Mission
The Fries Center for Global Studies expands opportunities for the Wesleyan community to engage in local and global multicultural environments. We collaborate with students, faculty, and staff to advance the knowledge, language and intercultural skills, self-awareness, and empathy needed for responsible participation in an increasingly interdependent world.
Vision
We aspire to a world in which humility, cultural self-awareness, and mutual understanding make justice and thriving possible for all. We envision a university in which all forms of learning, research, and creative endeavor are enlivened by perspectives, languages, and experiences from across the globe.
Strategies
The Fries Center for Global Studies pursues its goals by drawing on resources at hand: the Wesleyan curriculum, faculty, student body, and staff; and by partnering with the Office of International Student Affairs and other offices across campus. Our strategies are designed specifically to:
- Increase the mobility of the Wesleyan student body and faculty through both direct services and a range of outreach activities, in accordance with the needs and goals of each academic unit;
- Establish the Center as a welcoming space for all students, both international and domestic, to pursue intercultural learning; and as a hub for faculty and staff to learn from and support one another;
- Promote and expand the range of opportunities for language study;
- Identify and expand opportunities for all students and faculty wishing to pursue a global perspective in the field of their choice, both on campus and abroad, including through fellowship and internship opportunities;
- Provide pedagogical, logistical and technological support for current and new initiatives in the teaching and learning of languages and cultures;
- Increase the vibrancy of global discussions on campus through facilitating visits to campus by scholars, artists, and public leaders from around the world; and
- Promote relevant partnerships with peer institutions in the United States and with targeted institutions abroad.