As a Manager of Global Responsibility for Starbucks,聽Ann Burkhart ’90 ensures that the company’s international impact is positive.聽Her team develops strategies for the ethical sourcing of commodities from around the world. An international studies major at the 乱伦社区, Burkhart particularly values the writing and research skills she gained here.聽
News and features
Jackson School professor: ‘Ukraine is a special case’
KUOW’s Ross Reynolds spoke with 乱伦社区 professor聽Scott Radnitz about anti-government protests in Ukraine. Radnitz directs UW’s聽.聽The country’s population is politically divided, he explained, “…what happens in Ukraine is really going to be very important to the future of Eastern Europe.”
USAID taps UW and Microsoft to bring Burma new technologies
Burma faces many challenges in its path toward democracy. 乱伦社区 is partnering with Microsoft and USAID to make the transition a little easier. USAID awarded a 1.5 million dollar grant to UW’s Jackson School of International Studies and Information School to bring new technologies and training to Burma. The tools will be used to facilitate policy-making and higher education reform. Microsoft matched the USAID grant and will contribute software and expertise.
Expanding to China, Seattle firm enlists UW alum
When leaders at Seattle design firm needed new talent to reach their goal of winning new projects in Asia, they turned to a UW alumnus with strong connections to Seattle and China. Kevin Zhang, a graduate of UW’s program and a native of聽Tianjin, China, has put his graduate training as well as cultural and linguistic fluency to work for the firm. With Zhang’s help, DLR Group recently won a bid to redesign a power plant in Shanghai, gaining a new foothold in China for the Seattle firm.聽
UW again a leader in producing Peace Corps volunteers
Peace Corps has named 乱伦社区 a leader in producing volunteers for its international volunteer programs. With 85 undergraduate and 20 graduate alumni currently serving with Peace Corps, UW is tied for second place with University of Florida in volunteer recruitment among large universities. The two tied for first place in the 2013 rankings. Since the organization’s founding in 1961, 2840 UW alumni have served as volunteers.
President Young reflected on the recent announcement in UW Today:聽鈥淲e are immensely proud of our graduates who make the decision to serve in the Peace Corps. It reflects the importance they and the university place on serving others, particularly in distant parts of the world. We aim to instill a global perspective in all of our students, and this is one indicator that we鈥檙e having a significant impact.”
Study abroad participation mirrors UW’s high marks for accessibility
乱伦社区 is one of only 19 US universities to meet high standards set by the in an examination of higher education access, affordability and student success.聽
Increased participation in study abroad by undergraduate students from underrepresented backgrounds echoes UW’s other achievements in enhancing access, affordability and student success. Study abroad participation by undergraduates from underrepresented backgrounds steadily climbed over the past decade, from under 7 percent of the study abroad student population in 2001-2002 to almost 17 percent in 2012-2013.
This progress reflects the increased quality and relevance of study abroad programming, innovative partnerships with the and enhanced advising and support services focused on study abroad.聽For example, the program has awarded 398 GO! scholarships for study abroad to Pell grant and Husky Promise students since 2008.
UW Rome center live-broadcasting lecture by key European leader
Faculty, staff, students and community members are invited to view a live broadcast from the UW Rome Center on February 13.
The broadcast will feature a lecture by聽,聽President of the Italian Society for International Organizations; Former Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security. Dr. Frattini will explore the current trend towards European integration through his lecture:聽“European Union Integration: Toward the Unites States of Europe?”.
The broadcast will take place at 9am PST in 115 William H. Gates Hall on Thursday, February 13.聽Professor , UW Vice Provost for Global Affairs, will welcome Dr. Frattini and attendees on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
The event is hosted by UW , UW School of Law, the Jackson School of International Studies, the European Union Center of Excellence of Seattle, the Center for Western European Studies and UW French & Italian Studies.
A light breakfast will be served at the event. Please RSVP to draigrod@uw.edu.
Jackson School hosts Ambassador Pickering
As part of the聽lecture series: “The U.S. in a Changing World”, Ambassador Thomas Pickering spoke at Kane Hall on February 5. The series is sponsored by the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation.聽
Polar Science Center observes Greenland’s fast-melting glaciers
In partnership with the German Space Agency, researchers from the UW 聽observed Greenland’s Jakobshavn Glacier in 2012 and 2013. Their observations capture the glacier moving ice from land into water at the fastest pace ever recorded; results were published in聽,聽an open access journal of the European Geosciences Union.
Head of Baltic Studies authors book on “Singing Revolution”
The 乱伦社区 Press recently published ““, by聽, Associate Professor of聽聽and head of the UW Baltic Studies Program. 艩midchens’ work examines the use of song in聽passive resistance movements in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia聽during Soviet rule.