAGEMENT As our world faces urgent, complex challenges, our students, faculty and researchers are working collaboratively to find solutions that are equitable, sustainable and beneficial to all. With generous donor support, we are together advancing global research, preparing the next generation of global leaders and change makers and reimagining global living and learning spaces.
Seeding Global Research Supporting cutting-edge research that empowers communities, shapes compassionate policy, fosters entrepreneurship and advances health for people, animals and the planet is central to Global Affairs’ mission and vision for the future. Thanks to the support of generous donors Gurdev S. and Harwant K. Khush and Richard F. Walters, two 2021 Global Affairs Seed Grants for International Activities projects—“A Decision Support Tool for Farmers and Researchers in Botswana” led by Jeffrey Peter Mitchell (College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences), and “The Design and Implementation of an Online Corpus Query Tool for Spanish Learners’ Errors” led by Claudia Sánchez-Gutiérrez with Agustina Carando and Kenji Sagae (College of Letters and Science)—received the Gurdev S. and Harwant K. Khush Seed Grant and the Richard F. Walters Seed Grant respectively. Read more about the Seed Grants on page 29.
New Funding to Support Students and a Better World Global Aggies Award for LGBTQIA+ Rights In April 2021, Global Affairs launched a new fund, the Global Aggies Award for LGBTQIA+ Rights, thanks to the generosity of former UC Davis Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor and former Interim Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter and his husband Manfred Kollmeier. The Global Aggies Award will support UC Davis students in gaining global learning experiences that advance local and global LGBTQIA+ issues and address the needs and strengths of the LGBTQIA+ community.
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“We recognize that ensuring LGBTQIA+ individuals’ well-being and rights, both locally and globally, is critical. We’re also deeply committed to supporting and engaging our students in advancing these efforts through a variety of global experiences,” said Joanna Regulska, vice provost and dean of Global Affairs. “We’re extremely honored to have the remarkable support of Ralph and Manfred to launch this new Global Aggies Award for LBGTQIA+ Rights. The fund will make a difference in the lives of many, now and in the future.” “Coming ourselves originally from different countries, we have always been aware that the pathways by which LGBTQIA+ people have come out, come together, and then formed communities vary widely around the world,” said Hexter and Kollmeier.
Left to right: The “Crop Manage” project team: Jeffrey Peter Mitchell, cooperative extension specialist in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis, who is collaborating with Seoleseng Tshwenyane and Otsoseng Oagile, professors at the Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Gaborone, Botswana; and Michael Cahn, water management advisor with UC Cooperative Extension in Monterey County.
32 | UC Davis Global Affairs 2020-21 Annual Report
Former UC Davis Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor and former Interim Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter (right) and his husband Manfred Kollmeier (left) established a new Global Aggies Award for LGBTQIA+ Rights.
“We think it is particularly important for those of us in the United States to learn about these different histories and contexts beyond our borders, and in this instance, the different ways communities in other countries have resisted discrimination and fought for their rights–with varying success, for some LGBTQIA+ individuals face serious threats, even death, in their home countries. All these differences are themselves rooted in widely differing attitudes towards gender, sexuality, family, and community. Indeed, some cultures have long afforded a place in the social order, sometimes even honor, for non-binary individuals and others who do not conform to modern ‘Western’ expectations of heterosexual relations between cisgender people. The imposition of more traditional ‘Western’ values by colonizers often disrupted earlier and more open patterns. The legacy of ‘modernity’ and ‘globalization,’ then, is mixed, bringing in some cases new repression, in some cases, inspiration for ‘liberation.’”
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“UC Davis, with its ambitious goal of Global Education for All, its strong LGBTQIA+ community and programming, and its engagement in Human Rights, can now encourage and support students to learn about and engage these issues in globally-oriented projects,” said Hexter and Kollmeier. Global Learning and Action Around Renewable Energy
2020-21 FAST FACTS 75%
increase in number of donors
78%
increase in number of gifts
Opportunities to Make a Difference Advancing Research to Solve Global Challenges As a leading research university, UC Davis plays a pivotal role in finding solutions to some of our planet’s most complex challenges. Supporting cutting-edge research that empowers communities, shapes compassionate policy, fosters entrepreneurship and advances health for people, animals and the planet is central to Global Affairs’ mission and vision for the future.
Preparing Global Leaders and Change Makers Complex, interconnected global challenges and opportunities call for a reimagined paradigm in higher education—one that equips students with the tools they need to build global awareness, collaborate ethically across cultures and take equitable, sustainable action. Today’s world offers students endless possibilities for global learning, and Global Affairs supports UC Davis in making these possibilities a reality for every student.
Reimagining Global Living and Learning Spaces
Eric McAfee, chairman, CEO, and founder of Aemetis Advanced Fuels, (right) providing a tour for students at Aemetis Advanced Fuels.
Thanks to the generous support of Eric McAfee, chairman, CEO, and founder of Aemetis Advanced Fuels, students in the UC Davis Graduate School of Management had the opportunity to use their business skills to address climate change. In the summer of 2021, students across two capstone projects gained subject matter expertise, including on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while developing white papers and presentations on renewable energy. This partnership serves as a pilot for future global impact projects and curriculum facilitated by Global Affairs in partnership with faculty across UC Davis.
Students are seeking spaces within and beyond their classrooms where they can easily interact, collaborate and learn from each other. Global education can take place anywhere, and we are reenvisioning the environments where UC Davis students learn—from creative classrooms and residential living-learning communities to flexible spaces where students can informally interact at campus events.
An Invitation Partners, alumni and friends—we invite you to join us in giving to advance research and collaborations that will solve global challenges and prepare our students to create a more just and equitable world. Learn more about ways to support UC Davis global engagement: UC Davis Global Affairs: Case for Support.
UC Davis Global Affairs 2020-21 Annual Report | 33
2020-21 Global Affairs Advisory Council Thank you to our Global Affairs Advisory Council for their time and philanthropic support, including co-sponsoring the Global Learning Conference. Esther Luna DeLozier, ethnomusicology Ph.D. candidate (graduate student representative) Daniel “Dan” M. Dooley ‘73, principal, New Current Water and Land, LLC Allan E. Goodman, president, Institute of International Education (IIE) Ralph Hexter, former UC Davis provost and executive vice chancellor and former interim chancellor and distinguished professor of classics and comparative literature Eivind Lange, III ‘77, president, Paradigm Sports David W. Pearson ‘84, managing director, Meadowood Estate (2020-21) and CEO, Opus One (2004-20) Evan Pearson, international relations major and French and global studies double minor (undergraduate student representative) Naoki Shimazaki ‘80, partner, GCA Law Partners LLP (chair, Global Affairs Advisory Council) Cecelia Lakatos Sullivan ‘83, founder/investor, CLS Consultants (chair, Nominations and Recruitment SubCommittee; vice chair, UC Davis Foundation Board of Executive Trustees) Ann M. Veneman ‘70, secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (2001-05), UNICEF Executive Director (2005-10)
Thank you to our donors and supporters in 2020-21 $100,000 - $249,999
Institute of International Education
$50,000 - $99,999 Aemetis, Inc. IREX
$25,000-$50,000 David A. Traill
$10,000 - $24,999
Tien Hsin Industries Co. Ltd. (Douglas Chiang and Yudi Wang) Ralph J. Hexter and Manfred Kollmeier Robert and Cathy Kerr David and Linnea Pearson Cecelia and Patrick Sullivan Zimmerman Family Fund (Harlan Zimmerman and Andrea Zisman)
$5,000-$9,999
Chen and Yu Charity Account (Tsung-Yu Chen and I-Ting Yu) Eivind Lange, III and Mary Puma Google Inc/Benevity Community Impact Fund Universitas 21
34 | UC Davis Global Affairs 2020-21 Annual Report
Up to $4,999 Moroug Abu-Arqoub, Walter Allen and Shaun Keister, Eduardo Alvarez, Colleen Andersen, Jose Arenas and Erica Kohl-Arenas, Sheri Atkinson, Alyssa and Victor Bates, Mayada Baydas and Fadi Fathallah, Karen Beardsley, Juliette Beck, Jennifer Bickford, Agnello Braganza, Juliet Braslow, Freda and Patrick Brinkley, Barry and Beth Broome, Richard Cable, David Callaway and Aliki Dragona, Nathan Camp, Claudia Castaneda and Jorge Pinzon, Sean and Karen Chao, Philip Pu-Sen Chao, Sandeep Chopra and Lana Dam, Soren Christian, Chelsea Clouser, Nancy Cole, Barbara and William Conley, Patricia A. Conrad, Barbara Corcillo, Jamila Crockett, Michael Curry and Joanna Regulska, Matthew Daines and Caroline Humphries, Natalia Deeb Sosa, Pamela and John Dolan, Rena Dorph and Peter Wahrhaftig, Alice Duan, Mariela Duarte, Judy Ecklund, Darwin Eng, Nancy Erbstein and Jonathan London, Robert Erbstein, Jeffrey Escola, Carmia Feldman and Jaime Ordonez, Patricia Fernandes, Sara Frederich, Caitlin French, Marion Froehlich, Kevin Gonzalez, Cathy Gordon, Harold and Marcia Gordon, Myrna Gordon, Ruth Gustafson, Paul and Randi Hagerman, Edvin Hernandez, Caren and Jim Hill, Carol Hillhouse and Steve Schoenig, Chia-Ling Ho, TuanHua David and Berlin Hsieh Ho, Wai Lone Ho, Panayiotis Iakovides and Pauline Manos, Marcia Jacomo, Tu and Marisita Jarvis, Bryan Jenkins, Pornpipat Kasemsap, Erica Kellenbeck, Sharilyn Kersten, Kailash and Veena Khandke, Gurdev and Harwant Khush, Joshua and Lauren Kidd, Reese King, Katy Ko, Jennie Konsella-Norene and Davin Norene, Hsing-Jien and Wei-Jen Kung, William and Laura Lacy, Jane Lamb, Elizabeth Langridge-Noti, Lili Larson, Michael Lazzara, Da Yeon Lee, Heidi Lee, Adi Liberman, Borah Lim, Michelle Lippert, Edan Liu, Mayra Llamas, Maya London, Jennifer and Kwan-Liu Ma, Anne Mahnken, Claudia and Siegfried Mall, Marjean Marciniak, Joncarlo Mark and Jami Rubin-Mark, Mary Martin-Mabry, Elisabeth Mcallister, Lydia McMahon, Lee Meddin, James Meehan, Lina Mendez and Dany Mendez-Benavidez, Zoila Mendoza and Charles Walker, Caroline Menta, Jennifer Metes, Donald and Linda Milanese, Mariella Mladineo, Sofia Molvi, Jennie Moylan, Jason and Julie Muhsmann, Mrinalini Narayan, Andrea Navas, Laura Oelsner, Nancy and Robert Oelsner, Magela Olaso and Jose Vega, Lori Ann Pardau, Achille Peiris, Erin Peltzman, Jana Sanders Perry, Alexander Pettas, Fabien and Graciela Pinault, Kent and Nadine Pinkerton, Michelle and Scott Poesy, Debora and Paul Prokop, Amber Pulido, Jasmine RamirezBarba, Margaret Ratto-Young and Wesley Young, David Reignierd, Marcel Rejmanek and Eliska Rejmankova, James Rix, Eduardo Roa, Cirenio and Gloria Rodriguez, Sarina Rodriguez, Meghan and Michael Russell, Carol and David Sargent, Don Sargent, Ruth Satorre, Julia Seebach, Bonnie Shea, Evelyn and Naoki Shimazaki, Sam Siu, Brian Smith, James Stark, Natascha Starr, Duncan Strauss, Cristal Suarez, Stephen Sun, Roya Tajlil, Paul Terry, Tiffany Trinh, Katharina Ullmann, Nithya Vasan, Karolina Vasquez, Jennifer and Philip Wade, Jonah Watt, Steve Wheeler, Huey-Lang Yang, Joycelyn Yee, Elan You, Jacob and Wendy Young, Gianni Zanini and Robert Zuniga.
Global Affairs Endowed Funds Ann E. Pitzer Study Abroad Award Endowment, with Matching Support from the UC Davis Foundation, Bruce and Diane Edwards Education Abroad Award, Chao Family Education Abroad Award, Guardian Scholars Study Abroad Award, Gurdev S. and Harwant K. Khush Seed Grant, Kerr-Lacy Study Abroad Scholarship, Lacy and Friends Study Abroad Award, Lacy-Kerr Education Abroad Award, Larry N. Vanderhoef Fund for Students to Study Abroad, Lorena Jedele Herrig Education Abroad Award, Louis & Georgette Grivetti Education Abroad Award, Marc Blanchard Comparative Literature Undergraduate Travel Award, Marini Foundation Education Abroad Award, Morris-Prato Study Abroad Award, Richard F. Walters Seed Grant, Ruth Asmundson Family Scholarship Endowment, with Matching Support from the UC Davis Foundation, Shimazaki Family Global Learning Award, St. Andrews Study Abroad Award, Steven A. Reignier Global Learning Scholarship, Susan Toulson Study Abroad Award, UC Davis-Taiwan Collaborative Research Fund in memory of Larry Vanderhoef and Zimmerman Family Study Abroad Fund.
GLOBAL AGGIES CONFRONTING
GLOBAL CHALLENGES
UC Davis Global Aggies are confronting global challenges to advance the global good in California and around the world, whether by feeding a growing population, taking action against climate change, eradicating inequalities, advancing health and wellbeing, increasing access to clean water and more.
Often addressing challenges reflected by one or more of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Global Aggies are collaborating with local and global communities to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. Furthering UC Davis’ strong commitment to social, racial and environmental justice, Global Affairs partners with Sustainability and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to offer several grant programs, online forums and events, internships and more to build community and find solutions for today’s challenges. Learn more at globalaffairs.ucdavis.edu.