News

Jody Olsen Ph.D. ’79 reflects on her six decade career in the Peace Corps. Olsen reflects on how the Peace Corps changed the way she views the world and herself, the commonalities she discovered across vastly different cultures, and how building relationships grounded in trust and respect can change communities and save lives.

Six Global STEWARDS Fellows to visit Tanzania, hailing from across UMD and bringing diverse expertise to the pressing and interrelated issues of food, energy and water (FEW) in a changing climate. The fellows travelled to Tanzania to engage, learn and share knowledge with local partners, farmers and researchers who are working towards sustainable solutions.

Dennis Kivlighan, professor at the University of Maryland College of Education, will study how attitudes toward group counseling vary across the globe and whether group therapy models can be translated across different cultures. The team will also examine how group composition and cohesion influence group therapy’s effectiveness and what characteristics make for stronger, more efficient results.

Dr. Buse Gonul, visiting Fulbright scholar from Türkiye (Turkey), shares her work as a developmental science scholar, exploring young adults’ perceptions about peers with different social class backgrounds.

During IEW last November, as part of a new IIE Korea-U.S. initiative promoting STEM exchanges and collaboration, the Global Learning Initiatives (GLI) team hosted 30 undergraduate students from Korea at UMD, underscoring UMD's commitment to foster global partnerships and create meaningful cultural and academic exchanges by showcasing the university as a hub for international collaboration and innovation.

The UMD Global STEWARDS program welcomed its newest cohort of graduate student fellows this month. The 10 new Global STEWARDS Fellows come from four UMD schools and colleges (SPH, AGNR, AEED and CMNS).