For decades, Xavier University of Louisiana has prepared the next generation of changemakers for a global society. The efforts of Dr. Yu Jiang, Xavier University of Louisiana’s Director of Global Engagement and Chief/Senior International Officer, will allow even more students to pursue opportunities that will make them servants of society on a planetary scale, forging bonds that network across the many nations of Earth.

Dr. Jiang will represent the university in a White House initiative unifying the United States and the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN). Dr. Jiang was selected as a fellow for the 2022-2023 U.S.-ASEAN University Connections Initiative (UCI), bringing together leaders from diverse colleges and universities in the U.S. and ASEAN for a series of professional development and networking opportunities.

Dr. Jiang’s fellowship will contribute to UCI’s goal to provide a platform for collaboration and exchanges between U.S. and Southeast Asia institutions. He will build international relationships and promote the university’s high education quality to help prospective partners gain a deeper understanding of Xavier.

Spanning the 2022-23 academic year, Dr. Jiang’s fellowship includes virtual and in-person training designed to foster sustainable international academic partnerships and the two-way exchange of students, scholars, and researchers between U.S. and ASEAN higher education institutions. The in-person training will be held for five days in conjunction with the annual Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA) in Washington, D.C.

UCI is administered through the U.S. Department of State’s Increase & Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students (IDEAS) program. The IDEAS program builds U.S. colleges and universities’ capacity to engage in global partnerships and study abroad programming aligned with U.S. foreign policy goals. Dr. Jiang discovered the fellowship through the IDEAS program and recently received a two-year IDEAS grant, “Develop Impactful Vietnamese-based Education-abroad and Reimagine Student Engagement (DIVERSE). DIVERSE will be used to establish a study abroad program for Xavierites to study internationally in Vietnam.

In June 2023, DIVERSE’s math abroad trip to Vietnam will be led by Dr. Bach Nguyen, a professor in Xavier’s math department. The program is actively recruiting and offers students an opportunity to study in Vietnam for four weeks and earn three credit hours. There is also hope to expand the study abroad program to other Asian countries, including Thailand and the Philippines. Studying abroad allows students to develop cultural competency and gain a global perspective, broadening their worldview and academic education.  

“DIVERSE aims to increase and diversify study abroad participation and support underprivileged and underserved student populations,” said Dr. Jiang. “Its goal is to continue strengthening our student population, especially African American students, to have opportunities to travel abroad. It expands learning opportunities and serves Xavier’s mission of contributing to a just and humane society by instilling quality education in our students.”

 

As a UCI fellow, Dr. Jiang will broaden networking opportunities, lifting Xavier’s profile and deepening a mutual understanding with potential ASEAN partners. He is hopeful UCI and DIVERSE will also be stepping stone for Xavierites to have additional foreign language opportunities.

“We’re brainstorming about the possibility of teaching Vietnamese as a foreign language for students to not only learn the language but Vietnamese culture and history,” shared Dr. Jiang. “DIVERSE serves as a springboard to examine this viability, particularly given the fact that New Orleans has one of the most concentrated Vietnamese communities in the U.S.”

Dr. Jiang looks forward to fostering global connections and creating international opportunities, forging a pathway for Xavierites to do the same.

“I’m excited as this initiative offers me the opportunity to enhance my skills and build sustainable collaborations with Vietnam. By interacting with partners from the ASEAN region and other UCI grantees, we can exchange experiences, lessons, and successes with one another,” said Dr. Jiang.

UCI and DIVERSE also support Dr. Jiang’s work at Xavier and the university’s mission.

“Our global outreach and engagement efforts directly help fulfill our university mission to serve in a global society,” said Dr. Jiang. “Through exposure to other cultures, students can learn of another’s successes and lessons to become more knowledgeable, skilled, and prepared for their future careers. Our students will become the next generation of policymakers and leaders.”

Dr. Jiang’s accomplishments will build sustainable long-term international partnerships and continue to create global recognition of Xavier. His work will make way for more potential and extensive partnership opportunities and support the university’s mission of contributing to a just and humane society.

For more information on Xavier’s Vietnam study abroad program, contact Dr. Jiang at yjiang@xula.edu.