Council on Global Engagement

Global engagement is core to the educational mission of the University of Michigan. The scope and excellence of our international learning opportunities are U-M differentiators, and we are dedicated to helping all of our students experience the wider world through academic and co-curricular programs abroad. Equally important is the cultural and intellectual diversity that our international students and scholars bring to the U-M campus.

The U-M continually seeks new ways to both expand education abroad capacity and to create a campus culture that helps students from all backgrounds learn from one another. The Council on Global Engagement (CGE) helps the university build greater cohesion, innovation, and quality in these efforts.

The CGE grew from a Study Abroad Council convened in 2008 by the Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs. The Council was founded at the request of our undergraduate deans, who identified two key areas of need:

• To increase U-M student participation in education abroad
• To increase coordination and administrative efficiencies among academic units sponsoring these experiences for our students.

The group took its current name in 2009, reflecting the growing diversity of its membership. CGE members are appointed by their respective Deans and include both faculty and professional staff with decision-making authority for education abroad (both academic and co-curricular/undergraduate and graduate levels), on-campus programs with a global emphasis, and support for incoming international students and scholars. The Global Engagement Team manages the Council on behalf of the Provost and also appoints the Council Chair, who may be a faculty or staff member and serves a three-year term.

CGE members participate in monthly meetings and represent their units in the following efforts:

• Provide expert advice to campus leadership on strategic initiatives for international education.
• Identify common challenges to global engagement and develop solutions that meet the needs of our diverse campus community.
• Submit recommendations to the Provost’s Office that build U-M education-abroad capacity, facilitate a welcoming climate for incoming students and scholars, and increase collaboration and administrative efficiencies across campus.
• Provide feedback on university policies and business processes related to education abroad.
• Share standards of excellence in program development, management, and travel health and safety.

While CGE membership is by appointment only, the Provost’s Office Global Engagement Team maintains a broader M-Community group for international education announcements, events and information sharing: IE-announce@umich.edu. Any U-M faculty and staff are welcome to join this M-Community group. Please contact Janelle Pangilinan to be added to the IE-announce list: pjanelle@umich.edu.