The University of Central Arkansas has announced its participation in the University Global Coalition, helping to advance the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in partnership with higher education institutions around the world.
Founded in 2019 by an international group of university leaders, the University Global Coalition (UGC) promotes the incorporation of the UN SDGs into the teaching, research, operations, and partnerships of higher education institutions through a commitment from institute leadership.
“Aligning our work in education abroad, global learning and student services with the UN SDGs reminds us that the global community’s commitment to collaborate to face humanity’s many challenges is the best inspiration for the modern university,” said Phillip Bailey, associate vice president for Global Learning and Engagement.
The UGC promotes sharing resources and best practices in incorporating the SDGs to transform institutions into global actors with holistic definitions of sustainability.
“UCA professors can be among educators worldwide who strategically align their academic research and student assignments with the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” said Riva Brown, global learning specialist in the Center for Global Learning and Engagement. “Fraternities, sororities and other student organizations can create programs and choose community service projects that tie into the 17 SDGs. Also, joining the coalition provides another gateway for UCA to partner with other universities worldwide through Collaborative Online International Learning or COIL.”
Bailey said in Brown’s role as COIL trainer in the summer 2023 Global Learning Institute, she led a group of UCA faculty members through an exercise of developing titles for possible COIL projects tied to the SDGs. He said that her increasing awareness of the SDGs as a curricular and co-curricular framework led the new Global Learning Advisory Committee to support adopting SDGs for its efforts.
“Joining the University Global Coalition is just the first of many steps UCA will take in the coming years to bring awareness to the efforts of the global community’s commitment to the SDGs,” Bailey said.
UCA officially became a UGC signatory on February 15, 2024. As part of the university’s commitment to SDGs, the Center for Global Learning and Engagement is hosting the inaugural SDG Action & Awareness Week on March 4-8, 2024. This year’s theme is “Catalysts for Change: Campus Champions for the #GlobalGoals.”
For more information on the UGC, visit https://universityglobalcoalition.org/. For more information on actions UCA is taking to advance the SDGs, contact globallearning@uca.edu.
