USCB Honored with 2023 AASCU Excellence & Innovation Award for International Education

Chancellor Al M. Panu and Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Director of International Programs Juanita “Babet” Villena-Alvarez at the at the American Association of Colleges & Universities (AASCU) 2023 Annual Conference in Chicago, where USCB received the Excellence & Innovation award for International Education.

The University of South Carolina Beaufort was proud to receive an American Association of Colleges and Universities (AASCU) Excellence & Innovation award at the AASCU's 2023 Annual Conference in Chicago. USCB received the national Excellence & Innovation award for International Education. Dr. Timothy Mottet, President of Colorado State University-Pueblo, presented the award.

This prestigious award from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities recognizes USCB's initiative “Global Reach: International Competencies at the University of South Carolina Beaufort” for its outstanding results and potential to serve as a model for other institutions.

"We are thrilled to receive the 2023 AASCU Excellence & Innovation Award for International Education," said USCB Chancellor Al M. Panu. "The University of South Carolina Beaufort extends its deepest gratitude to AASCU for this recognition and remains committed to fostering excellence, innovation, and global citizenship within higher education.”

The AASCU Excellence & Innovation Awards are presented annually to honor member institutions that demonstrate extraordinary leadership and creativity in addressing the challenges facing higher education. This year, USCB's initiative, implemented through the office of Dr. Babet Villena-Alvarez, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, stood out among the many submissions, demonstrating how a small, semi-rural university can be deeply committed to international education. The university’s international programs include Palmetto College students — most recently, two Palmetto College public health students joined USCB’s summer study abroad in Poland.

Almost every division on USCB’s three campuses (Bluffton, Beaufort and Hilton Head Island) is represented and impacted by the Global Reach initiative, which is implemented by the university’s International Programs Committee. Designed to foster international competencies among its students and faculty, promote cross-cultural understanding, and prepare students for a globally interconnected world, the initiative has successfully implemented a wide range of programs, activities, and resources. Through partnerships with accredited international institutions, study abroad opportunities, language immersion programs, and cross-cultural initiatives on campus, USCB has created an environment that nurtures international awareness and engagement.

USCB's Mission, Vision and Values specifies an international focus in the introductory line. The University’s Strategic Plan C.A.R.E.S. begins with “Cultural Appreciation” and its Academic Master Plan incorporates Global Reach as one of the “Ideals” of the institution for USCB students.

USCB’s International Programs Committee (IPC) manages, organizes and coordinates global university activities. One of the most active and visible committees on campus, IPC is made up of faculty, staff and student representatives. The IPC sponsors International Week each year, where activities have included international cooking demonstrations; international trivia contests; a soccer game; a study abroad recruitment fair; a salsa, meringue and soca dance party; throwing of gulal (colored powder from India) and more.

USCB has forged international agreements with many international universities including HZ University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, Poznan University of Medical Sciences in Poland, and the Vidyalankar School of Information Technology in Mumbai, Maharashtra in India.

The destinations for USCB’s Faculty-led study abroad courses change year-to-year. Groups have gone to France, Finland and Nepal.

USCB also actively encourages its students to apply for competitive funding opportunities for international experiences and recently celebrated its first Student Fulbright Award when Theodora Light spent several months in Spain researching the enslavement of indigenous people along the coast of La Florida in the 16th century.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused USCB to get creative with its international offerings; many of these virtual exchanges have continued. Students from Sierra Leone and France as well as visiting scholars from Poland, the United Kingdom and Finland, have broadened the horizons of USCB Sand Sharks through online lectures and conversation classes.

To learn more about USCB’s Global Reach Initiative and International Programs Committee, watch: https://vimeo.com/841215881/0f4cc60261?share=copy

USCB’s international programs include students from Palmetto College. Dr. Susan Elkins, Chancellor of the University of South Carolina Palmetto College, attended the AASCU 2023 Annual Conference and awards ceremony with USCB’s Chancellor Panu and Dr. Alvarez.

Photos of the awards ceremony are by Rhonda Nunn/Just Keep Smiling Productions, LLC

In 2023, USCB Public Health and Biology students completed a summer study abroad at Poznan University of Medical Sciences (PUMS). They were accompanied by Dr. Joe Station, Chairman of the Natural Sciences department, and Senior Director of Communications Carol Weir.

Dr. Brian Canada, chair of USCB’s Computer Science & Mathematics department, meets with students at VGU (Vivekananda Global University) in Jaipur, Rajasthan in India.