Vassar Today

Vassar Strengthens Global Partnerships in the Liberal Arts

International leaders in education from four institutions recently met in Edinburgh. The result: collaborative teaching and learning in Poughkeepsie, Rwanda … and beyond.
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his spring, representatives of Vassar, the University of Edinburgh, the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) in Rwanda, and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) convened on the campus of the revered University of Edinburgh in Scotland to explore ways to collaborate on initiatives incorporating the principles of the liberal arts. Vassar President Elizabeth Bradley, who has been instrumental in bringing the four institutions together over the past few years, said she was optimistic that collaboration efforts would continue to grow and expand.

Over a dozen people sit around a circular table in a room with a portrait of Matthew Vassar and listen to a speaker at the head of the table.
Edinburgh Global, University of Edinburgh
“We talked about the ‘liberal arts’ as not just the material that is taught but also the methods used, including the pedagogy of student-driven learning and the culture of inclusion and equity and an openness to creativity,” Bradley said. “Our faculty has long been involved in international collaborations, and this initiative provides another avenue of collaboration that may involve institutional change [along] with the goal of enhancing liberal arts education globally.”

Less than a month after the conference ended, Vassar and UGHE had already launched an initiative at Vassar. Denis Regnier, Head of Humanities and Social Sciences at UGHE, and Associate Professor of French and Francophone Studies Thomas Parker created Blue Rwanda: Interdisciplinary Explorations of Water, Health, and Sustainability, a spring 2024 course that spanned into on-site study in Rwanda in June and July. The course explored the crucial role water plays in shaping Rwanda’s systems of belief, socio-economic frameworks, and health paradigms. With a special focus on the Great Lakes region of Rwanda, students explored such issues as climate change, public health, and sustainable practices through the tapestry of indigenous knowledge. During the students’ summer study abroad, they continued their investigation of these topics alongside students at UGHE.—Larry Hertz

President Bradley in a doctor’s white coat poses with three others in Rwanda.

President Bradley Delivers Address to Rwandan Medical Students During Milestone Ceremony

Earlier this year, President Elizabeth H. Bradley was the principal speaker at UGHE’s White Coat Ceremony, which marked the end of two years of academic study and the start of four years of clinical training at the medical school in Rwanda. Vassar and UGHE partnered in 2019 to help the new medical school blend the liberal arts into its curriculum. In the days following the White Coat Ceremony, Bradley; Carlos Garcia, Vice President for Technology and Human Resources; and Wesley Dixon, Deputy to the President and Secretary of the Board of Trustees, led a workshop for UGHE faculty focused on strategic problem-solving and leadership development.
Image courtesy of Asher Habinshuti (UGHE) and Partners In Health Rwanda
Students walk along a marshland in Rwanda with distant rolling hills in the background.
Students visit to Kamiranzovu marshland in Rwanda to learn about water conservation and its agricultural applications.

64 Waves for UGHE

Several Vassar representatives pose next to a sign that marks the “University of Global Health Equity, Butaro Campus.”
Professor Thomas Parker; Assistant Dean for Global Partnerships and International Programs Kerry Stamp; and students Julia Colón, Talia Yustein, Ambica Kale, Croix Horsley, and Sophia Henderson at UGHE in Butaro.

64 Waves for UGHE

Three students and their professor stand outside listening to a tour guide at the Nyabihu Tea Factory while he holds a plant.
The class on a Nyabihu Tea Factory tour where students learned about new strategies in managing water usage, extreme weather, and climate change.

64 Waves for UGHE

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