1. By Denae Eagen, 2011
Grant Writing Graduate Research Assistant for the Institute for Global Initiatives, KSU
KSU Global Engagement Certification
As an undergraduate student, you wanted more out of your world. Alongside your traditional
coursework, you explored the global community, learning about the interactions between people and
societies. Your classroom was fluid: fresh markets, ancient ruins, volunteer centers, and street
festivals.Your friends and study partners were from Italy, China, Tunisia, Ecuador, and more. You
explored foreign languages, studied cultures, arts, businesses, and sciences, andtraveled to a country on
the other side of the world in order to learn more.
Now KennesawState University wants to acknowledge your curiosity and sense of adventure with an
official certification. The Global Engagement Certification(GEC) is a peer-reviewed and scholarly
recognized achievement that rewards your initiative as a global citizen. It honors your willingness to
explore new experiences outside of your comfort zone and your eagerness toengage with diverse
communities.Dr. Barry Morris, KSU’sVice Provost of Global Engagement and Strategic Initiatives,
encourages students to apply, saying “This certification will enhance your resume and endorse the
global skills, knowledge and attitudes achieved while a student at Kennesaw State University.“
Applying for the GEC is as simple as telling your story. Thefree online application asks you to share your
personal experiences of cross-cultural awareness, teamwork, and community service and reflect on how
your global perspectives and intercultural skills have developed at KSU. Certification requires twelve
semester hours of approved coursework (courses deemed to have at least 30% global learning content).
There are currently more than 300 approved global learning courses offered at KSU.In addition, students
must complete four weeks of study abroad in a foreign country and at least two years of foreign
language study.
For one student, qualification for the GEC happened almost by accident. Kristie Kannaley, a senior
English Education major, aspires to earn an MA and PhD in linguistics with an emphasis in Teaching
English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). Spanish language study, world literature, diversity
education, and teaching courses came naturally with her field. Studying abroad, however, was a
challenge that Kannaley wasn’t certain about. Motivation from friends, professors, and family helped
her finally decide to student teach in Ecuador, and she applied for her GEC right before she left.
Reflecting on her decision, Kannaley says, “I think it is fantastic that Kennesaw is willing to recognize
students in this way; it is extremely difficult to leave your home and enter a country that you have never
been to before. As a senior in college, I had never been out of the United States, so studying in Ecuador
has certainly become an incredible life experience full of the anxiety and excitement of joining a new
family, school, and even culture. It was a hard decision to make.”
Learning and student teaching abroad has been eye-opening for Kannaley.Few Americans experience
the difficulty of being in a country where you do not speak the languagewell andthe anxiety of leaving

2. everything you know for such a long amount of time can catch up with students unexpectedly. For
Kannaley, it caught up with her in the middle of Pistichi, a rural town in Ecuador.
Days of planting fruit treesleft her physically exhausted. However,Kannaleystruggled most with the
mental exhaustion of tryingto keep up with the language of native speakers and fielding uncomfortable
comments about Americans from her students. After failing to resolve the prejudices through
discussion,her students were surprised to find tears in their teacher’s eyes. A universal expression of
distress, the tears streaked through the dirt and sweat and broke down the language barrier.
“The students cut some sugar cane and offered it to me, assuring that it would not make me sick…[they]
explained that they were only joking with me and that they do that to each other all the time (it is a
cultural sign of affection, actually…maybe not the prejudice comments, but the teasing in general). They
offered to speak in English around me, and I declined because I wanted them to feel like they could
speak in whatever language they wanted, especially outside of my English classroom.”
As a teacher, particularly one who aspires to teach ESOL students, this incidentwas an important lesson
for Kannaley and one that will likely recur in her future classroom many times. “For the rest of the day
(and my trip, really), my relationship with that particular group of students was altered as a result of a
cultural misunderstanding that turned into the acceptance of our differences,” says Kannaley.
It’s moments like these that the KSU Global Engagement Certification intends to honor and recognize.
The experiences that students gain from their global learning will alter their perspectives of the world,
its people, and themselves. It is Kennesaw State University’s hope that these challenges will help
students grow into stronger, wiser global citizens capable of seeing into others and fostering
understanding and cooperation.The GEC formally acknowledges a student’s efforts andbrings the global
learning experiences to the attention of future employers.
If you’re graduating soon or just getting started at KSU,learn more about the requirements for the
Global Engagement Certification at http://www.kennesaw.edu/globalengagementand discuss your
opportunities with an academic advisor. The registration deadline for the GECisJuly 15 for summer
graduates.For questions, contact Dawyn S. Dumas,Director of Global Engagement Programs. Willingham
Hall, 2nd Floor, RM 223D. Phone 678-797-2423. ddumas@kennesaw.edu