Duke undergraduates now have global advisers to match the University’s growing international presence.
In the last month, almost 100 students have attended one-on-one counseling sessions with one of Duke’s three new global advisers. The advisers help students choose between study abroad and DukeEngage, fit global programs into their curriculums and integrate themes from past global experiences into the rest of their Duke career.
“We want all Duke students to be engaged as global learners, whether that means participating in international study or service or engaging in study and service activities locally in Durham, elsewhere in the United States or through a class at Duke,” global adviser Leslie Grinage wrote in an email Thursday.
Although the advising program has “global” in its title, the advisers also help students get involved with civic engagement projects in Durham—ranging from volunteering at the Duke Hospital to working with refugees in the area, said Lee Baker, dean of academic affairs of Trinity College of Arts & Sciences.
Baker added that the local and international advising services can be of extra benefit to students with strict academic course loads or student athletes who feel their schedules do not give them the flexibility needed to participate in civic engagement or study abroad.
“There really aren’t curricular limitations to study abroad, provided the students are well advised and plan appropriately,” Margaret Riley, director of the Global Education Office for Undergraduates and an academic dean in Trinity College, wrote in an email Thursday. “This is where global advisers can be a real boon to the process.”
Junior Samantha Tropper, who plans to apply to the Duke in France program, said she would consider attending a global advising session. When Tropper began to explore international options last Spring, she had many questions that she said could not be answered by her normal academic adviser.
“[My adviser] just didn’t know,” Tropper said.
Elizabeth Fox, associate dean of Trinity College and director of the Academic Advising Center, said this new program contributes to the advising center but adds a global angle.
“[Global advising] adds a piece that wasn’t there before—bringing together information about multiple opportunities for global and civic engagement—from the more well-known to the hidden gems,” Fox wrote in an email Thursday.
Grinage said the program also offers office hours and events for students—such as DukeJourneys, a series of dinners where undergraduates can discuss potential programs.
“I’ve considered going to the office hours to find out how to create a cohesive study abroad experience and how to best incorporate that back at Duke,” sophomore Ajeet Hansra said.
Baker said global advising is one of three international-based initiatives—including Winter Forum and the Global Semester Abroad—created as a result of a quality enhancement program required by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to renew Duke’s accreditation.
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