News and features

As we begin a new academic year, I want to welcome our students, faculty, staff, and partners and share how excited we are at UW Global about the year ahead.

One of the great privileges of my role is seeing the incredible global work taking place across the University. Every week, I learn about new faculty collaborations, student experiences, research partnerships, and community connections that span countries, disciplines, and campuses. They continue to reinforce something I have believed since arriving at UW: we do not need to create global engagement at this University. It is already here. Our opportunity is to strengthen those connections, support the people doing this work, and create the conditions for it to thrive.

This year, we will continue to invest in the people and partnerships that make that possible. Through efforts such as the UW Global Innovation Fund, Community Conversations monthly events, strategic partnerships, and new global learning initiatives, we hope to create more opportunities for faculty to collaborate and for students to engage with the world, and to learn from the international perspectives and experiences that enrich our University community.

We are particularly focused on expanding access to global learning. Study abroad remains a transformative experience for many students, and we want to grow it, but it is only one pathway. In collaboration with academic partners across the University, we are working to expand opportunities for students to engage globally through research, internships, virtual exchange, local global engagements, and other experiences that connect their education to the wider world.

As always, UW Global is here to support the work of the University and its mission. Whether you are developing a new idea, exploring an international partnership, looking for ways to engage students globally, or simply wondering where to start, I hope you will reach out to us. We strongly believe that some of the best ideas begin with a conversation.

Thank you for all you do to advance the University’s global mission. I look forward to working together in the coming year.

Ahmad M. Ezzeddine

Vice Provost for Global Affairs

This summer, the Jackson School and UW Global are launching a new hands-on learning program called the Global Career Accelerator that puts University of Washington students directly in touch with some of the world’s most innovative companies.

Partnering with Podium Education, a company specializing in experiential education, the program moves beyond traditional coursework — students tackle real problems from partner companies while working alongside mentors from those organizations. Companies participating in the accelerator this summer include L’Oreal, The Grammys, Intel, and Charity: Water.

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Read More about UW Global Career Accelerator

Do you have a passion for Italy – its history, culture, language and/or food? Would you like to experience studying abroad as an adult learner? You can with the Scholars Abroad program at UW’s Rome Center.

UW Scholars Abroad is a week-long adult-education program launched by the University of Washington last year. Using the Eternal City as a base, the program transforms Rome into a living classroom for curious lifelong learners.

Guided by UW Rome Center faculty and local experts, participants move beyond the typical tourist experience to engage with the city’s neighborhoods, history, art, architecture, food, language and daily life. What stays with them isn’t a checklist of sights, but an understanding of place and culture that keeps unfolding long after they’re home.

The Rome Center has been the UW’s classroom in Italy since the early 1980s and hosts about 400 students a year. It occupies three floors in Palazzo Pio, a 15th-century building located on Campo de’ Fiori, a lively marketplace in the center of the ancient city. Palazzo Pio was built on the foundations of Pompey the Great’s theater and the building is rich in historical significance.

The Center’s classrooms, meeting spaces, library and outside terrace were extensively renovated a few years ago. The building also houses a handful of spacious apartments for private rentals and faculty use.

The last program in December was packed with in-classroom presentations, site visits, lively discussions and immersive experiences such as a Renaissance cooking class and film screenings. Each day included an hour of beginner language instruction focused on practical skills – like ordering an espresso. More advanced Italian speakers took part in a facilitated conversation class during that time. Each scholar was given a one-week metro pass to help them independently explore the city during their free time.

“Our last group was a fabulous collection of adventurous people,” said Amity Neumeister, UW Rome Center’s resident director. “Everyone was curious, engaged and genuinely excited to explore Rome through a different lens than what the typical tourist experience offers. We are excited to build on this model.”

The next two programs are scheduled for December 2026. The first is “Politics and Power in Italy: From Empire to Fascism and Beyond” which runs December 6-12, 2026 and “The Centenarians: A Food Studies Perspective on Mediterranean Lifestyle and Longevity” which runs December 13-19, 2026.

I had an amazing time.  I spent a couple of days doing tours as a regular tourist before the program started, and then enjoyed every bit of the program.  It was great to dive deeply into the Mussolini era, certain aspects of art history, architecture and language. It was also fantastic to be part of a wonderful cohort of interesting people with great instructors. — Past participant

The pair of sessions are scheduled back-to-back so it’s possible to extend the learning journey, delving deeper into the history, culture, and contemporary life of Rome. The deadline to apply is September 4, 2026.

For more information and to apply, visit the Scholars Abroad webpage.

The University of Washington recently was ranked highly among its global peers in both the U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities and the QS World University Rankings. Both rankings were released in mid-June.

According to U.S. News, the UW is No. 12 in the world on the 2026-27 rankings, No. 3 among U.S. public institutions. The UW also placed in the top 10 globally in six subject areas.

On the QS World University Rankings, the UW is among the top 100, landing at No. 92, or No. 7 among U.S. public universities.

Seven University of Washington students and recent alumni were awarded Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarships for the 2026–27 academic year, joining about 2,000 students and recent graduates from around the country to pursue graduate study, conduct research and teach English abroad.

The Fulbright scholarship program is the largest U.S. international exchange opportunity for students to pursue graduate study, advanced research and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide.

The Fulbright awards speak to the talent, curiosity and global commitment of University of Washington students, said UW Vice Provost for Global Affairs Ahmad Ezzeddine.

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Read More about Fulbright Student Scholars