For many faculty members at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, international collaboration is one of the most rewarding opportunities of working in a higher education setting. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, opportunities to develop and maintain these connections have become more important – and more accessible – than ever. In response to these unprecedented times, UMSL Global introduced the Global Faculty Ambassador Network (GFAN) in the Fall of 2020 to offer internationally minded faculty members a space, both literally and metaphorically, to gather and build community. Members of GFAN have shared international research successes, best practices in international education, plans for current and future international partnerships and much more. And, as the UMSL faculty continues to grow and change with each new semester, we are always happy to invite internationally- minded faculty members to join us in fellowship – whether they have been at UMSL 20 days or 20 years!
If you share this passion to further internationalize UMSL, UMSL Global would like to invite you to join the GFAN network and mailing list to receive information on our monthly meetings. We cover a new topic each month, and invitees are invited to choose between our on-campus option, held in the Social Sciences & Business Bldg on North Campus, or a virtual meeting option offered as an alternative the same week. We understand that faculty have many demands on their time and want to emphasize that this hour a month is typically the maximum amount of time accorded to group membership – no committee service, presentations, or preparation is required, though the latter are welcome if there are passion projects or topics members would like to share.
The UMSL Global Faculty Ambassador Network Mission: To help structure our campus internationalization efforts and to provide a platform for faculty to exercise team spirit and to find a safe sounding board for their great ideas and aspirations.