Greetings from the Office of Global Engagement at the University of Mississippi. During this continuing COVID-19 crisis, we see how global issues are our issues, how "no man is an island," and how connected we are and can be to the global community.
More than ever, the world needs people who understand globalization and topics such as pandemics, health care access and systems, international trade, climate change, global supply chains, food and water security, and sustainability in our local and global communities, as well as inequalities among and within countries, immigration, and the criminal justice system. Global education will continue to be important even with setbacks such as travel limitations, and we are looking to virtual exchange and connections in this unique time. We need more global citizens, and the University of Mississippi is creating, educating, and engaging them. I would like to encourage all of us to ask, "How do we get more students and faculty engaged in global issues and, from that engagement, make our world a better place through innovation and empathy?"
Current generations have grown up connected to a global community, and there won’t be a change in the desire to engage further with people around the world. Our international connections and programs may look different right now, but we will weather this storm and come out stronger.
Thank you for reading through our first Global Engagement newsletter!
Blair McElroy
Senior International Officer
Director of Study Abroad
