Ribbon ''Tying'' Ceremony for new University of Maryland Student Center for Global Education
With an unusual "tying of the ribbon", students, faculty, and administrators came together in the Southern Management Corporation (SMC)Campus Center April 5 to officially open the University of Maryland Student Center for Global Education.
The center was created by the Global Health Inter-professional Council and the Global Health Initiatives Center. It will be a central resource for students, building ties across disciplines, and providing student education that focuses on global impact.
Elizabeth Duke, a second-year medical student, and Lucy MacGabhann, a third-year law student, were among six students from all of the schools who participated in an interdisciplinary study project in Malawi, Africa, last summer. (See http://www.umaryland.edu/malawi/index.html) They talked about the importance of the project to them before tying the ribbon while University President Jay Perman, MD, assisted.
Jody Olsen, PhD, MSW, a former Peace Corps deputy director and a professor in the School of Social Work, is the director of the center.
"Through the center, we are creating an environment that encourages faculty and students at this University to plan and have strong international experiential learning," said Olsen. She said the center is pulling together the elements needed for framing projects abroad. These include safety and security, such as emergency planning; database development; and cultural and personal preparation.
Olsen added that the center encourages schools sharing experience and "creates synergy for interprofessional opportunities."
Bonnie Bissonette, MA, whose office is located on the third floor of the SMC Campus Center, is the associate director. "The inspirational student testimonies today effectively illustrate the impact of international interprofessional experiences and how they contribute to developing well-rounded global professionals," said Dissonette. "I am very excited to be a part of this important and meaningful initiative for UM students."
Perman, Joseph O'Neill, MD, MS, MPH, director of Global Health Initiatives, and Miriam Laufer, MD, chair of the Global Health Inter-Professional Council, had welcoming remarks that can be viewed in this video:
