Going Global
By Debby Denehy
The university's global focus is visible in many areas. This year, UIW international students represent 51 countries and a total of 355 students. The main campus currently hosts students from near and far away places such as China, Mexico, Canada, Bosnia, Lebanon, Cameroon, Bangladesh and Bahrain to name just a few.
International Student Association (ISA) recruits new members.
The international population continues to grow as the university caters to new candidates, offering information in eight languages on the website and innovative degree options. Dual-degree programs enable students to achieve degrees both here and abroad interchangeably. Students can prepare for global opportunities with post-graduate degree plans such as the PhD concentration in International Education and Entrepreneurship.
Reciprocal education is also on the rise. UIW has sister school agreements with more than 90 institutions in over 31 countries on six continents. Sister school exchange agreements have spawned various cooperative arrangements, making it easy to enroll, transfer credits, and collaborate on academic projects. UIW students participate in study and work abroad programs with schools in Europe, Africa, Asia, Mexico and South America. During this school year, 27 students are studying abroad in China, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Korea, Japan, France, Russia and the U.K. On the flip side, 31 exchange students are studying here.
The Changing Face of Study Abroad
More foreign institutions participate today than ever before. Trips have gotten shorter and more affordable. These advancements make Study Abroad more attractive -- and available - to a growing majority of students.
UIW students can spend a summer, semester or year studying abroad and receiving credit for their efforts. Agreements are designed to ensure seamless transfer of credits earned abroad back to UIW's degree programs.
There is also financial assistance for those who qualify. And students might quality for tuition credit through ContinUIW, a program designed to reduce costs with successive enrollment.
For more information about Study Abroad, contact Gwyneth Creagan, coordinator of study abroad, at ccreagan@uiwtx.edu or (210) 805-5700.
Our commitment scaled new heights when we opened academic sites in Guangzhou, China, and Mexico City, Mexico, where students can earn an accredited UIW undergraduate degree without having to leave either country. These sites are full-scale Incarnate Word campuses. Both locations have degree plans, athletics programs and graduation ceremonies the same as all those offered here.
The professors benefit too, using their travel experiences to enrich overseas and San Antonio classrooms not to mention themselves. With the new International Ambassador program, UIW faculty traveling abroad for work or pleasure make efforts to visit sister locations to further partnerships one-on-one. They often collaborate with sister school faculty on research and papers. All this serves to strengthen bonds and bring us closer together in our shared mission.
Today, UIW-trained graduates in international business and entrepreneurial studies populate businesses and civic organizations across the globe. The International Programs division on campus recently launched its Institute of World Cultures to provide a forum for cultural exchange through non-credit classes, workshops, presentations and special projects led by UIW international students.
And several new initiatives are in the works, too. One requires International Business students to obtain an “international experience” by spending time overseas. Another engages international students in teaching local business professionals the culture and language of their native land in preparation for foreign travel. All of this and more to expand a university without borders.