Nearly 180 students recognized for global engagement on WMU’s campus

KALAMAZOO – Graduating senior Reggie Dancy wants people to know that studying abroad is not only something every student at Western Michigan University should do, but it’s something they could do more than once.

“Don’t let anything hold you back from studying abroad,” said Dancy, who is earning a double major in sociology and business. “As you see, I did it twice, so you can do it twice or more times.”

Dancy was speaking to a crowd of 50 at the WMU Student Center this month to celebrate the global achievements of WMU students both at home and abroad. He was one of four student speakers, two of whom provided video remarks from overseas.

WMU’s Global Engagement Program (GEP) celebrates and honors students like Dancy for their global engagement with an awards ceremony each year. Through participation in global events and courses, students earn different statuses like Global Bronco, Global Explorer and Global Citizen. Each status comes with unique rewards, including scholarships for studying abroad. 

Nearly 180 students were recognized for earning a new GEP status this year. WMU staff members were also honored for their support of the program, including Danielle Field, director of the Student Professional Readiness Series; William McQuitty, institutional research analyst and instructor of GIST 3100: Global Studies in the Field; and Giulia Hayes, scholarship specialist in Student Financial Aid.

“The GEP was very beneficial because I was able to get a scholarship to study abroad which covered my airfare,” said Dancy, who traveled with faculty on short-term trips to the Netherlands and France during his time at Western.  

Dancy, from Detroit, earned the Global Bronco status this month. In addition to taking internationally focused classes and working at the WMU Study Abroad office, he went on the faculty-led Aviation in France trip to Paris and Toulouse over spring break this year. He also participated in the Advanced Criminology in the Netherlands course last year.

Though many students will study abroad, not everyone will have that opportunity, Dr. Anezka Viskova-Robertson, global learning manager at Haenicke Institute, told the crowd. The GEP allows all students to engage on a global scale regardless of if they can leave the country, she said.

“These are pretty difficult times, and I really feel passionate about the GEP and what the GEP is doing—that’s helping you to be independent thinkers, to be global thinkers and to be critical thinkers.”

“I hope you are connecting not just with one another but with people who might look different than you, speak with different accents than you, because that’s what college is about—meeting people and breaking out of your comfort zone.”

The GEP was launched by the Haenicke Institute in 2018 and now boasts the participation of more than 11,000 students actively engaging in global events and courses on campus. All Western students are automatically enrolled in the program.

Students have earned $38,500 in study abroad scholarships from the GEP this year; $120,000 since the program’s inception. It is one of many ways students at WMU fund their study abroad experiences.

The Haenicke Institute for Global Education provided $490,000 in additional WMU Study Abroad scholarships during the 2023-2024 academic year. Students also receive study abroad funding from various colleges and academic units.

More than 460 students participated in WMU Study Abroad during the 2023-2024 academic year; this year’s participation is expected to exceed that amount. The Haenicke Institute supports some 80 study abroad programs, sending students, faculty and staff to 30 countries, on average, each year.

Had it not been for the GEP, pre-nursing student Samantha Becker said she wouldn’t have been able to study abroad during her first year at WMU. The transfer student came from the University of Manoa in Honolulu, Hawaii. She is double majoring in psychology and holistic health.

Becker told the students gathered that she paid very little to go to Costa Rica over spring break due to GEP scholarships and more. She plans to travel to Ecuador with the College of Health and Human Services and WMU Study Abroad this summer. She earned her Global Bronco status this month.  

In Costa Rica, Becker said she learned about global health outcomes, blue zones and ways community and culture impact human life. “I really value the culture in Costa Rica and the immersion aspect is going to aid me as I help patients throughout my career,” said Becker, encouraging her peers to remain engaged and active in the GEP.

“Take full advantage of what is being offered," she said. “Don’t ever think you are taking from somebody else because there are people here who want to provide so that we can all have the same joy that I’m going to feel when I study abroad again this summer.”

For a full list of the students and staff honored, click here.