(L-R) Jessica Homyack, Tom Gorman,
Brad Miller, and Dan Catlin

Students Chosen to Participate in Prestigious Global Perspectives Course

Four graduate students from the college were chosen to participate in the Graduate School’s prestigious, university-wide “Global Perspectives” course. Dan Catlin, Jessica Homyack, Tom Gorman, and Brad Miller were accepted into the 13-person class, which met monthly and primarily focused on juxtaposing the higher education systems of the United States and other countries. The course culminated in a 10-day trip to Switzerland, where the students toured universities in such cities as Zurich and Basel, and met Swiss graduate students and administrators. The group also traveled briefly to Italy, where they toured Milan and explored other universities.

“The program was a big eye opener. All of the preconceived notions I had about the European education system were blown out of the water,” Homyack observed. “Seeing what other leaders in your profession are doing well was a great opportunity,” Miller added. “We visited many different universities and asked difficult questions about how they approach higher education. Just as important, I learned about how their cultures influence their world view.”

Graduate students from any department who are nearing completion of their Future Professoriate graduate certificate may apply to the course, now in its third year. The Dean of the Graduate School selects the 13 students based on their application essay, in which they describe their goals for the course as well as what they plan on pursuing after they graduate. “One of the greatest experiences I had with the course was getting to interact with Virginia Tech students in other disciplines,” Homyack said. “Courses like this help build contacts that we wouldn’t have otherwise, which will be beneficial in any inter-disciplinary studies that we might want to conduct in the future.” “The opportunity to learn about the strengths in European and Swiss education and meeting scientists in my own field of research will have a beneficial long-term impact on my career as a professor and a scientist,” Miller said.

“When I went into this course, people kept on saying how it was a life-changing experience. I absolutely agree with that statement now, as well as have a deeper understanding of how higher education works,” Homyack said. Virginia Tech’s Future Professoriate graduate program is one of only a few of its kind and is geared towards graduate and doctoral students who are pursuing a career in academia as faculty.

11/25/08