Global Perspectives Program - Virginia Tech Graduate School

Developed in 2005 by Karen P. DePauw (Vice President and Dean for Graduate Education), the Global Perspectives Program (GPP) is a one-of-a-kind graduate student experience offered through Virginia Tech’s educational facility (CESA) in Riva San Vitale, Switzerland. GPP is an example of a program through which Virginia Tech (VT) graduate students participate in an integrated study-at-home (GRAD 5104 and GRAD 5114) and study abroad (GPP) curriculum to better prepare them to succeed as future faculty members and global citizens. This program is an integral part of the Transformative Graduate Education (TGE) initiative offered through the VT Graduate School.

The Global Perspectives Program enables graduate students to examine differences in academic practices and to develop innovative and effective approaches that foster international awareness and education. During the trip, participants gather firsthand knowledge about global higher education through (a) visits to a diverse array of universities, (b) discussions with various faculty, administrators, and students, and (c) dialogue among GPP participants. This program provides experiences that help participants acknowledge the various contexts and cultures of higher education around the world and embrace a broader perspective. Through the GPP experience, participants enhance their professional understanding of global higher education, gain a cultural understanding of higher education contexts, engage with new colleagues across academic disciplines, and grow as globally-situated individuals

To be eligible for the Global Perspectives Program, VT graduate students must successfully complete GRAD 5104 (Preparing the Future Professoriate) and GRAD 5114 (Pedagogical Practices in Contemporary Contexts). Students who have taken one of these courses and are enrolled in the other course for the spring semester are also eligible for consideration. Each year in early November, a call for applications is issued by Karen DePauw. Applications require name, degree sought, progress toward degree completion, and dates of completion (or future enrollment) for GRAD 5104 and GRAD 5114. Applicants are also asked to provide an essay articulating their reasons for pursuing the GPP experience and how it is relevant to their aspirations as a future faculty member. Letters of recommendation are neither necessary nor desired.

GPP founder and Vice President and Dean for Graduate Education Karen P. DePauw reviews the applications and makes selections by early January. Those students selected are required to attend monthly seminars during the spring semester. If interested, participants can receive course credit by enrolling in graduate level study abroad course (GRAD 5954). In order to minimize out-of-pocket expenses and make GPP accessible option for all graduate students, the majority GPP expenses are covered by the Graduate School. Further trip details are shared with participants after the group is selected and the itinerary is finalized. Please email Karen DePauw or Justin Shanks (Global Perspectives Fellow) with any questions about GPP.

GPP Switzerland Swiss Alps

In 2010, a GPP relationship was solidified with Universität Basel (UniBasel), strengthening an already strong connection between the two universities. This GPP relationship includes collaborative seminars conducted in Basel and Riva San Vitale, Switzerland. Drawing upon the immersive GPP graduate study abroad model established by Karen DePauw, UniBasel GPP participants now make annual visits to the U.S. every June. During their time in the U.S., the UniBasel GPP participants visit Virginia Tech as well as other colleges and universities. Since 2010, each the Global Perspectives Program has concluded with a joint VT-UniBasel global summit held at the Swiss Embassy in Washington DC. During the summit, GPP participants present their collaborative research findings and cultural expereinces to an audience of educators, scholar, academic administrators, and foreign diplomats. For an overview of recent Swiss Embassy GPP events, please review Karen DePauw's opening remarks from 2011 and 2012.

GPP Chile

The Global Perspectives Program in Chile represented a welcome expansion of the GPP framework into South America. As with other GPP initiatives, the purpose of GPP Chile was the preparation of future faculty members who are instilled with a global perspective of higher education.

This initial Global Perspectives Program in Latin America provided participants and program coordinators an opportunity to gather first hand knowledge about higher education in Chile through (a) visits to three important Chilean universities, (b) discussions with numerous Chilean faculty, administrators, and students, as well as (c) dialogue among GPP group members. Six PhD students were selected to participate in the pilot program: Angela Anderson (HNFE), C.L. Bohannon (Architecture and Design Research), Margo Duckson (Food Science and Technology), Jordan Hill (ASPECT), Justin Shanks (STS), and Adam Smith (Plant Pathology, Physiology, and Weed Science). The group also included GPP founder Karen P. DePauw (Vice President and Dean for Graduate Education) and John Dooley (CEO and Secretary Treasurer of the Virginia Tech Foundation and former Vice President for Outreach and International Affairs). The experience began with monthly meetings in the Fall 2011 and on January 7, 2012 the group departed for Santiago, Chile to begin visits with our partner institutions: Universidad Austral de Chile, Universidad de Chile, and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Conversations regarding the longterm viability of GPP Chile are currently ongoing. Visit the GPP Chile blog to learn more about the participants and the pilot program experience.

GPP Graduate Deans

The Graduate Deans Global Experience resulted from interest among U.S. graduate deans to learn more about the Global Perspectives Program. Curious about the program logistics and learning objectives, a group of graduate deans asked Karen DePauw to coordinate a special edition GPP. Under the guidance of Karen P. DePauw, nine graduate deans participated in a weeklong program that simulated the typical GPP experience with an added focus on how other graduate schools might implement similar programs.

The experience began on 22 July 2012 in Paris at Université Pierre-et-Marie-Curie (UPMC) with an event hosted by President Jean Chambaz. The following Monday, the group participated in a morning seminar on European higher education sponsored by Lesley Wilson, Secretary-General and Thomas Jørgensen, Senior Program Manager for the Council for Doctoral Education (CDE) of the European University Association (EUA) followed by visits to nearby French universities in the afternoon. After leaving Paris, for the next few days the graduate deans visited Université de Strasbourg, Universität Basel, and Universität Zürich en route to Ticino, the Italian speaking region of Switzerland and the city of Lugano. The culminating event of the trip was a workshop/seminar with GPP alumni from Virginia Tech and UniBasel at VT's Center for European Studies and Architecture (CESA) in Riva San Vitale, Switzerland. Learn more about the nine graduate dean participants and their GPP experiences at the GPP Graduate Deans blog.

For more information about past, present, and future GPP iniatives, please visit the Global Perspectives blog, like the Global Perspectives Program, Virginia Tech Facebook page, follow @GPPVT on Twitter, view the Global Perspectives Flickr Photostream, or monitor the growing video library on the Global Perspectives VT YouTube channel.