By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Fort Hays State University recently hosted a forum on global affairs and civic engagement at the college and guested explained how the university is attempting to improve those opportunities.
"As I think everyone is aware, education is in a unique spot now, and we have to collaborate more. We have to find new partnerships and new pathways to move forward," said Haley Williams, FHSU Global Affairs operations director.
About a year ago, the global affairs office was reorganized, Williams said. That office in the past had focused on global partnerships.
"Our challenge was to begin thinking bigger and broader," she said, "on how we bring global opportunities to everyone that intersects with Fort Hays. It's not just about partnerships. It's about 'How I am developing as a globally engaged citizen here.' "
Luciana Mendoza of Paraguay is a student in international business and economics and works in the Office of Global Affairs.
Mendoza said becoming a global citizen is more than just learning another language.
"The word that comes to me is expansion," she said. "I would say it's expanding your thoughts, your mindset, your perspective on how other people live, on how other cultures think and really bringing yourself into other the shoes of these people."
She encourages Americans to take opportunities here to create opportunities for people in other countries even if they can't travel abroad.
"We are global citizens," she said. "We are citizens of the world."
Ryan Stanley, FHSU student body president, studied abroad.
"The world is so much bigger than your circle," he said. "Primarily [being a global citizen] is having the ability to step out of your circle."
She talked about other opportunities for civic engagement.
In celebration of Global Engagement Day, FHSU took a small group to the Wetlands Education Center, where they built birdhouses for the center.
The university also offers Experiential Learning Innovation Grants for faculty, which are used to encourage faculty to offer hands-on learning. In the past year, the program had a record of 12 grants awarded.
In the fall, the university will be host to a Community-Engaged Teaching, Research and Service conference.
The American Democracy Project is a student-led program that allows students to engage in politics on campus.
The university also offers two certificates that are linked to community engagement. They include a community-engaged art certificate through the art department and a rural studies certificate that is offered through the history department. The university also will be launching a global scholar program.
The Campus Community Collaborative is in its third year, Squire said. It's a 10-member group that is dedicated to strengthening partnerships between the campus and the community.
Jeni McRay, assistant provost, said the university is trying to implement sustained involvement in global learning. She said the college is trying to create opportunities for FHSU students and faculty to go abroad and for international faculty and students to come to FHSU.
Todd Moore, chairman of the department of geosciences, is also the chairman of the FHSU sustainability task force.
He said the task force is going to focus on three main areas—curriculum, engagement and institution.
The university already offers a sustainability certificate.
"The goal is to expose students to the many dimensions of sustainability and empower them with the knowledge and skills that will be required to join the workforce and address the many global problems we have," Moore said.
Student organizations are being encouraged to get involved in the local community and contribute to that community.
The university is working on a project called the Five Rooms Project. Each room or area will address one of the five Es of sustainability, Moore said.
The five Es of sustainability are:
• Economy
• Ecogoloy
• Equity
• Education
• Evaluation
The people involved in each of these areas will be tasked with brainstorming actionable goals that the university will work toward in the upcoming year.
"Hopefully, this will just be a stepping stone, and we will grow that program and include more rooms," he said.
Mendoza was part of a team that created a business called UPpreciate, which focused on upcycled student residence hall room furnishings. That business plan won second place in the competition.
She and another team member were among 20 teams selected from 500 entries to pitch the UPpreciate plan in a national competition in Chicago.
Williams said Mendoza is already an experienced global citizen, but this opportunity has even further expanded her reach.
"In Global Affairs our heartbeat really is to take Fort Hays to the world and bring the world to Fort Hays," she said.
Williams said more than 40 countries are represented at the university. The university's newest global partners are in Cambodia and Senegal.
"Even if you never have a chance to travel aboard, the world is right here at Fort Hays," she said. "So find an international student or faculty member or crossborder faculty and interact with them. That alone is a learning opportunity."
Students may soon have an online way to go global. The university is working on a virtual global internship program, Williams said during an interview for the Hays Post Podcast. An example of this might be a student working with a nonprofit in a Third World country.
McRay said everyone on campus can find ways to connect. The university needs to continue to make faculty and students aware of those opportunities, she said.
"We need to make sure we are cultivating local, national, regional and international partnerships," she said, "and we are continually partnering with other people to figure out ways we can serve."