The Global Fellows Program

McDaniel's prestigious Global Fellows Program is an academic and co-curricular opportunity that enhances your academic study. Through this opportunity, you'll deepen and broaden your understanding of global issues, develop heightened intercultural competency, and cultivate the skills and attitudes necessary to lead successful personal and professional lives in a global context.

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Becoming a Global Fellow

To become a Global Fellow, you'll complete an application process in the spring semester of your first year. Once accepted, this allows you to begin the program in the fall semester of your sophomore year.

The Global Fellows Curriculum

A Developmental Approach

The Global Fellows program follows a developmental approach, which means that each piece of the program builds on what came before it. Fully integrated with our liberal arts curriculum, this approach:

cultivates intercultural competence;
builds soft skills that are highly in demand by employers, including creative problem solving, flexibility, tolerance for ambiguity & conflict and listening skills;
prepares students to be adaptive, concerned, and informed global citizens.

Academic Requirements

The academic requirements for Global Fellows are:

proficiency in a world language equivalent to at least the fifth semester of college study;
study/experiential learning abroad in an approved program, short or long-term;
complete five international courses showing breadth in discipline, geography and time period;
complete a Senior Capstone Experience in the student's major that is connected to global learning;
submit a “Global Learning Portfolio”, which provides an opportunity for reflection on the student’s global education throughout their career at McDaniel College.

Co-Curricular Requirements

To satisfy the co-curricular requirements of this program, Global Fellows will regularly participate in workshops to develop intercultural competency and professional skills that will serve them in a global context, and allow them time for meaningful reflection on their own identity as global citizens. Students must participate in 6 workshops total over 3 years. They will also collaborate to do community outreach, and plan and participate each semester in a Global Issues Colloquium: a gathering open to the public for attendees to have in-depth discussions of current, major issues that are global in scope.

Global Ethics

Our Global Fellows program promotes ethical engagement with global communities. This practice helps you navigate one of the most pressing challenges you'll face as a young professional: how do you succeed in a global workplace that respects the unique experiences of those you're working with? We know that employers increasingly seek employees who have the cultural competency and ethical preparation for global work. Our program pushes you to consider the ethics of how you engage with communities and individuals from all parts of the world.

Learning Outcomes

We demonstrate our commitment to impacting the lives of our students with our Global Fellows curriculum by designing and measuring student learning outcomes. These outcomes are:

to deepen and broaden the understanding of global issues;
to develop heightened intercultural competence;
to cultivate the skills and attitudes necessary to lead successful personal and professional lives in a global context.

Graduating with Pride

At graduation, students who successfully complete the program will receive a special notation on their transcripts. This notation will be accompanied by a letter explaining the program for presentation to prospective employers, and for inclusion in graduate and professional school applications.

Student with diploma in hand at Commencement 2019.

Meet Global Fellow Graduates

A student wearing a lab coat looks at a microscope while smiling.

Student Spotlight Kramoh Mansalay '24 Biomedical Science | Arabic & Middle Eastern Studies - Linguistic double major

Kramoh Mansalay, Class of 2024, organized many events during his time on the Hill. "In all these events, I truly wanted people to have a better understanding of Black, African, and Muslim people through myself and my peers and to continue understanding those groups as well as the fields of biology, chemistry, Arabic, and medicine all as excellent contributors to the fabric and well-being of our global society starting right here at McDaniel, something I’ve appreciated more recently as a Global Fellow."

Read about Kramoh's time at McDaniel.

A student in a suit sits outside on steps in front of white columns.

Student Spotlight Sergio Martin Garcia '24 Business Administration major

Sergio gained new perspectives when he went overseas during his time at McDaniel. "I studied abroad at McDaniel Budapest in Hungary, and I would say that was one of the highlights of my college experience. It helped me grow up and understand our interconnections as human beings."

Read about Sergio's McDaniel experience.

Olivia "Kaami" Effa stands outside of the student center wearing a black and white patterned cardigan and tan slacks.

Student Spotlight Olivia “Kaami” Effa '25 Political Science - International Studies | Philosophy double major

International student Olivia "Kaami" Effa developed her skills in intercultural communication during her time at McDaniel. A Global Fellow, she founded an International Perspectives club, studied abroad in South Korea, and participated in Model U.N. With internship experience at The Fund for American Studies, she’s prepared to head into a future working in research, nonprofits, and pursuing law school.

Read about Kaami's McDaniel experience.

Religious Studies professor Brad Stoddard with students who presented on Religion and Race

Global Issues Colloquium examines religious freedom

McDaniel College’s annual Global Issues Colloquium examines religious freedom with a discussion titled “Free Exercise: The Tyranny of Religious Freedom in Constitutional Democracies” led by Brad Stoddard, assistant professor of Religious Studies at McDaniel.

Read "Global Issues Colloquium examines religious freedom"

Students taking water samples at Singleton Matthews Farm.

Global Issues Colloquium on water politics and the global water crisis

R. Edward Grumbine discusses water politics and the global water crisis at McDaniel College’s annual Global Issues Colloquium. The title of the lecture, “Water Politics in the Mekong River, China, and Beyond: Where the Local Becomes the Global,” looks at the demand for water resources in the Mekong River, China, and beyond.

Read "Global Issues Colloquium on water politics and the global water crisis"