{"id":28067,"date":"2019-01-28T10:15:50","date_gmt":"2019-01-28T15:15:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/college.unc.edu\/?p=28067"},"modified":"2024-07-02T17:10:28","modified_gmt":"2024-07-02T17:10:28","slug":"heather-ward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/?p=28067","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Study abroad is not an extra\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

New associate dean for study abroad brings a personal and professional passion for making global experiences meaningful \u2014 and available \u2014 \u00a0for every UNC student<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Heather
Heather Ward, the new associate dean for study abroad and international exchanges, said she was thrilled about coming to UNC, which is \u201ca national leader in study abroad and consistently one of the top 20 sending institutions.\u201d (photo by Kristen Chavez)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Heather Ward will never forget the moment the value of her first study abroad experience clicked for her. As a sophomore at Vanderbilt University, she was spending the spring semester at the University of Madrid (Complutense), when her parents decided to visit. After meeting them at the airport, she hailed a taxi and gave the driver instructions in Spanish.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother looked at me like I was an alien from another planet. She said, \u2018Heather, he understood you!\u2019\u201d Ward said. \u201cAnd I replied, \u2018This was the point of coming here and immersing myself.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Ward, who grew up outside Florence, Alabama, had ignited a spark in her own family for seeing and learning about the world, and that is a study abroad \u201cspillover effect\u201d that\u2019s also important, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe rarely talk about benefits to the whole family or to fellow classmates,\u201d she said. \u201cIt completely changed their world to now have passports.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ward, who holds a bachelor\u2019s degree in Latin American studies and Spanish from Vanderbilt University and a master of international affairs from Columbia University, became the new associate dean for study abroad and international exchanges in UNC\u2019s College of Arts & Sciences in January.<\/p>\n

Ward also did anthropology field studies and an internship in Guatemala as an undergraduate. She said one of the best parts of her academic career was continuing that international work once she returned home.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo of my classmates at Vanderbilt are the co-founders of Alternative Spring Break, now a national program. I became the student leader for their program in South Florida, working with Guatemalan refugees,\u201d she said. \u201cThese issues of persecution, migration and cultural identity transcend borders, so that my study abroad experience was not in a silo. I was able to bridge the gaps once I returned home, because the global is not just \u2018over there,\u2019 it\u2019s here, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ward comes to Chapel Hill from the American Council on Education (ACE), where she served as associate director for internationalization and global engagement. At ACE, she created the global engagement strategy for the association\u2019s 1,800 member institutions and managed partnerships with educational associations worldwide. She previously held global positions at George Mason and Mary Baldwin universities in Virginia.<\/p>\n

Although the national trend is toward participation in shorter-term study abroad experiences, half of Carolina students choose semester-long or summer-intensive study abroad programs, Ward said.<\/p>\n

\u201cCarolina has such an impressive track record with this,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019ll be growing shorter-term programs as well to open up access to more students, and I\u2019m excited about the innovations we have the chance to introduce here \u2014 more experiential opportunities [abroad] such as internships, service learning, research and more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ward said she was thrilled about coming to UNC, which is \u201ca national leader in study abroad and consistently one of the top 20 sending institutions.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the aspects of global education that her office is thinking about, she said, is the longer life cycle of the student \u2014 before they set foot on campus and after they graduate. How do they capture the meaning and value of all of their global activity? How do they come to appreciate this as a lifelong advantage?<\/p>\n

\u201cEmployers want to see critical-thinking, problem-solving, interpersonal communication, cultural competency, self-confidence and teamwork \u2014 all of these are skills students often gain while studying abroad, but we need to teach them how to talk about that and put it on a resume,\u201d Ward said.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudy abroad is not an \u2018extra,\u2019\u201d she added. \u201cIt\u2019s a critical part of the academic experience at UNC for every student. It\u2019s a tremendous strength when we help students develop these global networks that are going to serve them throughout their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

By Kim Weaver Spurr \u201988 <\/em><\/p>\n

The stuff that\u2019s not on her resume:<\/strong><\/p>\n

What\u2019s your favorite place outside the United States you\u2019ve visited and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe openness and energy of people I meet in a place really shapes my perspective. On that score, Brazil, Colombia and Japan stand out \u2014 possibly because I\u2019ve worked with people in those countries over many years. But the world is vast, and there is so much more of it to experience!\u201d<\/p>\n

What kind of \u201cpacker\u201d are you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI always try to think about the host community when I\u2019m packing \u2014 whether it\u2019s for New Delhi or Nashville. And yet I know I will never pass for a local in another country \u2014 American running shoes always give me away!\u201d<\/p>\n

Favorite food?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMy grandmother\u2019s turnip greens.\u201d<\/p>\n

How do you pass the time on a long plane flight?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cSquirming. But podcasts help a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why study abroad \u2013 in a Tweet?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201c62% of @UNC alumni say, \u2018If I could do it over again, I would study abroad.\u2019 #noregrets #heelsabroad @uncstudyabroad\u201d<\/p>\n

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New associate dean for study abroad brings a personal and professional passion for making global experiences meaningful \u2014 and available \u2014 for every UNC 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