Home / News & Events / News / Meet the two Global Staff Exchange participants for 2019
By Kate O’Neill
Associate Vice Chancellor Student Health and Wellness
Executive Director of Student Health Services
For the 2018-19 academic year, Mary Knudtson and Sarah Woodside-Bury were selected to participate in the inaugural Global Staff Exchange Program with the University of Sussex.
Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Health and Wellness Mary Knudtson will travel to Brighton in the United Kingdom during the spring quarter to expand her knowledge in health and wellness from a global perspective.
“I am interested in participating in the UC Santa Cruz Global Staff Exchange Program at the University of Sussex in order to learn more about how to improve access and services for all of health services units on our Campus,” said Knudtson.
While at the University of Sussex, Knudtson will meet with staff in the Health Centre, Counseling Center, Health and Wellness, and Sexual Assault units. Knudtson’s focus will be to learn about alternative service delivery models in providing health, counseling, and wellness services to students as Sussex’s model differs from UCSC’s. The Health Centre at the University of Sussex has different ways for students to access services than we do through more robust systems for self-help, online advice, and self-referrals for students to access services directly in the community.
Upon her return, Knudtson will share the information she learned with the Student Health and Wellness staff. Knudtson plans to focus on the best practice models identified with counterparts at Sussex. The knowledge Knudtson accumulates will help us provide support and services to students at UC Santa Cruz.
“Learning about new and innovative ways to provide health, counseling and wellness services to students using alternative methods is critical to improving our ability to meet the demand for these services on our campus,” said Knudtson.
Colleges Nine and Ten Associate Director for College Student Life Sarah Woodside-Bury will also travel to the University of Sussex in July with the aspiration of learning about the Sussex housing experience, International Programs curricular model and approach.
“I am honored to be participating in UCSC’s inaugural year of the Global Staff Exchange program as I believe it is an incredible opportunity for staff, including myself, to raise our global consciousness; elevate UCSC’s connection with our partner universities; and to expand our own practices to be more inclusive and intercultural,” said Woodside-Bury of the exchange program.
In Brighton, Woodside-Bury will meet with the departments of Student Life, International Programs, and Housing. One of Woodside-Bury’s areas of focus during the exchange will be residential accommodations, including the university’s student housing experience, housing needs and approach to housing growth. Additionally, to serve the communities within Colleges Nine and Ten, Woodside-Bury will focus on international programming, the engagement of international experience, and international education.
“The University of Sussex has a long-standing reputation as a campus who welcomes and supports international students and I am most interested in learning more about their international student services and housing options, given UCSC’s future housing expansion. I look forward to gaining a broader perspective of how different campuses approach internationalization efforts with the goal to foster new ideas and programs for UCSC.”
Woodside-Bury will return to campus with additional knowledge in international programs, housing, and international education and share this information with Colleges Nine and Ten staff. With this heightened global perspective, Colleges Nine and Ten staff will be able to better serve the needs of students living on campus.
The Staff Global Exchange Program provides the opportunity for UC Santa Cruz employees to expand their knowledge base while contributing to the growth of the campus community. Knudtson and Woodside-Bury’s experiences on the program will continue to drive enriching experiences for the diverse student population at UC Santa Cruz.
About the Global Staff Exchange Program
The Global Staff Exchange Program provides a unique professional development opportunity for staff to learn from our colleagues at the University of Sussex through a one-week exchange. The program is designed to provide staff with the opportunity to share best practices and expertise, network and acquire a more global perspective on university services, administration, and management while contributing to our campus efforts to strengthen our international institutional relationships.
The Global Staff Exchange Program is open to all UC Santa Cruz non-represented, exempt staff. Interested applicants must clearly articulate how their participation in the exchange will support their professional development and benefit campus internationalization efforts. Participation objectives may include acquiring new skills, researching the capacity for joint institutional initiatives, sharing best practices, and gaining knowledge about the higher education system at the host institution.
Applicants were reviewed and evaluated by a selection committee within the Division of Global Engagement. The evaluation criteria include motivation, professional development, service, endorsement, and campus internationalization.
Interested UC Santa Cruz employees can apply for the program for 2020 in the fall through global.ucsc.edu/opportunities/staff-exchange.