Chair Joseph opens study abroad oversight hearing with personal story
Council Member Rita Joseph introduces herself as chair and welcomes attendees to the oversight hearing on study abroad at CUNY. She describes her own study abroad experiences in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Austria and says every CUNY student deserves similar opportunities.
Good afternoon.
I am Councilmember Rita Joseph, Chair of the Committee on Higher Education.
Welcome to today's oversight hearing on study abroad opportunities at CUNY.
CUNY legally mandates mission is to maintain and expand its commitment to academic excellence and to the provision of equal access opportunity for students, faculty, and staff from all ethnic and racial groups and from both sexes.
CUNY fulfills its mission in part by ensuring that CUNY students have access to the same breadth of experience that all college students should have access to.
That would include study abroad opportunities, which can change a student's life.
There's really no substitute for immersing yourself in the culture of another country and gaining all of the academic and life experiences.
that's studying outside of the U.S.
Offers.
This topic is close to my heart because of my own study abroad experiences.
As a student, I had the privilege of studying abroad in Czech Republic, Hungary, and Austria.
That experience allowed me to work at
the United Nations, to see politics and decision-making through a different lens.
Afterwards, I brought that experience into my own classroom as an educator, and I reminded my students they are global citizens.
Every CUNY student deserves the chance to discover that for themselves.