Saint Mary’s Hosts 6th Annual State Department Women’s Leadership Institute

July 17, 2017 (Notre Dame, Ind.)—Saint Mary’s College is proud to announce it is currently holding the sixth annual Global Women Leaders Institute, a Study of the U.S. Institute (SUSI) sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. 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 2 Saint Mary’s students who will earn course credits.

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 2 Saint Mary’s students who will earn course credits.

The Study of the U.S. Institutes, held at a select group of U.S. colleges and universities, are part of broader State Department efforts to promote a better understanding of the United States abroad, particularly among future world leaders. The program allows undergraduate women from around the world to improve their leadership skills, learn about the United States, and build lasting connections with their American peers.

Kathryn Mathews ’17 participated in a SUSI last year and is serving as a student program coordinator this year. She said her experience transformed her understanding of the Middle East and Islam.

“In the span of five weeks, I developed some beautiful, life-long friendships with women from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Tunisia,” Mathews said. “At first, I was nervous about the program and feared that I would not be able to connect to the women from the Middle East because of religious and cultural differences, but looking back, it was the differences that gave us the opportunity to have deep conversations on our beliefs.”

Saint Mary’s SUSI began on Friday, June 24 in Washington, D.C. The SUSI participants arrived on campus Thursday, June 29, just in time to attend Fourth of July celebrations, including a South Bend Cubs game, fireworks, and canoeing on the St. Joseph River. The Institute will end on Friday, July 28 with a closing ceremony and reception that evening.

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 six local organizations partnering with Saint Mary’s: St. Margaret’s House; the YWCA; Center for the Homeless; Real Services; Hannah’s House; and Granger Community Church.

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 U.S. history and culture. SUSI participants will enjoy hospitality in the homes of local Michiana families where they will experience a typical American family weekend.

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 75 years, the Department of State 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 55,000 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.