Chaya Sandler’s return from Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan, brought with it an abundance of experiences, stories, and knowledge to share back on campus. Her trip, which was sponsored by a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign program meant to enhance global competencies among staff and foster global engagement, was nothing short of enriching.

Sandler, academic advisor and experiential learning coordinator in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, participated in the Staff Global Exchange Program in the fall, a program facilitating staff exchanges between U. of I. and partner institutions abroad.

Supported by Illinois International, this program provides professional development opportunities for staff seeking greater global knowledge, attitudes, skills and engagement. It is directly aligned with the priorities outlined in the university’s Vision 2030 Global Strategy and is funded through a grant by the Office of the Provost. 

Sandler first read about the program, which is tailored to staff who have limited international exposure, in a newsletter put out by the College of ACES Office of International Programs. Her interest was immediately piqued. 

“I have always been interested in exploring international higher education institutions and seeing firsthand the difference between the University of Illinois and other institutions,” Sandler explained.

The application process required her to write an essay about her personal global awareness and propose a specific initiative she would undertake upon her return to implement a global dimension to the department.

 “I was most interested in learning about the experience of staff working with collaborative online international learning (COIL) courses and study abroad, since this part of my role as the experiential learning coordinator is new to me.”

The application process also required a letter of approval and support from her supervisor, stating their perceived benefit to the unit. 

“Chaya brought a wealth of campus experience when she started in ACE, but was relatively new to the area of international experiential learning,” shared Caroline Helton, director of undergraduate admissions and advising in ACE. “We were confident the program would allow her to build collaborations with partner institutions more creatively, integrate global dimensions into ACE experiential learning opportunities, and support the development of global classrooms to prepare our students to be more globally competent problem solvers.”

Sandler’s two weeks in Fukuoka were filled with learning and experiencing. Her hosts set up many meetings with faculty, staff, and students from Kyushu University and immersed her in Japanese culture by showing her around the area and ensuring she tried a variety of Japanese foods. 

“During my meetings with faculty within the College of Agriculture and the School of Design, we were able to identify connections between my role as the coordinator of experiential learning  and courses at Kyushu University,” Sandler shared. 

The program’s website declares its mission is to “provide mutually beneficial opportunities to share best practices and expertise.” Sandler’s experience accomplished exactly that.

“I’m confident that I can carry out the program’s mission through ongoing partnerships with my colleagues in Japan and potential COIL projects,” she said. “The time I spent in Japan has changed me personally and professionally. I’m eager to use these new skills to display the expanded global perspective of various university services I gained.