Dear Saint Ursula Community,

It is a bit of an odd combination to have Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day on the same date.  This combo challenges us to think about how both observations have love at their core.  I hope that you have time today to reflect on the love of God as well as the loving people that you have in your life, also gifts from God!  Today our students and faculty participated in a schoolwide prayer service - and sported some pink and red.

Towards the end of last week I had the opportunity to accompany Rachel Kemper, our Senior Director of Service, Equity, and Global Education, to the 2024 Global Education Symposium in Washington, DC.  Rachel is a participant in the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program.  During the fall she completed graduate level coursework about global education, and in the spring she will be traveling to Morocco for three weeks as part of her field experience to learn about their culture and educational system.  The goal of both aspects of the Fulbright Teacher Exchange is to advance global education at SUA and in the US educational system. 

To be upfront, I had my own learning curve to understand all that global education encompasses.  My first impression is that it had to do more with international studies, learning about other cultures, and perhaps travel opportunities.  Sure, all of that is part of the mix.  At the heart of global education is helping students to develop the mindset and skills that they need to be successful in a global world and to understand how the global world impacts their local communities.  These skills include critical thinking, problem solving, empathy, perspective taking, and communication.  Our students are - and will continue to be - living in a rapidly changing global society that demands that they are critical thinkers and problem solvers with a multi-disciplinary and multicultural lens.  

My first takeaway at the Global Education Symposium was feeling gratitude for how Rachel and others have championed the cause of global education and global competency at SUA.  There was an administrator and teacher track at the conference, and as I talked with other school leaders, it is clear that SUA is further advanced in our approaches to global education than many other schools across the country.  We have many reasons to feel proud of our efforts.  If your daughter has participated in any service learning, knows about Sustainable Development Goals, has taken advantage of travel experiences, has interacted with international students on campus, or is a part of our growing Global Scholars program, she has already benefited from Mrs. Kemper’s areas of focus.  SUA’s mission statement includes that we are dedicated to graduating “women filled with faith, integrity, and courage, ready to make a positive impact in the world.”  The world needs our thinkers, leaders, nurturers, and prophets.

Go Bulldogs!

Kathy