The GPE Secretariat

East Carolina University serves as the Secretariat of Global Partners in Education. To aid in our mission, the GPE Secretariat will serve GPE member institutions in the following ways:

  • Maintain and improve excellence and effectiveness of our shared Global Virtual Exchange programs.
  • Develop and implement innovative programming to meet the needs of the membership.
  • Foster collaborative educational and research opportunities.
  • Foster research activities of member institutions.
  • Apply new technologies and pedagogies to global education.

Vision

Global Partners in Education will be a leader in the growing field of Global Virtual Exchange as we continue to:

  • Build a global community
  • Promote intercultural skill building
  • Innovate and look to the future

Mission

Our mission is to prepare students with the skills, knowledge, and adaptability to thrive in an interconnected world. By leveraging Global Virtual Exchange, we seek to maximize access to global experiences; broaden understanding of and interest in other cultures; help students, faculty, and staff at our partner institutions develop intercultural communication and collaboration skills; and promote lifelong global education and collaborative research.

Meet the Secretariat

GPE Advisory Board

Modern University for Business and Science

Beirut, Lebanon

Represented By

Nael Alami

ESAN University

Lima, Peru

Represented By

Mariella Olivos

University of Jammu

Jammu-Kashmir, India

Represented By

Parikshat Manas Singh

Université de Tours

Tours, France

Represented By

Aaron Smith

Shaanxi Normal University

Xi'an, China

Represented By

Guangwei Zhang

Our Founders

In 2002, our founders Dr. Rosina Chia, a cross-cultural psychologist originally from China, and Dr. Elmer Poe, a computer mediated learning expert originally from West Virginia, were lamenting the fact that so few ECU students had opportunities to gain the global knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in an interconnected world. To address this, they, together with Dr. Biwu Yang, decided to leverage ECU’s existing strength in on-line education and, in 2003, piloted our signature Global Understanding course. In 2008, with the partners involved in the Global Understanding course, Drs. Chia and Poe established Global Partners in Education.

GPE Awards and Recognitions

US Department of Education UISFL Program Grant for the Global BEEHIVE Project

2018

NAFSA - Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Award for Campus Internationalization

2016

North Carolina Association for International Educators (NCAIE) Instituional Award

2015

Wharton-QS Stars Re-imagine Education Award

2014

Nikolai N Khaladjan International Award for Innovation in Higher Education (AAUA)

2009

Andrew Heiskell Award for Innovation in International Education

2008

Interested in learning more?