I am pleased to share our study abroad and global program participant update on 2025-26 abroad. As President Sullivan announced at the State of the University, the University committed additional resources to expand access to study abroad. Approximately 30% of SCU students will study abroad in 2025-26 and Impact 2030’s Strategic Priority One: Reach on a Global Scale aims to increase this percentage.

As you may know, part of SCU’s global footprint includes students, faculty, and staff who teach and research abroad through international fellowships like Fulbright. Fulbright student, faculty, and staff alumni have the opportunity to take action by urging Congress to restore vital international exchange funding through the Fulbright Association #StandforFulbright campaign. We encourage you to learn more about this campaign, and to explore their resources.

Best,
Susan Popko
Associate Provost for International Programs

Nominations are Open: Global Engagement Award for Faculty

Nominate yourself or a colleague for the Barbara Cassin Award for Excellence in Global Engagement. The Barbara Cassin award recognizes outstanding faculty efforts supporting global engagement annually. All faculty, staff, and students are welcome to nominate faculty members for this award. Nominations and self-nominations are due April 22, 2025. Visit our website for more information.

Study Abroad and Global Programs for 2025-26

There are 469 students who will participate in study abroad and global programs in 2025-26, including confirmed participants for Summer 2025, Fall 2025, Winter/Spring 2026, and Spring 2026, and the application process for 2025-26 has concluded. We are especially excited about participation on SCU’s own programs:

• Australia: Melbourne - Australian Catholic University/SCU (2 students)
• Australia: Sydney - Australian Catholic University/SCU (11 students)
• Chile: Santiago - Alberto Hurtado University/SCU (3 students)
• England: Oxford/SCU (1 student)
• Ireland: Dublin - University College Dublin/SCU (14 students)
• Japan: Tokyo - Sophia University/SCU (6 students)
• Spain: San Sebastian - University of Deusto/SCU (5 students)
• Sweden: Lund - Lund University/SCU (5 students)

We are grateful for the 74 faculty and staff members who served as application reviewers this year. As President Sullivan announced at the State of the University, and in keeping with Impact 2030 Strategic Priority One: Reach on a Global Scale, the University committed additional resources to expand access to study abroad and 95% of applicants were offered nominations.

The Application Process Phase of education abroad is now concluded and the Pre-Departure Phase has begun in which students focus on: academic and personal goal setting, identity formation, intercultural preparation, and career integration in the context of their specific program. In addition, our education abroad team is guiding the Re-Entry Phase of programming for the 376 students who returned from Fall 2024 study abroad and global programs.

Fellowship to Teach English in Taiwan for Two Weeks

The TEACH Fellowship is open to people who hold a Bachelor’s Degree with an interest in teaching K-12 students in Taiwan. Those with a background in teaching are especially encouraged to apply. The Fellowship invites enthusiastic teachers to teach and create an immersed bilingual and cultural learning environment for Taiwanese students and to enhance cultural and educational exchanges between Taiwan and the world. The TEACH Fellowship was launched in Taiwan in 2023 by the Association of International Cultural and Educational Exchange Taiwan (AICEE).

Global Engagement Photo Contest Display

See the 2024-25 Global Engagement Photo Contest Photography on display in the Learning Commons, second floor, April 1-May 1. We encourage those on campus to stop by and view the exhibit. You can also visit our website to view the winning photos.

The annual Global Engagement Photo Contest aims to capture compelling images from all SCU undergraduate and graduate students about their experiences abroad, including international students. We aim to deepen understanding of ethical engagement with the world through promoting our Ethical Photos Guide and highlighting photos that exemplify this, and are grateful to the 379 SCU community members who voted in the contest this year.

Welcome to the 2026-27 Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program competition!

Faculty are encouraged to consider applying for the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program competition for the 2026-2027 academic year.

The deadline to apply to U.S. Scholar awards is September 15, 2025. The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program is offering more than 380 awards in more than 130 countries this year. See additional information on our Fulbright webpage. 

International Student Programming and Support

Recent events have included:

• January 15: National Bagel Day Drop-in Advising
• January 21: Post-Graduation Employment (Optional Practical Training OPT) Workshop
• January 22: Academic Internships (Curricular Practical Training CPT) Workshop
• January 24 and January 28: Coffee Hours
• February 4: International Student Tax Workshop
• February 13 Drop-in Advising and Cupcakes
• February 14: Valentine’s Day Mixer
• February 19: International Student Reception and Gathering with the Division of Student Life
• February 25: Academic Internships (Curricular Practical Training CPT) Workshop
• February 26: Post-Graduation Employment (Optional Practical Training OPT) Workshop
• March 4: Academic Internships (Curricular Practical Training CPT) Workshop
• March 6: Post-Graduation Employment (Optional Practical Training OPT) Workshop
• March 11: Sharks Hockey Game
• Weekly International Student Peer Advising Hours (Wednesdays 9am-12 noon, Thursdays 1-4pm, Fridays 9am-12 noon)
• Weekly International Student Newsletters (December 20, January 8, January 21, January 28, February 3, February 6, February 14)

Upcoming events:

• March 17: St Patrick’s Day Drop-in Advising
• March 20: International Day of Happiness Drop-in Advising
• April 8: Post-Graduation Employment (Optional Practical Training OPT) Workshop
• April 10: Academic Internships (Curricular Practical Training CPT) Workshop

Did you know that SCU offers international students workshops on academic internships (Curricular Practical Training- CPT), post-graduation employment (Optional Practical Training- OPT), and tax information on a regular basis to help students integrate their academics and career?  Learn more about OPT and CPT on our website.

Federal government changes impacting Global Engagement at SCU, including potential impacts to students, faculty, and staff, can be found on our webpage U.S. Government Updates Impacting Global Engagement.

See SCU global data on our website.

March 2025

• March 17: ISS St Patrick’s Day Drop-in Advising
• March 20: ISS International Day of Happiness Drop-in Advising
• March 26: Study Abroad Family Orientation Webinar

April 2025

• April 7: Being Me Abroad: Exploring Identity, Culture, and Adaptation in a Global Context for 2025-26 students studying abroad
• April 8: OPT Workshop
• April 10: CPT Workshop