About Us

GEO Office/Cunningham House

Global Engagement Purview

The Global Engagement Office serves the campus community in different areas:

  1. Off-campus study opportunities for students:
    Off-Campus Study Program
    Domestic Programs
    Short-Term Study Abroad
  2. Risk Management
  3. Global Engagement

Global Engagement Committee

The Global Engagement Committee is a standing committee of the Faculty, charged with advising the Global Engagement Office regarding changes in policy and practice; participating in regular reviews of Swarthmore College study abroad programs; reviewing approved and proposed study abroad programs; reviewing student petitions to attend non-approved programs; and in general overseeing the educational quality of all supported programs while contributing to the effort to remove unnecessary institutional barriers to participation.

Members of the Global Engagement Committee, Academic Year 2024-2025

  • Anderson Casey. Director of Student Health & Wellness
  • BuYun Chen.  Associate Professor of History.
  • L. Simone Collins. Director of Counseling and Psychological Services.
  • Sony Devabhaktuni. Assistant Professor of Art.
  • Varo Duffins. Director of Financial Aid.
  • Karen Henry. Dean of First-Year Students.
  • Stephen Miller. Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry
  • Usha Nair Jenemann. Associate Registrar.
  • Lauren Owens. Director of Operations, Global Engagement Office.
  • Benjamin Ridgway. Assistant Professor of Chinese
  • Kristen Smith. Registrar. 
  • Carina Yervasi.  Chair - Executive Director, Global Engagement Office.

Internationalization

Campus internationalization means connecting Swarthmore students’ on-campus studies and experiences to larger global contexts. These connections are made through intentional inclusion of international perspectives across the spectrum of Swarthmore educational and co-curricular activities. On-campus opportunities (academic and co-curricular) are complemented by students’ off-campus experiences through local community service, internships, and study abroad.

Global Engagement supports internationalization through the following activities:

  1. Global Engagement encourages departments to integrate multiple cultural perspectives into Swarthmore education abroad program curricula.
  2. Global Engagement works with departments to align courses taken abroad with department academic policies and goals.
  3. Global Engagement facilitates internships, service learning, and community engagement opportunities - especially those activities that have international components.
  4. Global Engagement provides opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to share expertise gained through international experiences in all fields of study.
  5. Global Engagement meets with international visitors to other departments on campus, and hosts representatives from affiliated education abroad programs.