The College of Community and Public Affairs aims to be a model for linking local and global issues through education. CCPA students have an opportunity to learn alongside peers from across the globe and gain insight from faculty active in international social justice and humanitarian research. Students are encouraged to take advantage of education-abroad programs and scholarships with international requirements, learning new perspectives and best practices which they can apply to their education and work at home.
Education Abroad
CCPA students are encouraged to study internationally, at both the bachelor and master levels. ßÙßÇÂþ» offers 50 education-abroad and national exchange programs in addition to over 1,000 programs sponsored by State University of New York (SUNY) institutions. We advise students to get an early start looking into international opportunities available through the ßÙßÇÂþ» Office of International Education and Global Initiatives (IEGI).
Of particular interest to CCPA students, professors in the Department of Social Work have established one ßÙßÇÂþ» education-abroad program and are in the process of creating another.
- Malawi: This two-week service-learning trip to Malawi, Africa, focuses on asset-based community development in three rural communities. Students and professors work closely with the Malawi Children’s Mission, a non-governmental organization that serves as a feeding center for 150 orphaned children, a school for 60 children from preschool to fourth grade and an after-school program for children of all ages. This project is an extension of the work happening locally with ßÙßÇÂþ» Community Schools. Prior to COVID, this program was offered multiple times. We are seeking SUNY approvals to restart the Malawi program and will resume travel at the earliest opportunity.
- India: This independent study course, currently in the planning stages, will be focused on women’s empowerment and gender-based discrimination and violence in South Asia. The curriculum combines classroom-based academic instruction with 3 weeks of cultural immersion and social service fieldwork in partnership with Christ University in Bengaluru, India. ßÙßÇÂþ» students will learn about gender-based norms and social problems in the Indian context through reading and assignments, interacting with Christ University students and faculty, and visiting select nonprofit organizations that work with women and girls in India.
*For the most updated information regarding COVID-19’s impact on international education, visit the IEGI COVID-19 FAQ page.
Global Research
Our faculty are dedicated to meeting the needs of communities across the globe. With a focus on applied research, professors work locally and abroad, implementing an interdisciplinary perspective to address society’s most pressing challenges. Faculty currently conducting international research include:
- David Campbell, professor of Public Administration: Dr. Campbell studies philanthropy globally, particularly in Turkey and in Muslim communities. He is interested in the ways in which giving in these contexts differs from formal philanthropy in the United States and the Global North. He has written several articles about Turkish giving and is the co-editor of the forthcoming book, Philanthropy in the Muslim World, which describes Muslim giving in 19 countries.
- René Rojas, assistant profess of Human Development: Dr. Rojas’s research focuses primarily on political development and change in Latin America since the neoliberal turn. In particular, Rojas examines how free-market restructuring transformed regional states and the social groups that compete for power and policy influence. Rojas’s work pays close attention to neoliberalism's effects on the collective action of non-elite actors and how economic change reshapes the capacities of social movements and reform parties in power.
- Kerry Whigham, assistant professor of Public Administration: Dr. Whigham’s research focuses on the way post-atrocity societies remember and engage with the past, along with how that violent past impacts the present and future across Latin America, Europe and the United States.
Read more about faculty research
Scholarship Opportunities
The Reeves-Ellington Study Abroad Scholarship is awarded to matriculated graduate or undergraduate students with demonstrated interest in international study or languages. Strong consideration is given to CCPA students.
Additional information available .