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The latest stories about Global Education and Training's programs, activities, and alumni.

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  • (From left to right) Vice Consul Zhuoqing Li; Vice Consul Weimiao Yu; Shujun (Amy) Chen, Associate Director for Administration and Operations at Global Education and Training (GET); Dr. Matt Rosenstein, GET Director; Consul Yi Wang; Nianhua Wang, Representative for China Training Programs for GET; and Joanna Hu, Program Specialist for the Shanghai Office at UIUC, pose for a photo during a visit on Feb. 19.

    Consulate General of China in Chicago visits Illinois International, GET

    A delegation from the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Chicago visited the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) on Feb. 19. 

    The delegation met with senior leadership in Illinois International, Global Education and Training (GET), and the Grainger College of Engineering. 

  • A Fulbright Fellow speaks with an instructor during a fellow welcome reception on Feb. 6 inside the Siebel Center for Design.

    GET welcomes new Fulbright Fellow cohort for Spring, Summer 2024

    This new cohort, made up of 15 students from around the world who have been accepted into the Fulbright program, will spend a semester on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) campus taking English language courses through GET's Intensive English Institute.

  • From left to right: Assel Aryn, Vice Rector for Academic Development at AlmaU; GET Director Matt Rosenstein; Grant Brewer,  GET Associate Director for Strategic Initiatives; and Kuanysh Abeshev, Dean of the School of Technologies at AlmaU pose for a photo during Rosenstein’s and Brewer’s visit to Kazakhstan in November 2023. Aryn and Abeshev were former Bolashak scholars at UIUC.

    GET visits Kazakhstan for Bolashak 30th anniversary celebration

    Global Education and Training (GET) Director Matt Rosenstein and Grant Brewer, GET Associate Director for Strategic Initiatives, traveled to Kazakhstan to participate in the “Bolashak: Strategic Partnership and Cooperation” forum on Nov. 30. 

     The event celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Bolashak program, its impacts on higher education development in Kazakhstan, and contributions to global academic exchanges. 

     

  • get newsletter

    GET News: Fall 2023

    GET's fall newsletter is here! Read the update from Director Matt Rosenstein and explore the latest updates and stories.

  • Omani students participating in the new foundation year program hosted by GET listen to Anna Kasten, the program manager, during a meeting on Oct. 27, 2023 inside the Siebel Center for Design.

    Global Education and Training ushers in new foundation year program for students from Oman

    The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) has been selected by the Embassy of the Sultanate of Oman in Washington D.C. to host a 2023-2024 Foundation Year Program.

  • main quad with illini union in the background

    Global Education and Training welcomes new cohort of Bolashak fellows from Kazakhstan

    For the third consecutive year, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will serve as the host institution for 15 Bolashak International Scholarship recipients during the 2023-2024 academic year. The 9-month program will be designed, developed, and managed by Global Education and Training (GET) and the Intensive English Institute (IEI). 

  • Dr. Matt Rosenstein presents his topic during a July 12 Partnership Dialogue Series hosted by colleagues from Kyushu University.

    GET Director presents at Kyushu University dialogue series

    Dr. Matt Rosenstein, the director of Global Education and Training, presented at the first Partnership Dialogue Series hosted by our colleagues from Kyushu University in Japan.

  • The photo is a combination of all 12 profile pictures of this year's KAUST cohort.

    Foundation year students share experiences, goals

    This year, Global Education and Training hosted 12 students from Saudi Arabia for the foundation year program, which ended on June 21 following a graduation ceremony and reception.

  • university selected to host humphrey fellows

    University of Illinois, Intensive English Institute selected to host Humphrey Fellows for long-term English training program

    The Institute for International Education (IIE) has selected the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as the host institution for the 2023 Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship’s intensive, long-term English training program.

  • A participant celebrates after finishing the last break-out session in the Amideast Egypt Study Tour on Feb. 14 inside the Illini Union.

    Amideast Egypt Study Tour wraps up final sessions at UIUC Feb. 14; participants leave for home Feb. 16

    New and pilot center directors from Egypt participated in their final break-out session during the Amideast Study Tour on Feb. 14 inside the Illini Union. 

  • get leadership with bolashak scholars

    Investments in knowledge bring better gain

    AlmaU teachers Bodaubaeva Gulmira Akhanovna and Umirzakova Dinara Kaldybekovna share their thoughts on their experience at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

  • Participants from the September 2022 Amideast Egypt Study Tour talk with members of Disability Resources and Educational Services during one of last year's sessions.

    GET, DRES set to host 2nd Amideast Egypt Study Tour

    Global Education and Training (GET), in partnership with Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES), will host a second Amideast Egypt University Disability Services Study Tour at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) Feb. 5 through Feb. 16.  

  • Members of GET and IEI pose for a photo with Kirby, a therapy K-9, and UIPD Detective Tara Hurless.

    Kirby visits GET, IEI

    Kirby, a therapy K-9 with UIPD, stopped by for a visit with members of Global Education and Training and the Intensive English Institute on Tuesday, Jan. 24. 

  • Tsubasa Akatsuka stands in front of "Alma," the alma mater of the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign.

    LEAP intern shares journey, goals

    Tsubasa Akatsuka is a “LEAPer.” He said that’s what they call LEAP Interns. 

    LEAP stands for the Long-Term Education Administrators program, which brings young Japanese administrators to the United States for career training. 

    The training all starts in Montana. However, that’s not where Tsubasa’s journey began. 

  • Kirby, a UIPD Therapy K9, looks at the camera during a visit on Sept. 21.

    New KAUST cohort visits with Kirby, a UIPD therapy dog

    UIPD Detective Tara Hurless and Kirby, a therapy K9, met with members of KAUST Cohort 14 and Anna Kasten, the KAUST program manager from Global Education and Training on Wednesday, Sept. 21.

    Hurless was giving a Campus Safety Orientation, and explained what she did, and why Kirby tagged along.

  • Eleven students participated in the 2021-2022 King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Gifted Student program.

    KAUST cohort share experiences, lessons learned

    On May 17, 11 students participating in this year’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Gifted Student Program, sat down for an interview. 

    It was a day before their recognition ceremony, and in a room inside the Everitt Lab they talked about what they learned, they talked about their future, and they talked about why they would never forget their year in Champaign.

  • Representatives from Global Education and Training pose with 11 students participating in the 2021-2022 KAUST Foundation Year Gifted Student Program.

    Global Education and Training to host KAUST recognition ceremony

    Five years and counting! Another KAUST cohort is wrapping up their foundation year, and tonight we will celebrate their success at a recognition ceremony at the I Hotel and Conference Center. 

  • nermeen union

    GET Program Spotlight: U.S.-Egypt Higher Education Initiative featuring Nermeen Mohamed Abdelmaged

    Global Education and Training welcomed two students to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for the U.S.-Egypt Higher Education Initiative during the Fall 2021 semester. In her own words, Nermeen Mohamed Abdelmaged  shares experiences from the program including living in Champaign-Urbana and developing future plans and goals.

  • Our Global Campus Podcast: Trading My Suit in Kazakhstan for Swag in Illinois

    Assel Aryn, the Vice-Rector of Almaty Management University in Kazakhstan, describes what it’s like to push pause on her career and embark on a study abroad experience later in life at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

  • IEI Celebrates UIUC Fulbright Scholars

    The Intensive English Institute (IEI) is proud to have hosted a cohort of 2021 Fulbright Program scholars at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In their own words, five Fulbrighters share their multifaceted experiences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: collaborating with IEI faculty, living in Champaign-Urbana, and building a better, more connected world.

  • Letter from the Director: Fall 2021

    Dear friends, partners, and colleagues,

    This fall has brought exciting developments at Illinois, with the return to on-campus instruction and a familiar vibrancy restored to our university community. GET has continued to adapt, providing both in-person and virtual program options, but our core message remains the same:

    You are welcome at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

  • GET to Know: Assel Aryn and Kuanysh Abeshev

    Meet Assel Aryn and Kuanysh Abeshev. As Bolashak International Scholarship recipients, Assel and Kuanysh are scholars and educators from Almaty Management University (AlmaU) in Kazakhstan, which is among the top universities in KZ/Central Asia per the QS World University Rankings. They are top leaders at AlmaU: Assel serves as the Vice-Rector, and Kuanysh serves as the Dean of the School of Engineering Management, respectively. 

    During their six months of instruction and study at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Assel and Kuanysh have been charged with developing strategies and best practices that will increase and enhance online instruction at AlmaU. 

  • Letter from the Director: April 2021

    We recently passed the one-year mark for global COVID-19 lockdowns. At Global Education and Training, we are reflecting in this moment on our past and future. It has been a challenging period, yet there is cause for cautious optimism. The number of people vaccinated increases daily, and we see signs that international partners and students are willing to travel to our campus.

    GET’s foundations lie in immersive executive training. We look back on successful examples, such as our Specialized Program for Administrators, for inspiration in fostering skills development and intercultural understanding for managers. Connecting with alumni of our executive programs is one way GET expects to grow in the year ahead.

  • GET Program Spotlight: ICBC SPA 2018

    From March to December 2018, twenty-one executives from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) attended the SPA program, organized by Global Education and Training. The ICBC SPA team extensively enhanced their professional acumen and expanded their leadership and team-building skills. Additionally, the team explored advanced concepts in corporate finance, investments and financial decision-making, and mastered essential financial analysis tools and investment banking practices. 

    ICBC participants learned new knowledge and skills, which improved their professional trajectory within a top global financial institution. Learn more about GET's SPA programs.

  • GET Program Spotlight: Artificial Intelligence in Data Science

    Global Education and Training (GET) is offering a 4-week online undergraduate summer school program: “Artificial Intelligence in Data Science,” July 19 – August 31, 2021. 

    This is the first open enrollment program, hosted by GET: all interested, current undergraduate students can apply. Prospective applicants must have excellent grades in their university courses. Program fee is $1000 per student, and group rates are available. 

    Apply here: https://bit.ly/37ZWvDt

  • Letter from the Director: November 2020

    Dear friends, partners, and colleagues,

    During this global pandemic when so much has changed, it is important to remind ourselves periodically about our core purpose. At the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the constant is our educational mission. Whether instruction occurs on campus and face-to-face, or virtually and across time zones, we teach and learn. Enabling student success is always our goal at the University.

     

  • GET Program Spotlight: Academic Bridge

    GET Program Spotlight: Academic Bridge

    During the COVID-19 pandemic, many international students were unable to embark upon or continue their studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. As a result, the Academic Bridge program was developed to provide international students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a residential experience in their home country and access to educational facilities and services. 

  • GET to Know: Rob Siedenburg & Lisa Chason

    Meet Rob & Lisa. From 2017 to present, GET has hosted four individual cohorts of students from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST): Gifted Student Program (KGSP) program, for each academic year. At the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, KGSP students are provided with immediate access to a solid infrastructure to support international students on campus. 

    As essay coaches, Rob and Lisa share their experiences working with the KSGP Foundation Year students, as they prepare competitive college applications to top U.S. universities.

    Learn about GET's involvement with the KGSP program.

  • Letter from the Director: August 2020

    On behalf of GET, I am pleased to welcome students and colleagues to the fall term, while also reflecting on this past summer.

    In response to COVID-19 lockdowns, we pivoted rapidly to online delivery. The results: from June through August, GET hosted nearly 600 international students in various online programs, covering topics such as telecommunications, optics, energy materials, mathematics, and more.

    We look forward to the time when we can again welcome groups of international students and professionals to our campus and community. Until then, we will keep using online formats. As always, we invite ideas and partnership for future programs from GET’s many friends and collaborators.

  • GET Program Spotlight: Ready, Set, Undergrad!

    GET Program Spotlight: Ready, Set, Undergrad! 

    In summer 2020, Global Education & Training and the Intensive English Institute offered a summer enrichment course for Saudi Arabian students participating in the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Gifted Student Program. Called “Ready, Set, Undergrad,” this course was geared toward KGSP students who completed a Foundation Year program at one of six host institutions in the United States, including Illinois. In the fall of 2020, they were enrolling as first-year students at prestigious U.S. colleges and universities.

    Ready, Set, Undergrad was designed to have students work on researching and identifying specific resources they would utilize at their new universities in the fall, so they would be better prepared to “hit the ground running.

  • GET Program Spotlight: Undergraduate Summer School Co-Curricular Sessions

    Meet Guangzhou. Guangzhou Chen is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Recreation, Sport, and Tourism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. For the past two years, Guangzhou has been a graduate student employee at Global Education and Training. 

    During GET's summer school programs in 2020, Guangzhou worked with Rob Marinelli (Assistant Director), Meng Liu (Program Coordinator), and Nanjie Yu (PhD student, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and GET graduate student employee) to arrange co-curricular program sessions for GET’s undergraduate summer school students.  Guangzhou explains why the GET team incorporated these sessions into our summer school programs and the value these sessions have for our students.

  • Student Spotlight: Jiayi Li

    Meet Jiayi. Jiayi Li is a current student at the Harbin Institute of Technology in Shenzhen, China. Jiayi was a 2019 undergraduate summer school student in GET's Engineering Research Academy program. Her hometown is Chengdu, located in the Sichuan province of China. 

  • GET Staff Spotlight: Melissa Belcher

    Meet Melissa. As Associate Director for Administration at GET, Melissa provides administrative oversight of GET, including programmatic and business operations, the Intensive English Institute, and the Shanghai Office. Her responsibilities include overseeing day-to-day operations; supervising and leading staff to foster a culture of innovation and high-level performance; and implementing GET, Illinois International and campus policies and procedures.

  • GET Programs: COVID-19 Update (April 15)

    As the world continues to adapt, so too, does our approach to facilitating international learning experiences. As an update to our April 8 message, we are excited to share that GET is now developing online versions of undergraduate summer school programs for international students, with start dates to begin following July 10, 2020. 

  • GET Programs: COVID-19 Update (April 8)

    During these unprecedented times, the health of our global community is paramount. At Global Education and Training, we continue to adhere to the guidelines put forth by the University of Illinois, as well as U.S. federal and state agencies.

    Following the April 2 message about Summer 2020 courses and the April 6 message about Summer camps and events from Chancellor Jones and Provost Cangellaris, we are canceling GET’s on-campus summer programs with a start date before July 10, 2020. This decision was not made lightly and we understand the disappointment this may bring to our program partners and participants.

    For select GET programs with a start date before July 10, we are exploring possibilities to offer modified versions of the programs through online delivery, or with a postponed start date. We are communicating on a case-by-case basis with international partner institutions as well as partner units and faculty at Illinois to explore alternative options.

    For GET’s on-campus summer school programs with a start date after July 10, at present we continue to prepare for these programs. Our team is monitoring the situation closely. We will share the most up-to-date information with you, aligning our decisions with University and government guidance. We expect to provide our next update on April 15.

  • GET Programs: COVID-19 FAQS

    The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is monitoring developments surrounding COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) globally. This page includes updates and FAQs relevant to our program participants as well as our global and campus partners.

  • GET Programs: COVID-19 Update (March 17)

    During this challenging time, as we are all affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Global Education and Training (GET) extends our best wishes to our friends around the world.

    GET’s programs involve, at their core, create opportunities for international professionals and students to come together at the University of Illinois for shared learning experiences. Confirmation of future programs will be on hold until public officials and health authorities affirm that it is safe to resume activities as usual.

    We will pledge our best efforts to provide high-quality academic content through online delivery formats for ongoing programs, while continuing to build towards successful programs for international participants in the future.

    Our office will contribute to safeguarding public health and mitigating risks to students, instructors, professional colleagues, and the broader community at Illinois by implementing social distancing practices.

  • Featured partnership: KAUST Gifted Student Program

    At Global Education and Training, we are proud to host the KAUST Gifted Student Program (KGSP) Foundation Year, in coordination with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the Institute of International Education (IIE)

    Through the Foundation Year at Illinois, high school graduates participating in KGSP will experience university life at Illinois, attend rigorous foundation courses in a challenging academic environment, and acquire the skills necessary to prepare competitive college applications and pursue a successful undergraduate education experience at a top U.S. university.

  • Letter from the Director: February 2020

    Dear, friends, partners, & colleagues -

    We are thrilled to highlight Global Education & Training's partnership with the KAUST Gifted Student Program (KGSP). Through a collective effort between King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the Institute of International Education:

    GET has hosted 42 students from Saudi Arabia since 2017.

    10 students are currently enrolled at Illinois as full-time undergraduate students.

  • Student Spotlight: Doha Amer

    Meet Doha. Doha Amer is a current first-year student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering within the Grainger College of Engineering. During the academic year 2018-2019, Doha was a member of the KAUST KGSP Foundation Year cohort at Illinois. 

  • GET to Know: Monika Mendoza

    Meet Monika. Monika Mendoza has been a ConvoPartner with the Intensive English Institute for over 25 years! She is a valued member of the University of Illinois community, and we spent time with her, learning about her generous spirit, her capacity for building friendships across cultures, and her commitment to the international student experience in Champaign-Urbana.

  • GET to Know: Wade Fagen-Ulmschneider & Karle Flanagan

    Meet Wade & Karle. They have provided their expertise in data science to several GET summer school programs, including the General Education program from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in Shanghai, China and the UNIST program from Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology in Ulsan, South Korea. Wade & Karle share their experiences co-teaching innovative data science classes at Illinois.

  • Letter from the Director: October 2019

    GET's mission is to provide a gateway to expertise at Illinois for partners around the world through high-quality training programs. There are many positive stories to share about how we fulfill that mission. GET is building on our past legacy and looking to the future. While sustaining strong connections with corporate and university partners in China, we have established new relationships in countries like Saudi Arabia, Colombia, and South Korea. 

  • Featured partnership: Zhejiang University 

    At Global Education and Training, we are proud to contribute to strengthening the University of Illinois’ strategic partnership with Zhejiang University (ZJU)  (浙江大学). From 2017 - 2019, we have developed training programs in coordination with ZJU, including:

  • GET to Know: Don Hardin

    Meet Don. Don Hardin is an adjunct instructor in the College of Applied Health Sciences Department of Recreation, Sport, and Tourism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Don also has more than 30 years of NCAA volleyball coaching experience, at both the University of Louisville and the University of Illinois, where he was the head coach of the Illini women’s team.

  • GET to Know: Cheelan Bo-Linn

    Meet Cheelan. Cheelan Bo-Linn is the Senior Specialist in Education in the Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning (CITL) at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and Instructor in the Department of Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership. In her position in CITL, Cheelan is responsible for the promotion of teaching excellence in campus-wide faculty consultations, programs and innovative initiatives.

  • GET to Know: Illinois International's Shanghai Office

    Meet Karen Weng and Li Na from Illinois International’s Shanghai Office. As ambassadors for the University, they actively contribute to the Illinois-China partnership.

  • Watch: Global Education and Training welcomes students from Beijing University of Agriculture for agricultural management program

    Students from Beijing University of Agriculture share their experiences from Global Education and Training’s 2016 Agriculture Management Program. Developed together with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES), students participated in lectures with Illinois professors, site visits to local farms, and corporate visits while immersing themselves in the full American college experience. This program was generously supported by Archer Daniels Midland (ADM).

  • Global Education and Training Renews Chinese Government Authorization to Train Chinese Professionals

    The China Executive Leadership Programs (CELP), an initiative within the office of Global Education and Training (GET) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, recently signed a new 5-year cooperation agreement with the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs (SAFEA) in China.

  • GET Offers Training Workshops Abroad

    GET will offer EducationUSA Leadership Institute workshops abroad in Kazakhstan and Japan in 2017, as a continuation of a similar program GET ran in 2015 after being selected as a host institution by the Institute of International Education (IIE) on behalf of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).