A Message from the Associate Provost for International Programs

I hope that you have found opportunities for rejuvenation and relaxation this summer. This month, with the start of the fall term in the Law School and Jesuit School of Theology, we begin to welcome over 400 new international students from over thirty countries to SCU for the start of the academic year. Opportunities for students, faculty and staff to engage with global partnerships and programs continue this summer and into the new year, and you can learn more below. We look forward to connecting with you.

Best, 

Susan Popko
Associate Provost for International Programs

Traveling abroad? Register Individual Faculty/Staff Travel. University-sponsored travel includes all student, faculty, staff travel funded or organized in any way through SCU as articulated in the University International Travel Policy and COVID-19 Addendum. Find out more about what is considered university-sponsored travel.

Global partnerships recently renewed or signed include: University of Vienna, Austria. International partnerships promote collaboration through a range of student, faculty, and staff activities. Connect with an SCU global partner or explore new partnership opportunities here.

The 2022-23 Fulbright Scholar Program for US-based faculty and staff is open.  Applications for most programs are due September 15, 2021. The Fulbright Scholar Program for faculty and staff offers more than 800 grants to over 130 countries. Join an office hour, register your interest, or refer a colleague, visit Connect with Fulbright. Contact associateprovostglobal@scu.edu with questions.

Fall study abroad and global programs abroad will resume to the extent that health, safety and travel restrictions allow. We expect all remaining fall programs will move forward. We continue to assess programs on a case by case basis and programs will continue: Where borders are open; Access to healthcare is predictable; Where COVID-19 is being managed in a way that allows our students to experience their host country; Where there is a documented academic contingency/distance learning plan and guaranteed completion of academic credit. Students whose programs have been canceled have been given choices to either redirect their participation to another program or term, or to a virtual program. 

New Study Abroad LiveChat Now Available for Students.  You can find LiveChat on each page of the Study Abroad website. Students can chat us with quick questions and inquiries - and it's mobile-friendly. Summer LiveChat hours are 10AM-12PM & 1PM-4PM. Fall LiveChat hours coming in September. We hope this allows students greater access to study abroad advising without the need for an appointment or an email.

Register for the Study Abroad Summer Series with sessions for students, faculty and staff.  The Summer Series includes webinars for students on planning and preparing for study abroad and for faculty and staff on advising for programs abroad. Read more about each session and register to attend here. Sessions include:  Budgeting for Adventure: Costs, Financial Aid, & Scholarships, Wednesday, August 18, 5:00 pm; Setting #Goals for a Global Experience & Selecting a Program, Wednesday, August 25, 5:00 pm; Advisor Answers: Supporting SCU Students Through the Education Abroad Process, Wednesday, September 1, 4:00 pm; Study Abroad and Global Programs Town Hall, Wednesday, September 8, 4:00 pm.

iExchange registration opens September 1. SCU faculty and staff are matched with international students to connect about life in the US and at SCU and to learn about other cultures. iExchange partners meet approximately once a month virtually or in person. Learn more about i-Exchange.  

Is your department interested in hosting an international scholar? The deadline for Winter Quarter/Spring Semester is September 1, 2021. Submit Proposals to host a visiting researcher or scholar here. You can learn more about the benefits of hosting an international visiting faculty member or researcher in your department here or contact scholars@scu.edu. 

It’s almost here… September 14 look for our new podcast, Abroad(en) Your Horizons: A  podcast where we talk about study abroad, global programs and diverse cultural experiences, on Spotify.  Check out new episodes monthly as we interview students, staff, and faculty about experiences abroad. 

Global Engagement Student Fellowship applications for Spring 2021 are due October 30, 2021. Fellowships will be available for students to pursue Global Innovation  or Community Engagement. Up to 5 fellowships will be awarded. Fellows work with a team of 4 to 6 peers to build essential skills of cross-cultural teamwork and collaboration, concept design, and to develop innovative business solutions to global challenges. Contact studyabroad@scu.edu with questions.  

Mark Your Calendar:  International Education Week (IEW) 2021 is November 15-19. International Education Week is an annual celebration of international education and exchange and is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education.  SCU's theme this year is Sustainable Development.  

• Include your class, department or club event in IEW here  
• Learn more about IEW 

2021-22 Funding for Faculty/Staff Global Initiatives Available. Are you interested in collaborating with a class at one of our international university partners or engaging an artist, musician or speaker with our campus? Global Engagement provides funding to support projects or initiatives that promote global diversity or that bring international or intercultural events to campus. Faculty and staff from all departments are encouraged to apply. See Global Initiatives for more information and to apply.

Alumni Spotlight

Marta Gil Antuanano Foncillas, SCU ‘18 (center)

Marta Gil Antuanano Foncillas joined SCU in fall 2014 from Spain and now works as a researcher at Stanford focusing on cardiovascular disease in children.  Her research involves both human and animal subjects which means that her work takes her from the children’s hospital operating room, to the lab working with piglets with heart conditions undergoing bypass surgery.  Marta is being sponsored for a work visa and hopes to expand into neuro research and “continue working in a lab until [she is] 80 years old”. 

Marta chose Santa Clara after a guidance counselor at her Jesuit high school in Madrid, Spain encouraged her to consider SCU as an option. The university’s size and location helped to affirm her decision. Marta recalls an argument about soccer during International Student Welcome and how the person who was on the other side of the issue became her best friend.  

Marta shares that her Santa Clara education provided her with the technical lab experience essential to her work today. Specifically, her Teaching Assistantship immersed her in procedures that she now utilizes regularly in her work. In addition to gaining technical skills, Marta participated in the International Student Club, the Global Medical Brigades, was a student worker, and played intramural sports.

Find us on Instagram and Facebook! Follow us @scu.iss & @scustudyabroad

Is there an international holiday you would like to see featured in an upcoming announcement? Fill out this form and let us know why it is important to you and how you will be celebrating it this year. We give primary consideration to international holidays from countries that have not already been highlighted.