Global Oregon will make Oregon known not just for salmon, track, natural wonders, and football, but for a new, pragmatic internationalism. This new, high-yield investment in the human capital of our students and state puts international engagement, multilingualism and cross-cultural expertise at the heart of a UO education. Oregon’s best move is to make our people our greatest resource, while striking an open, entrepreneurial posture in the world. UO has the right mix of a rich liberal arts tradition, strong professional schools, and expertise in every world region to make internationalization on a human scale a hallmark of this campus and this state. Global Oregon runs a number of projects to give our students concrete skills for success on the world stage and make internationalization a campus and state hallmark.
EXPERIENCE ABROAD. We aim to boost UO’s study abroad participation rate from 25% to 40%. We are pursuing funding for study abroad scholarships, faculty-led international programs (especially in under-represented disciplines, such as the sciences), multi-site and interdisciplinary programs, international internships, and integration of international experiences with home curriculum.
GLOBAL BUSINESS COMPETITIVENESS. With in-workplace language classes and seminars in culture, context and politics of key countries, we aim to harness UO expertise in language training and area studies to serve Oregon businesses just getting started with international partnerships.
RESILIENT SOCIETIES DIALOGUE. How do we make 21st century societies and organizations more resilient, better able to adapt and flourish in the face of change and scarcity? The RSD matches UO expertise in areas like job growth, technology, sustainability, education, and urban design with international partners, business, government, and NGOs to form concrete resilience strategies.
STATE-WIDE PARTNERSHIP IN OUTREACH. We are building a 501(c)3 organization with partners at OHSU, OSU, and PSU to promote Oregon's international savvy within and outside the state.
MULTILINGUALISM. We promote 3rd-year proficiency in foreign language for all students. Building on UO’s Chinese Flagship program, we are developing language-immersion programs in Spanish and Japanese, including language programs into the new East Campus Residence Hall, and expanding offerings in less commonly-taught languages like Arabic (the fastest-growing language at UO).
AREA STUDIES PROGRAM. We are strengthening resources for regional expertise in the social sciences and humanities by pursuing federal US Department of Education for Latin American Studies African Studies, Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian Studies. Our Global Scholars initiative recruits top internationally-inclined high school students to the Clark Honors College.
RESEARCH WORKING GROUPS. We have launched interdisciplinary faculty research groups on the themes of Sustainable Livelihoods, Translation (literal and figurative), and Peace & Migration.
UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUM STREAMS.We are identifying clusters of existing UO courses through which undergraduates can meet General Education and major requirements while addressing a coherent international theme and integrating home-campus study with experiences abroad.
Global Oregon is actively pursuing opportunities with foundations, corporations, and private donors to nourish the activities listed above.
