Design on a Global Scale

As students come to the College of Design with varying backgrounds, the idea of going one step further — to an international outpost for additional study — can be intimidating. But the take-away results in a student with a design vision beyond the bounds of the university.

The College of Design has enacted faculty-led programs around the globe for more than 30 years. Studies have taken place in such international locales as Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, just to name a few. While these locations are dream destinations in and of themselves, it’s really their power of place that imparts a new sense of reality for those students who take part.

“There’s a phrase we use in Education Abroad, a notion of intercultural confidence,” explained Patrick Lee Lucas, who is the director of international studies for the College. “Students need to understand cultural mores and ways of expressing that come into the built environment, which you won’t know if you’re not on the ground.”

The College of Design’s efforts are a part of UK’s larger Education Abroad and Exchanges, as well as the Confucius Institute; however, the college boasts the greatest percentage of students undertaking an education abroad experience during their undergraduate education. This effort is helped in part by those who understand the value that global experiences can have on the future of design. The Zolondek Travel Award is a scholarship available to students in their third year of undergraduate study or above. Students receiving the award will visit various significant cultural and design-relevant sites in several cities, then submit a portfolio of their work upon their return.

All of this adds up to a more diversified workforce as well as future professionals who can tackle design challenges with a global mindset.

To learn more about Education Abroad through the College of Design, or the Zolondek Travel Award, contact the College’s Director of International Studies.

Image: The Louis Vuitton Foundation, designed by Frank Gehry, in Paris, France