The International Achievement Award was created to honor an organization or individual that has made an outstanding contribution to Lafayette’s international image and connections. This year the recipient of the International Achievement Award was bestowed upon the Division of Global Engagement, a division at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, responsible for the University’s globalization efforts. Their work demonstrates the University’s commitment to help Lafayette become a city with global connections and global impact.

Dr. Gabriel Carranza, Executive Director of Global Engagement, stated, “Higher Education is an Export Product that brings wealth to Lafayette producing jobs and having a substantial economic impact. A global education is the driving force behind diversifying the economy, and that means opening up to new markets and jumping onto the global wagon.”

The Division of Global Engagement strives to create and develop the University’s global initiatives and provide multidisciplinary pathways to globalize education for the students, and foster research and professional development opportunities for faculty and staff. Consisting of the offices of Study Abroad Programs and International Affairs, as well as the University’s Intensive English Program, the Division is an Academic Affairs unit responsible for the University’s globalization efforts.

Their aim is to expand and diversify the University’s global partnerships, facilitate global education for all UL Lafayette students, increase international student enrollment, and develop and enhance alumni and community engagement.

A quality education is not only about mastering the curriculum in the academic field of study. It requires, among other things, developing a global perspective, a solid set of values to guide behaviors, learning how to think critically and independently and learning how to apply the concept of joie de vivre in our lives. There is a duty to help students and the local community to understand and appreciate global interdependency.

“Division of Global Engagement is the University’s commitment to the globalization of education, research, and community engagement while enhancing its global presence. The Division works on a number of projects toward those goals, and data indicate that international students at UL Lafayette brought over 17 million into the local economy last year!” stated Dave Domingue, Director of the Lafayette International Center. “Their work demonstrates the University’s commitment to help Lafayette become a city with global connections and global impact.”