Advancing International Partnerships Within Webster’s Division of Global Education

Hill, Chicaiza and faculty and staff around an indigenous altar during a faculty workshop. 

This November, Webster University's Division of Global Education welcomed several international visitors from key partners worldwide. This included representatives from its longstanding partner, J.F. Oberlin University in Tokyo, Japan, and its new partner in Quito, Ecuador, Amawtay Wasi University. 
 
Building Global Bridges: Webster and J.F. Oberlin University

Mari Maruyama, executive director of the Obirin Gakuen Foundation of America (OGFA), visited Webster University’s main campus in St. Louis in early November. The OGFA facilitates educational and cultural exchanges between J.F. Oberlin University (JFOU) and North American partners. Since 2011, Webster and JFOU have collaborated on study abroad programs, exchanging students for semester and year-long initiatives, primarily focused on language learning. Maruyama and JFOU have also played a pivotal role in the success of the Mobile App Design in Japan program, launched in spring 2022.

Maruyama's visit allowed her to experience the Webster campus—which has changed significantly since her last visit to Webster in 2006, as well as to engage with Webster and JFOU students and to discuss new possibilities for collaboration between the two institutions. 

In addition to catching up with the two JFOU students currently studying at Webster’s main campus, Maruyama presented to Webster students in Silvia Navia’s Global Exposures class. She showcased Japanese culture, explaining what it is like to study in Tokyo. Maruyama also conducted a study abroad information session and met with students who will be traveling to Tokyo over spring break in 2024 as part of Matthew Burton’s Mobile Game Design in Japan faculty-led study abroad program.   

Maruyama, with Burton, who attended virtually, present a Game Design in Japan session to students to prepare them for their faculty-led study abroad program.

Webster’s Division of Global Education, which encompasses Global Program Development and the Office of Study Abroad, continues to explore new opportunities for deepening the partnership with J.F. Oberlin University. Connections with academic units including the Global Languages, Cultures & Societies Department and the Department of Art, Design and Art History during Maruyama’s visit brought new ideas for faculty and student exchange and reinforced the institutions’ shared commitment to international education – in addition to the importance of academic and cultural exchanges in today's globalized world.

Maruyama pictured with Blernia Polovina, director of international admissions and business development at Webster University.

Pioneering International Initiatives: Webster and Amawtay Wasi University  
  
November also brought visitors from Ecuador to Webster University’s main campus in St. Louis. Dana Hill, PhD, Webster University adjunct faculty of human rights, and Eliecer Chicaiza, JD, professor of law from Universidad de los Pueblos y Nacionalidades Indigenous (Amawtay Wasi University) spent a week connecting with the Webster community, marking a significant advancement in international academic partnerships. Their visit was organized by Global Program Development and was a cornerstone of the 100,000k Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund grant awarded to Webster University in 2023. The grant is aimed at developing a bilateral exchange program between the United States and Ecuador and is based on Hill’s existing short-term faculty led study abroad program, “The Rights of Indigenous People’s and the Rights of Nature in Ecuador.”

The grant project "In Defense of the Pachamama: Centering Indigenous Knowledge in Defense of Human and Nature’s Rights," is led by Hill, Chicaiza, and Hannah Verity, director of global program development at Webster University, and is focused on integrating indigenous knowledge into global education, through the lens of climate change and human rights. 

The week-long engagement included the signing of a partnership agreement between Webster University and Amawtay Wasi University with Webster University President Julian Schuster and Amawtay Wasi representative, Chicaiza. In addition, Chicaiza and Hill conducted a professional workshop for faculty on “Decolonizing Knowledge, Decolonizing Pedagogy.” This workshop focused on reflecting on indigenous perspectives on knowledge, embracing the Kichwa worldview of community knowledge and learning to decolonize thought and teaching in academia, highlighting the bilateral nature of this initiative. 

Schuster and Chicaiza sign the memorium of understanding for a partnership agreement. Nancy Hellerud, Webster University vice president for academic affairs, Hill, and Hannah Verity, director of global program development at Webster University, look on.

The faculty duo also engaged with students, academic units, the Office of Study Abroad and others within the community to further plans for the exchange program. The visit set the foundation for future exchanges focused on indigenous rights and environmental activism. 

Although Hill has been teaching online for Webster for more than 10 years, this marked her first visit to Webster’s main campus. This was Chicaiza’s first visit to the United States.  

Both Maruyama's and Hill's visit at Webster University underscore the importance of international collaborations in academia. These visits not only fostered educational partnerships but also highlighted the crucial role of cultural understanding and indigenous knowledge in addressing contemporary global challenges. Their visits, reflective of Webster University's commitment to global engagement, pave the way for future international academic collaborations.