Davis Educational Foundation Grants SHU $75K for New Project
Funding covers virtual global immersion experiences through December
Sacred Heart University has received $75,000 from the Davis Educational Foundation to support the University’s new, virtual global immersion project (VGIP) through December.
The VGIP will foster critical skills in cultural competency that are necessary for health and allied health undergraduates in health care, allied health and pre-health studies. Additionally, VGIP will further educational equity and inclusion through bypassing barriers to traditional global health experiences.
Bronwyn Cross-Denny, health science associate professor, and Christina Gunther, health science department chair, are leading the project. The initiative will be facilitated by a team of faculty and staff members who are leaders of global health programs abroad and/or have exceptional experience in global health programming and online and virtual content delivery. The team includes James Castonguay and Todd Barnes of the School of Communication, Media & the Arts; Wojciech Wloch, executive director of the office of global affairs and English Language Institute; Donna Bowers, Guatemala faculty leader; Sharon McCloskey, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe faculty leader; Sofia Pendley, Mexico faculty leader; Sheelagh Schlegel, Guatemala faculty leader (formerly Haiti); Meggy Adorno, assistant director of global health programs and global health student ambassadors. Student appointments have not yet been determined.
“To have the opportunity to continue to provide students with immersive learning experiences and to expand the opportunity to a larger circle of students is a victory in these restrictive times,” Gunther said. “We will be able to provide more equitable learning experiences to students while creating an environment that is enriching and almost hands-on. We are grateful to the Davis Educational Foundation for making this possible.”
The grant will support the project’s development of a pilot program of virtual reality modules that will bring global experiences directly to SHU classrooms. These modules enable students to learn and develop strategies and techniques that broaden the western view to achieve an understanding of cultural perspectives. The VGIP will produce further opportunities for students to surpass barriers of participation such as financial limitations, restrictions in plans of study and athletic participation.
The Davis Educational Foundation is a public, charitable foundation that provides funding to undergraduate programs at public and private colleges and universities in the six New England states. It was founded by Elisabeth K. Davis and Stanton W. Davis, retired chairman of Shaw’s Supermarkets, as an embodiment of their support for higher education. Their foundation has funded in excess of $115 million in grants to more than 174 institutions.
“The timing of this project could not be more fortuitous, given the obstacles presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has put global programs on hold and required that we move to virtual learning,” Cross-Denny said. “At the same time, it provides an opportunity to develop innovative ways to increase access to global experiences that are so helpful in expanding a student’s world view. It’s about preparing for global citizenship.”
Pictured: Professors Christina Gunther and Bronwyn Cross-Denny