From the Director
Stephen E. Hanson, Vice Provost for International Affairs and Director of the Reves Center for International Studies
Resilience, Empathy, and Vision
As the global pandemic drags on, the crisis in international higher education is becoming increasingly 
acute. With travel to and from the United States drastically curtailed and visa rules becoming ever more restrictive, international students and scholars are understandably revising their plans to study and work in this country. Study abroad programs, for the most part, remain suspended or have gone virtual. Lectures and conferences on global topics continue in an online format, with often inspiring content—but without the ability for scholars and students to follow up informally with visitors to campus, the experience is obviously not the same. On top of all these challenges, political attacks on the very idea of global exchange have reached a fever pitch, with American university leaders in the international sphere openly depicted as naïve enablers of espionage, intellectual property theft, and malign propaganda.
And yet, in reading this issue of World Minded, one can’t help but be reminded of all of the reasons why we must fight for the future of global education and research, no matter how daunting the obstacles we face. Because of the trust built up during William & Mary’s decades of partnership with Beijing Normal University, we have been able together to set up, on short notice, an innovative new study abroad program for William & Mary’s Chinese undergraduates. Because W&M has long welcomed students from around the world with open arms, our alumni overseas are now happy to share their insights and experiences with us virtually. Because we have worked to support cutting-edge research on crucial global topics, we continue to generate knowledge on growing international challenges ranging from combating climate change to guarding against foreign disinformation. All of this creates an environment that attracts new leaders with international backgrounds to join the W&M community—generating a virtuous circle.
How can we continue to support international initiatives at William & Mary in this daunting new environment? Three values, above all, will ensure that we enter the post-pandemic era at W&M with our reputation as a leader in the sphere of global education and research intact. First, we will remain resilient in the face of setbacks. Our team is experienced, creative, and mutually supportive, able to rise to new challenges without succumbing to despair or despondency. Second, we will continue to engage our global stakeholders with empathy. Even at a time when political debate has become increasingly hostile toward “outsiders,” we will continue to treat our international students and scholars, our global university partners, our study abroad participants, our students and faculty engaged in global research, and our alumni around the world with respect, concern, and honesty. Finally, we will never lose sight of the vision on which the Reves Center for International Studies was founded over three decades ago: to advance the internationalization of teaching, learning, research, and community involvement across our historic global university.
