Name
Block 3: Forging Sustainable Coalitions between Universities and NGOs: The Case of UCA and SETF
Date & Time
Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 2:30 PM - 3:15 PM
Location Name
International A
Focus Area
Authentic campus-community partnerships
Session Type
Promising Practice (two 20-minute sessions per block)
Description

This session explores the sustainable partnership between the University of Central Arkansas and the Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF). The partnership engages students, faculty, and community partners through awareness-raising events, student organizations, internships, and faculty travel. Led by an interdisciplinary committee, this collaboration provides valuable learning opportunities for students while offering on-the-ground support to refugees. Participants will explore strategies for building sustainable partnerships between academic institutions and humanitarian organizations, recognize the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing global crises, and analyze the impact on student global learning experiences and empathy development. This partnership exemplifies how institutions can cultivate students as change-makers committed to finding equitable solutions to global problems.