Cue the virtual confetti! Day 2 of The Forum’s Virtual Annual Conference delivered exciting news and congratulations: We celebrated the winners of three prestigious Forum Awards during our Awards Presentation on Wednesday, March 15.
Award for Advancing the UN SDGs through Education Abroad
Dickinson College was nam
ed the 2022 recipient of the Award for Advancing the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through Education Abroad. Sponsored by Authentica, the award honors member institutions and organizations whose education abroad programs promote economic, environmental, and social sustainability through implementation of the guidelines for Advancing the UN SDGs through Education Abroad.
“This acknowledgement of Dickinson’s leadership in fostering connections between sustainability, global and intercultural learning, civic engagement, and diversity, equity and inclusion work is truly humbling,” said Samantha Brandauer, Associate Provost and Executive Director, Center for Global Study and Engagement. “The UN SDGs provide a guide to our collaborative work happening both on campus and across our external international education, sustainability and community engagement networks through workshops, presentations, and publications. Dickinson’s campus centers and offices dedicated to these critical areas are partnering to create more just inclusive and sustainable communities.”
Award for Excellence in Education Abroad Curriculum Design
Jason Laine of Penn State received the Award for Excellence in Education Abroad Curriculum Design for “Italian Language and Culture for Embedded Experiences Abroad,” a course developed and taught by Laine. Jason Laine is a champion for global learning opportunities for undergraduate students, having led programs abroad for over 10 years and having participated in various global learning workshops.
“His Italian Language and Culture for Embedded Experiences Abroad course is a tremendous example of an interdisciplinary approach to teaching and learning, and the co-requisite model with an upper-level Biology course is an innovative way to have STEM students engaging with language and culture and humanities students engaging with the sciences,” said Kate Manni, Director of Education Abroad at Penn State Global. “The course curriculum helps students to leverage their short time abroad over spring break by preparing them to understand the history and basic language skills necessary to complement their ‘Anatomy in Italy’ coursework and science-based site visits. We applaud Jason for his efforts in developing this course!”
Award for Academic Achievement Abroad
Kiya Henderson of Pomona College earned the coveted 2022 Award for Academic Achievement Abroad. This award recognizes sophisticated and thoughtful academic projects that occur as part of education abroad programs.
Henderson’s research presentation was titled, “A Retrospective Analysis of Maternal Mortality in Kisumu, Kenya from March 2021 to March 2022: The Effects of Proximal and Distal Factors on Maternal Outcomes.” Watch Henderson share advice for study abroad students on the importance of being willing to adapt.
“[Kiya] distinguished herself through her critical analyses of the abstracted data during the one-year time study period,” said Dr. Steve Wandiga, PhD. Academic Director, Global Health and Human Rights Program, School for International Training (SIT) Kenya Study Abroad. “Overall, her excellence in academics and [as a] team leader among her peers was outstanding. … She excels in both individual and group settings. She is highly receptive to feedback, and I know that she continuously strives to be challenged and grow.”
All winners will be recognized on Friday, March 24, during the 19th Annual Conference in Seattle, when the recipient of the Peter A. Wollitzer Advocacy Award will also be announced on site.
Congrats to all this year’s winners!
