UAB’s new Office of Global Engagement will coordinate its many international activities and initiatives, including the newly launched INTO UAB Center and Education Abroad. The launch follows three years of careful study, planning and input from faculty, staff and students.
“UAB’s ability to attract students from across the globe is matched by its commitment to send students throughout the world to serve and learn,” said Provost Linda Lucas. “This new office will enable us to leverage our collective resources to expand those efforts immensely.”
In 2015, a campuswide committee participated in the American Council on Education’s Internationalization Laboratory, a process designed to encourage U.S. universities to develop strategic plans for support and promote global activities. At the end of the process, ACE’s reviewers recommended that UAB create an office charged with supporting internationalization efforts across the campus and identify a senior international officer (SIO).
In addition to her responsibilities as senior vice provost, Suzanne Austin, Ph.D., will be the institution’s SIO and work with key constituencies to appoint an advisory council, which will help align international activities across academic and non-academic units and ensure direct access to campus resources for UAB students, faculty, and staff.
- The INTO UAB Center, a recent joint venture with a private global educational company, will develop academic pathway programs for international students to improve their English language comprehension while working toward a graduate or undergraduate degree.
- UAB Education Abroad will continue to prepare students for various opportunities such as study abroad programs, representing UAB as conference presenters and traveling with student organizations.
- The OGE will collaborate with UAB’s schools and the college to support their international activities and also plans to make available competitive awards for research, scholarship and creative activities with an international focus.
UAB already has high levels of international activity offering a strong foundation for this initiative. In the fall 2015 enrollment, 95 countries were represented among the UAB student body, and UAB Education Abroad offers more than 250 programs in 47 countries.
UAB’s global outreach also is evidenced in the many initiatives of the Sparkman Center for Global Health, faculty- and student-exchange programs, extramurally funded research, training and service projects, an undergraduate major in International Studies and more.
Follow the news or search for these activities at uab.edu/global.
