What is the Scholar of Global Distinction?

North Carolina (N.C.) Scholar of Global Distinction program details

Note: The following information describing the program details comes directly from the program's website Scholar of Global Distinction Program - World View (unc.edu). Click the link to learn more.

The North Carolina (N.C.) Scholar of Global Distinction program is a partnership between community colleges in North Carolina and UNC World View. As part of this partnership, community colleges and their faculty commit to develop and offer globally intensive courses and activities through which students can earn a global distinction credential. UNC World View mobilizes the international resources of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to help N.C. community colleges create truly global campuses. It is a national model for university-community college collaboration in global learning.

Upon completion of the program, each student learns to investigate the world beyond their immediate environment, framing significant problems and conducting well-crafted research. They recognize perspectives, others’ and their own, articulating and explaining such perspectives thoughtfully and respectfully. They learn to communicate ideas effectively with diverse audiences, bridging geographic, linguistic, ideological, and cultural barriers. Finally, they reflect critically on their role as a member of the global community and pursue ways to create positive change.

N.C. Scholar of Global Distinction Student Competencies

• Investigate the world beyond their immediate environment, framing significant problems and conducting well-crafted and age-appropriate research
• Recognize perspectives, others’ and their own, articulating and explaining such perspectives thoughtfully and respectfully
• Communicate ideas effectively with diverse audiences, bridging geographic, linguistic, ideological, and cultural barriers
• Reflect critically on their role as a member of the global community and pursue ways to create positive change

Global Distinction Requirements

Students who attend N.C. Global Distinction colleges can earn a “Graduated with Global Distinction” notation on their transcripts by:
• Completing at least 15 credit hours of globally intensive courses
• Participating in eight international activities and dialogues
• Gaining 30 hours of global experience in a study abroad or domestic intercultural experience
• Completing a capstone presentation related to their two-year global learning experience

Program Components

• Globally intensive courses
N.C. Scholar of Global Distinction institutions have agreed that foreign language courses, as well as courses with “World,” “Global,” “International,” “Comparative” or “Cultural” in the course title, as well as Geography 111 and General and Cultural Anthropology are inherently global. Each N.C. Scholar of Global Distinction campus creates their own process for designating globalized courses. World View and its pan-university partners offer course-development grants and coordinates University research visits for individual instructors to create modules that infuse global connections, context and content into courses they teach.

• International activities and dialogues
N.C. Scholar of Global Distinction campuses offer international activities and dialogues to students as part of the program. World View and its partners provide support by helping colleges identify speakers, films, webinars, webcasts and other activities and resources that educate faculty and students about global regions and issues.

• Faculty professional development
N.C. Scholar of Global Distinction campuses commit to offering professional development to its faculty. World View offers year-round global education professional development, including fall symposium, global study visits, and global is local and leadership programs, that help educators broaden their global perspective and develop strategies and action plans for globalizing their classrooms and campuses.