Partnering for a Better Future

By Patrick Bohn ’05, April 23, 2021

Ithaca College’s commitment to making a global impact will be strengthened by welcoming additional international students.

Chloe Eberhard ’23 (left) Dehron Smith ’23 (middle) and Himadri Seth’23 (right)

Chloe Eberhard ’23 (left) and Dehron Smith ’23 (middle) are two of the Davis UWC Scholars currently enrolled at IC. Himadri Seth’23 (right) received a Projects for Peace grant through the program.

(Photos submitted)

Ithaca College has been selected as a partner institution for the Davis United World College (UWC) Scholars Program, the world’s largest privately funded international scholarship program.

UWC Scholars come from more than 150 countries around the globe and study at one of 17 locations on five continents. Upon receiving an International Baccalaureate diploma, students, who are typically 16 to 19 years old when they begin working towards the diploma, then matriculate at one of the program’s partner institutions. Ithaca College’s first official cohort of scholars will enroll this coming fall semester.

“Given the challenges within our country and around the world, this is such a timely program for us to be a part of, particularly as a private college that strives to serve the public good.”

President Shirley M. Collado

President Shirley M. Collado believes that bringing students from around the globe to Ithaca will have a profound impact on all involved.

“I have been a longtime admirer of the Davis program, which is predicated on such a basic yet profoundly powerful idea: If we have more young people around the globe who are learning with, living alongside, and understanding each other better, what impact might that have on peace, conflict resolution, and global understanding?” Collado said. “Given the challenges within our country and around the world, this is such a timely program for us to be a part of, particularly as a private college that strives to serve the public good. I look forward to welcoming our first cohort of Davis Scholars this fall, and I am proud that Ithaca College has joined this community of Davis institutions.”

Laurie Koehler, IC’s vice president for marketing and enrollment strategy, adds that the tenets of the UWC mission align with the college’s goals for the future.

“These students are exceptional young people who are committed to cross-cultural understanding, peace and justice. Having more of these remarkable students on our campus will certainly benefit our students, faculty and staff in and out of the classroom.”

Laurie Koehler, vice president for marketing and enrollment strategy

“The Ithaca Forever strategic plan’s vision for the college — to be a global destination for bold thinkers seeking to build thriving communities — is deeply compatible and beautifully aligned with UWC,” she said. “These students are exceptional young people who are committed to cross-cultural understanding, peace and justice. Having more of these remarkable students on our campus will certainly benefit our students, faculty and staff in and out of the classroom, just as we know that the UWC students will benefit from the transformative experience an Ithaca College education can provide.”

Both Koehler and Collado were familiar with the program from their prior positions at other institutions. Ithaca College had also been recruiting UWC alumni for several years — there are currently three enrolled as undergraduates — but being selected as a partner school will allow IC to enhance its commitment to the program.

As a partner school, students who enroll from any of the UWCs and have financial need will qualify for an annual grant from the Davis Foundation.

(Image courtesy of Davis UWC Scholars Program)

The college is collaborating with Cornell and Colgate Universities — both of which are also UWC partner schools — to host virtual recruitment events for students who will be applying for college next year. Koehler says there are also plans to create a cohort model for students who enroll at IC

Dehron Smith ’23 attended a UWC school in Hong Kong. (Photo submitted)

“Even though these students may come from any of the UWC schools around the globe, they share the values and unique educational experiences of having studied at a United World College,” she said. “We are excited to build on that as they serve as change agents on campus, in the Ithaca community, and around the world.”

Dehron Smith ’23 is one of the three UWC Scholars currently enrolled at IC. An athletic training major originally from Nassau, Bahamas, Smith attended school in Hong Kong from the fall of 2017 to the spring of 2019 and said it was an enriching experience.

“It was a great opportunity for me to mature and gain an international perspective, which was invaluable,” he said. “So many high school graduates don’t have the chance to experience other cultures.”

Smith added that the challenging experience, which included not only classroom learning but mandatory extracurricular activities, helped him explore his passions and learn time management.

“It was an immersive experience,” he said. “I took Chinese Mandarin courses, and art courses. “In fact, I liked the art course I took my first year so much that the next year I started and led an art club.”

Chloe Eberhard ’23 began attending a Davis UWC school at the age of nine. (Photo submitted)

Chloe Eberhard ’23, a writing major at IC, attended a UWC school in Maastricht in the Netherlands, starting at the age of 9. She spent two years in China before finishing at Maastricht and enrolling at Ithaca in the fall of 2019.

“The goal of the UWC program is to create leaders of the world, so we were constantly being thrust into leadership roles,” she said. “When I was 15, I started my own choir which I ran for three years.

“I want to make changes, and I feel my time in the program gave me the skill set to do that,” Eberhard continued. “I think it’s great that the college is going to be part of the program, and I’m glad other UWC students will get the chance to have the same experience as I’ve had.”

The college is already benefiting from the partnership. The UWC program offers current students the opportunity to apply for a Projects for Peace grant, which provides $10,000 from the Davis Foundation to develop and implement a project for the summer, anywhere in the world, which promotes peace and addresses the root causes of conflict among parties.

Himadri Seth ’23 was selected for a grant for her proposal to create a computer-based curriculum for the children of G.B. Road, Delhi’s largest red-light district.

Himadri Seth ’23 was the recipient of the Projects for Peace grant. (Photo submitted)

“I was excited when my project got selected because even while I was writing the proposal, I believed in our project and its capacity to make a real, tangible change for numerous children,” she said. “I wanted to do something for the children of sex workers, because they are some of the most marginalized in their community.

“The existence of projects like these makes me happy because I think they provide a lot of potential for people to bring their ideas into reality,” Seth added. “I'm excited to see where this goes.”

Koehler believes that the partnership with the UWC program will benefit the entire IC community for years to come.

“The president and senior leadership team are deeply committed to developing and sustaining approaches in higher education that expand student access and success, develop cross-sector collaborations, and build the capacity for equity, inclusion, and full participation,” she said. “These goals are enhanced in both the short term and long term by becoming a DUWCSP partner institution.”