FAIRFIELD, Conn.—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 and 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.
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.”
About Sacred Heart University
As the second-largest independent Catholic university in New England, and one of the fastest-growing in the U.S., Sacred Heart University is a national leader in shaping higher education for the 21st century. SHU offers nearly 90 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs on its Fairfield, Conn., campus. Sacred Heart also has satellites in Connecticut, Luxembourg and Ireland and offers online programs. More than 9,000 students attend the University’s nine colleges and schools: Arts & Sciences; Communication, Media & the Arts; Social Work; Computer Science & Engineering; Health Professions; the Isabelle Farrington College of Education; the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology; the Dr. Susan L. Davis, R.N., & Richard J. Henley College of Nursing; and St. Vincent’s College. Sacred Heart stands out from other Catholic institutions as it was established and led by laity. The contemporary Catholic university is rooted in the rich Catholic intellectual tradition and the liberal arts, and at the same time cultivates students to be forward thinkers who enact change—in their own lives, professions and in their communities. The Princeton Review includes SHU in its Best 387 Colleges–2022 Edition, “Best Northeastern” and Best Business Schools–2022 Edition. Sacred Heart is home to the award-winning, NPR-affiliated radio station, WSHU, a Division I athletics program and an impressive performing arts program that includes choir, band, dance and theatre. www.sacredheart.edu