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2007, University
of Virginia
 “Conducted
over two weeks, I had the privilege of
listening to speakers from a broad range
of disciplines, including a former NASA
astronaut, a former member of the US
Special Forces in Vietnam, and a past
conference attendee who has made
millions after founding his own company
just a few years ago.
We were also
taken on tours of Washington DC,
Monticello - the home of Thomas
Jefferson, a baseball game, and 4th of
July celebrations at a nearby ski
resort. More than this, however, I had
the opportunity to meet an incredibly
diverse selection of students from
around the world, many of whom I now
consider good friends. It was only
through the support of my faculty that I
was able to attend this amazing
conference, which was easily one of the
highlights of my time as a student at
the University of Melbourne.”
Mark Chicu, BCom (Honours), The
University of Melbourne
Participant in the 2007 Summer School
 During
the first two weeks in July, the
University of Virginia welcomed 69
students and faculty from fifteen U21
institutions to the UVa campus in
Charlottesville, Virginia. These
participants were citizens of nineteen
different countries and represented 26
different disciplines, each bringing
their own goals for learning about
Leadership in a Global Society, the
theme of the 2007 conference.
The programme was designed to help
participants
understand
and
develop their
own personal leadership skills by
exploring the lives of leaders from
different disciplines and different
areas of the world. “I leave here
feeling truly inspired and ready to take
on the challenges that I will face in
the future. I can honestly say these
have been two of the most inspiring and
enjoyable weeks of my life…” said
one student on the last day of the
conference.
Student participants were challenged to
identify, develop and exercise their
personal leadership skills while working
together in multidisciplinary and
 multicultural
teams. The academic portion of the
programme consisted of a series of
“inspiring” lectures from UVa faculty
(to quote a number of the participants),
discussion sessions, and experiential
learning activities, culminating in the
production of group digital media
projects by the students. A variety of
cultural and recreational events allowed
participants to experience and explore
Charlottesville and the surrounding
region, including an Independence Day
Naturalization ceremony at the home of
Thomas Jefferson, a fireworks
extravaganza and attending an American
baseball game. All these experiences
were a first for many of the
participants.
The 2007 U21 Summer School also included
a concurrent leadership programme
for junior professors. Said one visiting
faculty member of the benefits of the
interaction with colleagues from around
the globe, “I have inspiration to
change my courses and delivery of
teaching through interaction with other
faculty and staff. …U21 workshops play
to the strengths of having a mixed
cultural faculty to discuss issues
associated with pedagogy in different
institutions across U21…”
 The
U21 summer programmes provide an
opportunity for students and faculty to
learn more about other cultures and
about themselves and their own cultures.
A student from the University of New
South Wales wrote, “I don't think
[we] will realise the true depth of the
programme and how we've all grown
individually and as a group until we're
actually out of there and not together
anymore.”
This is perhaps the most important
benefit of the U21 summer courses. They
are
special because they bring together
talented students and faculty from many
different universities and backgrounds
for two weeks of holistic learning.
Participants learn together, eat
together, relax together, and slowly
begin to understand and trust one
another. It is these experiences –
mutual understanding and trust -- that
will define the true leaders in our
global society.
Videos from the Summer School can be
viewed at
http://www.u21virginia.org/videos |
