Student Success: Educate Students to transcend national and cultural boundaries.

CGE works to provide opportunities for our students through academic and experiential learning to prepare them to adapt to a changing world and contribute to bettering it.

Academy for Global Scholars

The Academy for Global Scholars (AGS), an initiative tailored for first-year, first-generation students, offers an unparalleled opportunity for global engagement and personalmaturation during the first year on campus at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. As it enters its fourth iteration, AGS welcomed 19 members into the 2023-24 cohort.

Study Abroad 101 and Global Guides

Study Abroad 101

Study Abroad 101s were piloted in AY 23-24, with the goal of 3-4 offered each semester.

These sessions allow students who don’t know where to begin in their study abroad journey to come and hear the basics.

Global Guides

In addition to the general information students hear during Study Abroad 101, the Programs Abroad Office has also put together 3-4 Global Guides each semester, where students are invited to dive deeper into a specific topic related to studying abroad. Past topics include: Money management and finances abroad; Transferring credit from your study abroad, etc.

Cocurricular Programming

International House programming is designed to encourage students to apply their learning from inside the classroom in cocurricular settings. Students connect experiences with concepts from across disciplines to integrate their learning formally and informally. Programs such as Language Practice, World Showcase, International Coffeehouse and American Cultural Experiences provide opportunities for students to make direct connections with classroom content. They also foster reflection on cultural identity of self and others to enhance intercultural development.

Programming frequently addresses the following career-readiness competencies identified by NACE: career & self-development, communication, critical thinking, equity & inclusion, leadership and teamwork.

Fostering a Safe and Supportive Environment for Successful Learning

Education is not possible if students are not healthy, safe and in a supportive learning environment. Global Risk leads emergency response efforts to address student, faculty and staff incidents and crises abroad, helping ensure this important learning and work can take place. During the 2023-2024 academic year, the Global Risk team successfully resolved 189 major and minor incidents involving UT international travelers on the ground.

Support at Every Stage of the Study Abroad Journey

The Programs Abroad Office expanded intercultural awareness and reflection in its pre-departure orientation training while still offering necessary health and safety information and logistical considerations in order to more holistically prepare students for their study abroad experience. In spring 2025, an in-person, post study abroad experience event was piloted where students were guided through reflection activities, including how to navigate reverse culture shock, how to stay involved in the international community and how to best highlight the skills and competencies employers are looking for through the lens of their study abroad experience.

Engaging Experts around the World

Ian Kelly is an award-winning author, playwright, and actor, but what he calls “the smallest, shortest job” he’s ever done may be the one for which he is best known. That job was playing Hermione Granger’s father in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Students in the Department of English’s Playwriting course benefitted from Mr. Kelly’s experience and expertise, as he became the department’s first-ever visiting writer for playwriting. The ISSS team worked with the Department of English to make this incredible learning opportunity possible using the Exchange Visitor program. Exchange visitors like Ian Kelly play a crucial role in connecting UT to the world by teaching, conducting research, and facilitating cultural exchange.

Equipping the World with English Language Skills

Through an expansion of institutional partnerships and innovative programs, the English Language Institute (ELI) is leading the way forward. With local program expansion through additional language courses, we support our community and embody the volunteer spirit to our neighbors in Knoxville. Additionally, our campus partners are critical to our success. We have sustained relationships with the ESL department and UTCVM, and delivery of the OPIc for graduate students and programs. As we continue our reach to Knoxville and beyond, we welcome you — our campus partners — to join us.

New Scholarship Opportunity for Semester-Long Study Abroad Programs

The Programs Abroad Office and the CGE Office of Communications piloted a scholarship given to students who agree to create social media content (videos or blogs) that highlight their study experience on a semester-long program during the fall or spring semester. The opportunity was created to increase visibility for and interest in longer term study abroad projects by highlighting positive student journeys.