Building Connections Across Institutions
During their visit, the delegation met with Rochester city and 天美传媒 representatives and participated in cultural activities, exploring opportunities to strengthen collaboration in education, medicine, cultural exchange, and regional development. Dr. Yamashita brought a signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) between HUSM and the 天美传媒, establishing a聽two-year framework to explore collaboration in education, research, and service.聽The partnership will focus on opportunities such as student and faculty exchange, joint research, and academic programming in areas including medicine, nursing, community health, bioethics, palliative care, and arts-based health outcomes. Dr. Yamashita also shared聽a letter from the HUSM president, and a video message, reinforcing the institutions鈥� commitment to continued collaboration.
The delegation also toured the Optics department within the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, along with the Emergency Medicine Department at Strong Hospital and the School of Medicine & Dentistry. These visits provided an opportunity to learn more about the 天美传媒鈥檚 strengths in optics, engineering, medical education, and emergency care, while exploring areas of shared interest and potential future collaboration.

Creating Opportunities for the Next Generation
A key priority for Hamamatsu Mayor Nakano is making Hamamatsu 鈥渁 city chosen by young people.鈥� Like Rochester, Hamamatsu is working to attract and retain young people by strengthening university partnerships, creating employment pathways with local companies, and supporting young families. The delegation was interested in learning how the city of Rochester and 天美传媒 work together to create opportunities for students and early-career professionals to build their futures in the region.

Connecting Through Music and Cultural Exchange
Music education and cultural exchange were also central to the visit. Hamamatsu identified the Eastman School of Music as a key connection in the sister-city relationship, with potential opportunities including virtual music lessons and in-person master classes.

Looking Ahead: New Opportunities for Collaboration
The visit reflects the broader potential of the Hamamatsu鈥揜ochester relationship to connect institutions, support cultural and educational exchange, and create new opportunities for collaboration across the 天美传媒 and the Rochester community.

The post Hamamatsu Delegation Visit Strengthens Rochester鈥檚 Global Connections appeared first on Office for Global Engagement.

This issue of Global Connections highlights the people, partnerships, and projects that reflect our commitment to global engagement and advance knowledge, innovation, collaboration, and inclusivity.

Partnerships Built on Shared Knowledge
Our approach to international partnerships and exchanges is grounded in equity, reciprocity, and the creation and exchange of knowledge. As Emnet Tadesse Woldegiorgis describes in University World News (September 16, 2026), this work creates a 鈥渟hared space of inquiry鈥� where institutions and communities learn from one another.

Our relationship with Hamamatsu, Japan, is one example of how academic collaboration and community engagement can strengthen international ties. Through the Rochester鈥揌amamatsu sister-city relationship, opportunities for educational, cultural, and research exchange bring together university and community partners.

Similarly, our partnership with Rennes, France, continues to grow through shared civic and academic connections. The inaugural Global Leadership Award, presented to the mayors of Rochester and Rennes, recognizes the importance of these international relationships.

Together, these collaborations create opportunities for students, faculty, researchers, and civic leaders to exchange ideas, build connections, and advance shared goals.

Expanding Opportunities Through Fulbright
The 天美传媒 is consistently recognized among U.S. colleges and universities for its success in producing Fulbright U.S. Student Grant recipients. The Office for Global Engagement also partners with the to host the t Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program for International Teachers (Fulbright DAI).

Over the past three years, the program has welcomed more than 20 international teachers annually from 16 countries, providing opportunities for professional development, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing with U.S. colleagues. Their participation enriches the university and the broader Rochester community while strengthening connections across education systems and cultures.

Celebrating International Education Week
The 天美传媒 joins institutions across the country in celebrating International Education Week (IEW), a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education.

IEW highlights the value of international education and exchange while recognizing the experiences, perspectives, and contributions of our students, scholars, faculty, and community members. It also provides an opportunity to showcase the many ways global engagement shapes learning, research, and collaboration across the university.

Building Our Global Community
As we celebrate these achievements, I encourage each of you to consider how you can contribute to the university鈥檚 global engagement efforts. Whether through developing international partnerships, welcoming international students and scholars, supporting education abroad, participating in cultural exchange, or engaging with our local community, there are many ways to make a difference.

Together, we can strengthen the 天美传媒鈥檚 global connections and continue advancing the spirit of Meliora through meaningful collaboration, shared knowledge, and lasting impact.

Meliora,
Ravi Shankar

The post Global Connections: Advancing Global Engagement Through People and Partnerships appeared first on Office for Global Engagement.

I am especially pleased to welcome our international students and scholars, both those joining us for the first time and those returning for another year. Your presence strengthens 天美传媒 and expands the ways we learn, collaborate, and engage with the world. You are an important and valued part of our community.

International Students and Scholars: Support and Success

Supporting our international students and scholars is a shared responsibility. Their success depends not only on strong academic and research opportunities, but also on creating an environment in which they can navigate the 天美传媒 with confidence, build community, and grow.

This year, I encourage all of us to continue advancing best practices for supporting international populations, including:

• Creating a welcoming environment from day one. Clear communication and intentional opportunities to connect can make an enormous difference in helping international students and scholars feel that they are part of the community.
• Making information accessible and understandable. 天美传媒 processes can be complex, particularly when they involve unfamiliar systems, terminology, or cultural expectations. We should communicate clearly and proactively, with an awareness of different educational and cultural backgrounds.
• Providing coordinated support. International students and scholars often interact with multiple campus offices. Collaboration across units helps reduce barriers, avoid duplication, and ensure that individuals know where to turn for assistance.
• Building intercultural understanding. Every member of our 天美传媒 community benefits when we create opportunities to learn from one another and engage across cultures.

Our commitment should be not simply to help international students and scholars navigate the University, but to ensure they have the opportunity to flourish here.

A Year of Possibilities 鈥�

The year ahead will bring new challenges but also tremendous opportunities. Let us approach them with curiosity, generosity, and a spirit of collaboration. Let us be willing to learn from one another, ask questions, cross boundaries, disciplinary, cultural, geographic, and intellectual, and imagine what is possible when we work together.

Global engagement is ultimately about people and relationships. It is about creating connections across borders and cultures, expanding how we understand the world, and preparing our students and scholars to contribute meaningfully to an increasingly interconnected world.

I invite each of you to be an active participant in this global community. Welcome someone new. Learn from a perspective different from your own. Build a partnership across campus or across borders. Share your knowledge and make space for others to share theirs.

Thank you for the many ways you contribute to making the 天美传媒 a place where people from around the world can learn, discover, connect, and succeed. Welcome to the new academic year. May it be a year of discovery, belonging, collaboration, and possibility. Together, may we continue to build a global community where everyone can thrive.

Meliora!

Reitumetse Obakeng Mabokela, Ph.D
Vice Provost for Global Engagement
Professor, Warner School of Education & Human Development

The post Welcome to a New Academic Year: Celebrating Our Global Community appeared first on Office for Global Engagement.

Faculty play a central role in making this vision possible. Across the University, faculty are weaving global perspectives into the curriculum in creative and meaningful ways, from education abroad and faculty-led travel courses to global internships, collaborative research opportunities, and virtual global classrooms that connect Rochester students with peers and experts around the world. Study abroad is one powerful facet of this broader ecosystem of global learning. Together, these experiences allow students to encounter new ideas, engage across cultures, and apply their academic knowledge to real-world challenges.

For many faculty, leading a program abroad becomes one of the most rewarding teaching experiences of their careers. Faculty-led programs transform the world into an extension of the classroom in ways that resonate with Rochester鈥檚 areas of scholarly distinction. Students studying global health might examine healthcare delivery and community health systems firsthand in partnership with local clinics and organizations. Those exploring optics, photonics, or engineering may engage with international research centers and innovation hubs shaping the future of technology. Courses in economics, public policy, and business can come alive through direct engagement with global markets and institutions, while programs in the arts and humanities may immerse students in the cultural landscapes that shape literature, music, history, and creative expression.

Equally important is the powerful role faculty mentorship plays in these experiences. When students explore new environments alongside the scholars who guide their intellectual journeys on campus, learning becomes reflective, and transformative. These moments, whether in a research lab abroad, a community partnership, or a cross-cultural dialogue, often become defining points in a student鈥檚 academic and personal development.

As we look ahead, we invite faculty from across our University to imagine new possibilities for global engagement. Whether through developing a short-term study abroad program, mentoring students in global internships, collaborating with international partners on research and teaching, or experimenting with virtual global classrooms, there are many pathways to bring the world into our curriculum.

Our team in the聽 Center for Education Abroad (CEA) is eager and ready to partner with you in designing experiences that reflect your scholarly passions while expanding opportunities for our students. Together, we can continue to build a vibrant global learning community, one that empowers our students to think boldly, engage responsibly, and contribute meaningfully to a rapidly changing world.

Reitumetse Obakeng Mabokela, Ph.D
Vice Provost for Global Engagement
Professor, Warner School of Education

The post Rochester Without Borders…Advancing Global Teaching and Learning appeared first on Office for Global Engagement.

What makes a successful delegation visit?
A successful delegation visit is about creating meaningful connections. The agenda matters, but what makes the biggest impact is bringing together the right people, encouraging open dialogue, and helping visitors experience both our organization and our community in an authentic way.

What surprises visitors about Rochester?
The beauty of the 天美传媒 campus is often the first thing that stands out. Visitors frequently comment on the architecture, green spaces, and overall campus environment.
Many are also surprised by how much Rochester, NY has to offer. They may expect a smaller-city experience, but quickly discover a vibrant innovation ecosystem, world-class education and healthcare institutions, and a highly collaborative culture. Visitors are especially impressed by how effectively our campus works across disciplines to tackle complex challenges.

鈥淰isitors are especially impressed by how effectively our campus works across disciplines to tackle complex challenges.鈥�

What鈥檚 one memorable moment from hosting?
One particularly memorable visit was hosting the President of the University of Turku in Finland in spring 2025. As our first formal engagement with a Finnish institution, it marked an exciting milestone for the 天美传媒.
The visit culminated in a signing ceremony and dinner at President Mangelsdorf鈥檚 residence, bringing together stakeholders from across 天美传媒. What made the experience especially meaningful was the opportunity for conversations to develop naturally over the course of the evening.
Rather than a brief series of campus meetings, the visit allowed colleagues to connect on a more personal level, identify shared priorities, and explore opportunities for future collaboration. It was a great example of how meaningful partnerships often begin through genuine dialogue and shared curiosity.

Why do these visits matter?
Global engagement is ultimately about connecting the right people at the right time. Delegation visits help build trust, which is the foundation of any successful and sustainable partnership.
Hosting delegates on campus also brings the 天美传媒 experience to life. Visitors can see firsthand the people, ideas, and culture that make the 天美传媒 unique.

The post Meet the Host: Megan Bennett-Spears appeared first on Office for Global Engagement.

We are writing to share an important update regarding Curricular Practical Training (CPT) for students in F-1 status.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security鈥檚 Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) recently issued new guidance regarding CPT eligibility. The guidance reflects a change in the federal government鈥檚 interpretation of the regulations governing CPT and establishes a more restrictive standard for when universities may authorize聽curricular聽practical training.

Under this new interpretation, CPT may only be authorized when practical training is required for all students enrolled in a program to earn the degree. As a result, internships, practica, clinical experiences, or other forms of practical training that are optional, including those associated with elective internship courses, no longer qualify for CPT authorization.

The University鈥檚 Office for Global Engagement is carefully reviewing this guidance and working with University leadership and academic programs to assess its implications for our students and degree programs.聽聽We recognize that this development comes at a particularly challenging time as the fall semester begins, and many students have already made plans related to internships and other practical training opportunities.

While this聽review is underway, the International Services Office (ISO) is pausing approval of new CPT applications, except聽for聽CPT requests associated with practical training that is required for completion of a degree program. Students whose practical training is a required component of their curriculum may continue to submit CPT requests and work with ISO and their academic program regarding documentation requirements.

If you have CPT planned for the Fall 2026聽semester:

• If your CPT has already been approved, you may continue to proceed under the terms of that authorization unless ISO contacts you with different guidance.
• If you have a fall internship or practical training experience planned but have not yet received CPT authorization, please be aware that ISO will not be able to authorize your CPT while the pause is in place unless your CPT is confirmed to be a degree requirement. If your practical training experience is required to complete your degree program, please continue working with ISO and your academic department. Additional documentation may be needed to verify that practical training is a required component of the established curriculum.
• If you are unsure whether this guidance affects your situation, please contact ISO before beginning or making changes to any off-campus employment or training.

We understand that students may have questions about how this change by the federal government affects academic requirements, commitments to employers, and plans already made for the upcoming academic year. ISO will continue to evaluate the guidance and will communicate additional information as soon as it becomes available.

Please remember that CPT authorization is specific to the employer, position, location, and period for which it is granted. Students should not begin off-campus employment or practical training requiring CPT authorization until they have received approval from ISO.

We appreciate your patience as we work through this significant change in federal guidance. Our priority is to provide accurate information, help students maintain their immigration status, and identify available options as we learn more about the implementation of these new requirements.

Sincerely,

Reitumetse Mabokela
Vice Provost for Global聽Engagement

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Each year, the Fulbright DAI cohort brings extraordinary linguistic and cultural diversity into three participating Rochester-area school districts. Collectively, participants represent educational systems across the Global South and beyond, contributing expertise in languages including French, Portuguese, Spanish, Mandarin, Hindi, Arabic, Indonesian, Hebrew, and English, among many others. Their presence is especially meaningful in Rochester classrooms that serve multilingual learners and students from immigrant and refugee backgrounds, where issues of language, migration, and identity are part of students’ everyday lives.

A pilot study conducted by , associate professor (clinical) and associate department chair with the teaching & curriculum department of the , with the program’s third Fulbright DAI cohort examined how these international teaching placements affected both visiting teachers and their U.S. partners. The findings revealed that the exchange produced lasting benefits that extended well beyond the semester-long placement.

Identity, Representation, and Belonging

For many English language learners, seeing a teacher who had also crossed borders, learned English as an additional language, and successfully built a professional career carried powerful symbolic meaning. One student quietly told a Fulbright teacher, “You remind me of my dad.” Such moments of recognition created opportunities for identity mirroring that are often absent in schools, fostering a stronger sense of belonging among students who do not always see themselves reflected in positions of authority.

As one Fulbright teacher reflected, “They saw that someone like them could stand at the front of the room.” These experiences suggest that representation extends beyond cultural awareness鈥攊t can influence students’ confidence, aspirations, and sense of possibility.

Additionally, mirroring and identity resonance drove affective and behavioral change and increased sense of belonging and engagement in ELL and minority students.聽

From Visitor to Collaborative Teacher

Unlike brief international visits, the Fulbright DAI placement spans an entire academic semester, allowing relationships and professional trust to develop over time. Participants begin by observing classrooms but gradually transition into genuine instructional partnerships with their U.S. colleagues.

Rather than simply assisting in classrooms, Fulbright teachers co-designed lessons, co-taught instruction, and collaborated on strategies for supporting multilingual learners. One Rochester partner teacher reflected, “By the end, we were planning lessons together, not just sharing a room.”

The study suggests that this sustained presence鈥攏ot merely international visitation鈥攊s what enables authentic professional collaboration to emerge.

Lasting Professional Growth on Both Sides

Perhaps the study’s most significant finding was that the exchange did not end when participants returned home.

Many Fulbright teachers continued collaborating with their Rochester partner teachers years later. They join classrooms virtually to speak with students, facilitate international letter-writing and classroom exchanges, collaborate on professional development initiatives, and, in some cases, visit one another in person. The partnerships evolve into enduring professional networks rather than concluding with the official program.

The experience has also inspired several Rochester-area teachers to pursue international teaching opportunities themselves, extending the cycle of exchange beyond the Fulbright program.

U.S. partner teachers likewise described lasting changes to their own instructional practice. Many adopted new translanguaging strategies, broadened their approaches to supporting multilingual learners, and gained greater confidence incorporating global perspectives into their teaching.

As one high school teacher explained, “It changed how I teach. I think about my students differently now, and I feel more confident teaching global history.”

The exchange therefore reshaped local pedagogy in ways that continued well after the Fulbright teachers had returned to their home countries.

Global Impact Beyond Rochester

The transformation is equally profound for the visiting educators themselves. Returning Fulbright teachers carry Rochester’s classrooms back to schools around the world, bringing with them new instructional strategies, expanded understanding of artificial intelligence and emerging educational technologies, enduring professional relationships, and a renewed sense of teacher identity.

Rather than simply adopting American educational practices, participants adapt what they have learned to their own cultural and educational contexts. In doing so, the influence of Rochester classrooms extends far beyond New York, reaching students and schools across multiple continents.

At the same time, Rochester benefits from the expertise that international teachers bring from their own educational systems. Their perspectives challenge assumptions, introduce new pedagogical approaches, and deepen the cultural competence of local educators. The exchange thus becomes a genuine partnership in which knowledge flows in both directions.

The Fulbright DAI program ultimately reframes what international teacher exchange can be. Rather than a one-way transfer of knowledge, it represents a mutually transformative relationship in which educators, students, and schools are all changed through sustained collaboration. The impact does not stop at the border or at the end of the semester鈥攊t continues in classrooms across Rochester and in communities around the world, illustrating the enduring power of reciprocal global engagement.

The post Beyond Exchange: How Fulbright International Teachers Transform Rochester Classrooms鈥攁nd Return Home Transformed appeared first on Office for Global Engagement.

For , successful international academic partnerships are built聽the聽same way as any meaningful relationship: through trust, shared goals, and ongoing collaboration.

Over the years, Castaneda has helped cultivate a growing partnership between the 天美传媒 and the , creating opportunities for collaborative research, shared learning, and long-term academic engagement that extends well beyond traditional exchange programs.

At the center of the collaboration is a shared commitment to addressing healthcare challenges through innovation. Castaneda鈥檚 research focuses on point-of-care quantitative ultrasound 鈥� combining artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and advanced imaging technologies to make ultrasound more accessible to healthcare providers with limited training. The work has had significant impact in rural and underserved regions throughout Peru, including communities in the Amazon rainforest, the Andes Mountains, and remote desert regions where access to specialized healthcare is limited.

But according to Castaneda, the partnership鈥檚 success comes not only from the technology itself, but from the collaborative framework supporting it.

鈥淎 meaningful collaboration benefits all partners and works both ways,鈥� he explains. 鈥淚nternational collaborations are key to truly understanding healthcare problems from a global perspective and proposing solutions together.鈥�

Through the 天美传媒鈥揚UCP partnership, both institutions have gained a deeper understanding of healthcare systems, educational approaches, and community needs within their respective countries. Faculty and students regularly engage across institutions through collaborative teaching, joint projects, and research initiatives that encourage participants to learn directly from one another鈥檚 experiences.

鈥淪tudents at both institutions interact to better understand the realities they each face,鈥� Castaneda says. 鈥淓ach partner brings different skills, perspectives, and resources that strengthen the overall work of the group.鈥�

That exchange of knowledge has become one of the defining strengths of the partnership. Rather than operating as a one-sided collaboration, the relationship has evolved into a mutually beneficial academic ecosystem where expertise flows in both directions.

Castaneda believes that sustained partnerships require intentional investment over time.

鈥淎n academic partnership is a relationship that needs to be nurtured,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t should begin with a clear objective that benefits both sides and continue through ongoing interaction that builds trust and demonstrates progress.鈥�

As trust develops, partnerships often naturally expand. What may begin as a research collaboration can grow into co-teaching opportunities, student internships, summer schools, faculty exchanges, and broader institutional initiatives. Castaneda notes that his relationship with PUCP now extends beyond research into teaching and other academic endeavors, creating multiple points of connection between the institutions.

This model, he believes, reflects how global engagement initiatives can create deeper and more sustainable impact. While student exchanges remain valuable, long-term partnerships rooted in collaboration and shared purpose can strengthen research capacity, enrich student learning, and support communities locally and globally.

The future of these collaborations is only becoming more promising. Advances in telecommunications and emerging technologies such as virtual reality are making international collaboration more accessible and dynamic than ever before.

For Castaneda, that means even greater potential for partnerships like the one between Rochester and PUCP to continue growing 鈥� expanding opportunities for students and researchers while advancing solutions to real-world healthcare challenges.

At its core, he says, the success of any global partnership comes down to relationships: institutions and individuals working together consistently, learning from one another, and building something larger than either could accomplish alone.

For more information regarding international partnerships and agreements, please reach out to Megan Bennett-Spears, associate director of international partnerships at megan.bennett-spears@rochester.edu.

The post Building a Partnership Beyond Borders: How Collaboration Between the 天美传媒 and PUCP Is Advancing Global Impact appeared first on Office for Global Engagement.

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