Fall ’22 Newsletter

Welcome to the Fall Semester!

What CGA Deans Look Forward To This Fall

Among the things I most look forward to this fall are having Woolworth’s halls buzzing with students, faculty, and staff. It’s this type of energy that quickens my pace as I walk to work as I anticipate all the creative ideas and achievements that I know will be issued from the classrooms. It feels as though we are again in full swing. There is a perceptible air of optimism in the air that will inspire all of us to identify solutions to create a better and more just world. My good wishes and hopes go to each and everyone of our students.

There is so much I’m excited about as we embark on a new academic year and welcome two new cohorts across our graduate programs, MSGA and MSGSCC. The world’s challenges are many and varied and require new and innovative approaches to how they are addressed and managed. I look forward to walking through the halls and seeing students engaged in dialogue, grappling with tough issues in their classrooms, participating in events in Woolworth and across the city, and recognizing the power of education to make a difference. The upcoming academic year will be filled with new opportunities: chances to meet and work with people from across disciplines and programs, participate in internships, consulting practicums, and GFIs, and for students to realize their motivation for coming to the CGA. There’s so much more I’m looking forward to, and like every year at the CGA, I can’t wait to be surprised by what students do and how they contribute to CGA’s cutting-edge approach to teaching, learning, and making a difference in creating a better and more just world for all.

Faculty Updates

This past summer, CGA faculty engaged in a remarkable array of fieldwork, research, advocacy, and projects. Review their phenomenal work here.

Dear fellow CGAers,

As the new Academic Director of the Center for Global Affairs, it is my pleasure to welcome you to a new academic year! I hope you had a wonderful summer and that your semester is off to a great start — inspiring classes, meeting new people, and taking advantage of the many opportunities our programs and this amazing city have to offer. This summer has been particularly exciting for us here at the CGA. After more than two years, we returned almost fully to in-person instruction and were able to resume our numerous global research and learning opportunities: international consulting practicums, global workshops in applied peacebuilding, and our signature Global Field Intensives (GFIs) — one, on great power competition, led by Professor Pano Yannakogeorgos to Greece, and a second one, on gender and sustainable development, led by me, to the United Arab Emirates. It truly feels like new beginnings and the buzz around Woolworth is electrifying! We have many more exciting plans for this coming year, so do stay tuned and get involved!

I look forward to seeing you around Woolworth, and invite you warmly to stop by my office on the 4th floor to chat.

Good luck with your classes, research and your work!

Warmest regards,

Sylvia Maier

GLOBAL FIELD INTENSIVES

Our Global Field Intensives (GFI) provide students with unique opportunities to pursue their academic and professional interests abroad. These experiences provide valuable knowledge and insight on critical topics in various regions and allow students to network with speakers and organizations. Learn more about these dynamic programs here.

This past summer, we were thrilled to offer two terrific GFI opportunities: Greece and the United Arab Emirates.

Hear From Students Who Participated

Why did you decide to participate in this GFI program? My religious and cultural background has influenced my desire to learn more about the world and share my unique perspective with those who are different from me.

How is this experience connected to your education or career pursuits? Initially, I expected that this GFI experience would be utilized to cultivate professional connections, gather research for my graduate thesis, and build towards my ultimate career goal to become a Foreign Service Officer. This hasn’t completely changed, but I now need to add on to those professional goals. After completing this GFI, I feel more connected to my cultural roots, and now an additional goal of mine is to establish an educational charity for young children in Sierra Leone and to research more ways to improve the economy within Sierra Leone through cultural tours. I was inspired by how the UAE invests so much into their nationals, and I want to invest in my homeland, as well.

Advice to CGA students who are considering participating in a GFI. Don’t let anything stop you from experiencing something new! I am a firm believer in manifestation — putting into the universe what you want to accomplish. If you’re unsure of whether this program is beneficial, talk to past participants of GFI (ME!), the professors leading the trip, your academic advisors, or counselors in the Wasserman Center. If you’re not currently interested, go to the GFI orientation and get interested because it’s an experience that truly cannot be replicated. Additionally, CGA is 100 percent behind you and will support you when you need them. Try it and see. You just might like it!

Why did you decide to participate in this GFI program?
I chose to participate in the GFI to expand my understanding of development and policy in the UAE as a leader in the Gulf Region. I’m interested in learning about gender and policies pertaining to women’s rights. I also went to visit art institutions to see how art impacts various parts of the UAE’s society.

How is this experience connected to your education or career pursuits? I aspire to work in policy reform for gender disparities (specifically in migration). By gaining insight into policies/practices/conversations that exist within various cultures, I am more equipped to create policies that have the most impact on people of differing backgrounds and cultures.

Advice to CGA students who are considering participating in a GFI. I would say to do it! It’s an amazing experience — just make sure to talk to the GFI professor about what to expect and to choose a research topic that is meaningful to you.

Why did you decide to participate in this GFI program? After reading the course description it seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

How is this experience connected to your education or career pursuits? After one and a half years of attending NYU classes, the GFI was the first time I met my professor and student peers in-person. Also, I spent my entire career in the private sector. The GFI helped to expand my understanding of global security and conflict through hands-on exercises, lectures, and global and cyber discussions with individuals from the military and public sectors.

Advice to CGA students who are considering participating in a GFI. The entire program, especially the lectures and opportunity to engage with members of the state departments, was very impressive. Being able to collaborate in person with my peers, for the first time since Covid, was definitely a highlight. If you can make it work, definitely go!

CGA Summer Reads

This year’s CGA Summer Reads featured recommendations from our community on topics ranging from foreign policy to gender equality. Missed the series? View the recommended reads here.

UPCOMING EVENTS

The Role of Biotrade In Protecting the Peruvian Rainforest

Join CGA’s Dr. Sylvia Maier and Dr. Jens Rudbeck, for a discussion on how the Peruvian government seeks to alter the dynamics of land use through the promotion of Biotrade. They will also share their research on how Biotrade impacts gender relations, income, and food security among farmers in Peru’s Ucayali region. Finally, they will address the potential of market-based solutions, such as Biotrade, to the climate crisis. Register

How to Be an Ethical Individual in Interconnected World

This Global Ethics Day, October 19, 2022, we invite you to join us for a special virtual event featuring Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal in conversation with Michael Schur. Together, they will discuss how each of us can use ethics to improve our daily lives, the power of humor as a force for good, and how collective ethical action can help address the global challenges that impact us all.

Introduction by Dr. Carolyn Kissane, Assistant Dean and Clinical Professor, NYU SPS Center for Global Affairs. Register

How Philanthropy Can Advance Women’s Rights

In its 2021 report, the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy released its third annual Women & Girls Index–indicating that women’s and girls’ organizations only received 1.9% of overall charitable giving in 2018. At the same time, women’s rights and access to services is being eroded at the federal, state, and local levels.

This panel moderated by CGA’s Dr. Sylvia Maier will explore how philanthropists and funders have been–and should be–approaching their support for gender equality. Register

View the full calendar of our upcoming events here.

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