AGREC Funds Eight “Global at Home” Community Research Projects
Posted February 11, 2022
The Atlanta Global Research & Education Collaborative (AGREC), launched in 2020 and housed within the Atlanta Global Studies Center (AGSC), awarded grants to eight new projects exploring a wide range of global issues while being grounded locally. Since its launch, AGREC has supported 15 collaborative, interdisciplinary, and multi-institution projects with a focus on research, education, and community engagement on global issues. Project teams consist of faculty from 10 different area higher education institutions who collaborate with 20 different community partners. AGREC has opened a new Call for Proposals to fund projects starting in August 2022. The deadline to apply is May 28, 2022.
Newly awarded projects are:
- Global Learning for a Lifetime: Supporting Black Students at Home and Abroad
- Agnes Scott College, Kennesaw State University, Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Delta Airlines
- Realizing the Vision: Designing a Community Science Collaboratory for the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Georgia State University, Kennesaw State University, Truly Living Well Center for National Urban Agriculture, West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, Eco-Action
- Writers Without Borders: A Human Rights Writing Project for Atlanta’s Migrant Youth
- Emory University, Spelman College, Agnes Scott College, and Freedom University
- The Global Communities Internship Program
- Emory University, Agnes Scott College, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University, Atlanta Metropolitical State College, Morehouse College, Clarkston Community Center, Re’Generation Movement, and Georgia Piedmont Technical College
- Supporting Holocaust Education for Atlanta Area Preservice Teachers through Collaborative Research, Resources, and Partnerships
- Kennesaw State University, Georgia State University, University of North Georgia, Georgia Commission on the Holocaust, and Museum of History and Holocaust Education
- Connecting global and local: Curricular development and global partnership in a Korean specials class at a public elementary school
- Georgia State University, Kennesaw State University, Parsons Elementary School, and YoungHwa Elementary School
- Bringing Native Science into Atlanta’s K-12 dual language immersion: Digital curriculum development and adaptation in an APS classroom
- Kennesaw State University, Georgia State University, Intercultural Veracruz University, and Garden Hills Elementary/Atlanta Public School
- Cultural Sensitivity Workshop: Building Bridges
- Kennesaw State University, Georgia State University, World Affairs Council of Atlanta
Detailed project information is available on the AGREC website.
AGREC is comprised of six university partners: AGSC, a consortium between Georgia Tech and Georgia State University; Emory University’s Office of Global Strategy and Initiatives; Agnes Scott College’s SUMMIT Center for Global Learning and Leadership Development; Spelman College’s Gordon Zeto Center for Global Education; and Kennesaw State University’s (KSU) Division of Global Affairs. The collaborative welcomes other universities to join the initiative.
AGREC connects the region’s international assets by supporting “global at home” projects that serve students, faculty, and community partners and define the metropolitan area as a hub for global education and research.
“Since COVID-19 limited our ability to support global research and collaboration abroad in 2020, Atlanta Global Studies Center quickly convened its partners to imagine a new mechanism to support global research, and AGREC was born,” said Anthony F. Lemieux, founding co-director of the Atlanta Global Studies Center and professor of communication at Georgia State University. “We are immensely proud of the interdisciplinary work that is being carried out by dedicated researchers in partnership with students and community organizations. This collaboration allows Atlanta’s higher education institutions not only to maximize their support for research that generates new ideas and innovative solutions to global issues that affect us at the local level, but also to foster the development of relationships that connect us in meaningful ways.”
“AGREC has quickly become a lynchpin for generating innovative and cross-disciplinary ‘Global at Home’ projects among the partner academic institutions and organizations in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area,” said Dr. ‘Dimeji R. Togunde, vice provost for global education at Spelman College. “Spelman College is very pleased with its engagement in synergistic relationships provided by AGREC as it enhances its global education initiative on teaching and research on a local- global problem/topic. As a bridge builder, AGREC is expanding the imagination of faculty and unveiling their creativity to connect globally while grounded at home during the pandemic.”
“The AGREC initiative has transformed cross-institutional and interdisciplinary collaboration among Atlanta’s higher ed community and beyond,” said Dr. Gundolf Graml, associate vice president/dean for curriculum & strategic initiatives at Agnes Scott College. “With its focus on connecting local and regional communities with global perspectives, AGREC perfectly aligns with Agnes Scott College’s SUMMIT Global Learning and Leadership Development initiative. Agnes Scott College is proud of being a member of this innovative network and of our faculty who have developed impactful community projects through AGREC.”
“Kennesaw State University’s Division of Global Affairs is honored to be a part of AGREC and participate in our first grant funding cycle,” said Lola Owokoniran, director of community engagement and outreach for the Division of Global Affairs at KSU. “Our University values impact generation and it was evident that each project proposed and selected this year will make a difference in our community. We are also proud that six of the projects supported this year through AGREC were proposed by KSU faculty members in collaboration with other institutions and community organizations.”
“AGREC is a now key element of Atlanta’s intellectual and civic life and Georgia Tech is very proud of participating in this strong network that opens new opportunities for collaborations between academics and community organizations,” said Juan Carlos Rodríguez, co-director of AGSC and associate professor of Spanish at Georgia Tech. “We are helping us building a global agenda at home and abroad through meaningful relationships.”
“In its first two years, AGREC has more than fulfilled its promise,” said Philip Wainwright, vice provost for global strategy and initiatives at Emory University. “The expansion of the program to include more Atlanta-area universities opens greater possibilities for the future and will help us realize the potential of the city in global work. Its mission to build collaborations among scholars and practitioners of global work in Atlanta aligns with Emory’s ongoing efforts to leverage local partnerships for global impact. “
Details about AGREC’s new Call for Proposals for the academic year starting in August 2022 can be found at https://atlantaglobalstudies.gatech.edu/AGREC, along with dates and times for upcoming virtual information sessions. The deadline to apply is May 28, 2022.