With its new center for global studies, Assumption continues to strengthen its commitment to students’ understanding of the wider world in which they live.
Global studies, which began in 1961 as foreign affairs, has a long and storied history at Assumption. This vibrant interdisciplinary program helps students understand how countries across the globe are linked together ecologically, economically, geographically, and politically. Now, global studies students will be even more closely linked to Assumption’s many extracurricular, globally-oriented offerings through the new Center for Global Studies.
The new Center brings together a diverse group of students and the many opportunities for international learning and enhanced global citizenship available to them. In line with Assumption’s mission, the Center seeks to form students who are thoughtful, compassionate citizens with a better understanding of the complex world in which we live and students’ place in it, according to Kevin Hickey, MLA, associate professor of geography and director of the Center. “We are here to connect opportunities to students looking for an experience with some aspect of international learning,” Prof. Hickey said. “We become a clearinghouse of sorts for those wanting to expand their experiences.”
The Center encompasses Assumption’s internationally-focused academic and study abroad programs to provide a comprehensive experience for students interested in global learning, particularly the global studies major and minor. The Center is also a place for international students to gather and meet, receive advising, take part in English language courses, or join an international club. According to Eloise Knowlton, Ph.D., dean of undergraduate studies and study abroad coordinator, the Center is also a place where students can explore the “global reach of service and learning” and its connection to academic experiences through Assumption’s affiliation with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) as a CRS Global Campus.
Maria Hernandez Monteros ’21 came to Assumption from the Dominican Republic for the close-knit and welcoming community she experienced when she visited the campus. She is eager to utilize the Center to study abroad, to better connect with other international students, and to enhance that feeling of community.
“Assumption prioritizes diversity, and having the Center on campus allows international students like me to better access many resources,” she said. “My hope is also to learn more about other international students’ backgrounds, cultures, and traditions through the Center.”
Emma Salachi ’19, a global studies major who studied at Assumption’s Rome Campus in 2017, said the new Center is important to her because both the global studies and study abroad programs have made her time at Assumption more meaningful. “These programs have expanded my global awareness and thirst for knowledge and new experiences, and I hope the Center will help many other students do the same,” she said. “It’s a great resource for students to easily access all the tools they need to learn about and pursue a study abroad experience.”
David Crowley, Ph.D., associate professor of biology and CRS Global Campus coordinator, said that by offering interesting and diverse programming, the Center will be able to garner student attention to global learning opportunities. “For instance, a student who attends a Center-sponsored lecture on a global issue like food insecurity might have their thinking challenged in such a way that they explore further opportunities through the Center, including study abroad,” said Prof. Crowley
The global opportunities provided by the Center for Global Studies, coupled with Assumption’s study abroad programs, enhance and expand Assumption’s commitment to traditional liberal arts learning. Studying abroad – whether in locations across the globe or at the Rome Campus – provides students with an enhanced liberal arts education; as they take courses in the humanities, they are learning to become citizens of the world. In Rome, students learn about philosophy, theology, art history, Italian, and comparative literature, using the city as a living classroom.
