Saint Mary’s to Host Fifth Annual State Department Women’s Leadership Institute

June 17, 2016 (Notre Dame, Ind.)—Saint Mary’s College is proud to announce it will hold its fifth annual Global Women Leaders Institute, a U.S. Department of State Study of the U.S. Institute (SUSI). The College’s Center for Women’s Intercultural Leadership (CWIL) facilitates the SUSI, which this summer welcomes 20 undergraduate women from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Tunisia and includes eight Saint Mary’s students who will earn course credits. There are also four student program coordinators who assist CWIL staff.

The Study of the U.S. Institute, held at a select group of colleges and universities, is part of a broader State Department initiative to promote a better understanding of the U.S. abroad and help develop future world leaders. The program allows undergraduate women from around the world to improve their leadership skills while learning about the United States.

Sofia Piecuch ’16, who graduated with a degree in global studies, has been a SUSI student program coordinator for three years. The most valulable lesson she has learned is about human relationships.

“Over the years SUSI has made me realize that although the world really likes to emphasize how different — and sometimes how ‘incompatible’ various cultures and people can be — there is nothing like getting the chance to build a friendship with someone in order to realize how much you have in common and especially how much of a unique individual that person is,” Piecuch said.

Saint Mary’s SUSI, will begin on Friday, June 24 in Washington, D.C. The SUSI participants will arrive on campus on the evening of Thursday, June 30. The Fourth of July weekend will include a South Bend Cubs game, fireworks, and canoeing on the St. Joseph River. The institute will end on campus on Friday, July 29 with a closing ceremony and reception that evening.

One of the first stops in Washington will be visiting the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), where Megan Loney ’12 works as Senior Program Assistant at the Rule of Law Center for Governance, Law, and Society. Loney will organize a panel for the students to meet with representatives from the organization. According to the USIP website, the Rule of Law Center “conducts research, identifies best practices, and develops new tools for policymakers and practitioners working to promote the rule of law.”

In D.C. the group will also meet with an NGO called Vital Voices, which has the mission to "identify, invest in, and bring visibility to extraordinary women around the world by unleashing their leadership potential to transform lives and accelerate peace and prosperity in their communities." Aligning with the mission of SUSI, participants will learn about the importance of women leaders in the world today.

The SUSI includes intensive academic study of U.S. women’s history, global women’s movements, leadership, and intercultural skills. There will also be service opportunities for the participants at one of six local agencies partnering with Saint Mary’s including St. Margaret’s House, the YWCA, Center for the Homeless, El Campito, Hannah’s House, and La Casa de Amistad.

Participants will visit major cities in the Midwest during the institute, including Detroit, Dearborn, and Chicago, where they will meet local women leaders and learn more about US history and culture. SUSI participants will enjoy hospitality in homes of local Michiana families where they will experience a typical American family weekend. CWIL staff, four student program coordinators, and Saint Mary’s faculty and guest lecturers will facilitate the SUSI.

The SUSI program is made possible through a grant from the U.S. Department of State under the Fulbright-Hays Act with the purpose of fostering “mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.”

About the Study of the U.S. Institutes: The Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSI) are sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. For more than 60 years, the State Department has funded and supported exchange programs that seek to promote mutual understanding and respect between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. SUSI participants are among the over 40,000 individuals in these exchange programs each year. For more information, visit http://eca.state.gov.  

About Saint Mary's College: Celebrating over 175 years of empowering women to make a difference in the world, Saint Mary’s College is recognized as a pioneer and continued force in the education of women. A Catholic, liberal arts institution in Notre Dame, Indiana, the College offers more than 50 undergraduate academic programs and also offers co-educational master’s degrees.