Year in Review
Where have we been, and where are we going?
In study abroad, we led the way again
in study abroad participation among public universities
#1
55+
840+
Countries
Students/year
55%
of W&M Students study abroad during their undergraduate years at W&M
45+
$600,000+
W&M Faculty-led Programs & Internships
Scholarships awarded by the Reves Center for study abroad each year.
The need remains critical.
Data: 2022-23 AY
. . . and we’re going places
440+
students traveled abroad --
the highest number in our known history.
350+
students traveled on 20 faculty-led programs
100%
participation in winter programs more than doubled
In 2023, we launched new programs
A program in The Hague focuses on public policy and climate change solutions.
We increased access
The new winter program to Heidelberg has a chemistry focus.
Winter Programs & STEM
STEM students now have opportunities to study abroad in January.
This means they also have time to work in science labs in the summer.
We supported a diverse international community
top places of origin
STUDENTS
SCHOLARS
We ran on- and off-campus programs
Project GO is a nationwide program offering ROTC students fully-funded opportunities in critical language education, overseas study and cross-cultural experience. In 2023 they studied in Taiwan, Vilnius and at William & Mary.
Keio University/W&M Cross-Cultural Collaboration
The Keio University/W&M Cross-Cultural Collaboration Program allows Japanese and W&M students to study cultural differences and national identity.
We hosted international visitors
nternational Visitors’ Leadership Program
Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders
Lawyers from Egypt on the State Department’s International Visitors’ Leadership Program (IVLP) with Professor Lina Kassem at Reves, one of their meetings over the course of 3 days.
Reves hosted 25 Mandela Washington Fellows for leadership training, public policy seminars, mentorship and collaboration with local faculty, civic and business leaders and community members.
We funded international research
In 2023 faculty researched projects focused on pressing issues. Their work spanned the globe.
2023 Reves Faculty & Drapers’ Fellows
- Nicholas Balascio, Associate Professor, Geology
- Project: Evaluating the climate context for the prehistoric human colonization of Peary Land, northernmost Greenland
- Carrie Dolan, Assistant Professor, Kinesiology & Health Sciences
- Project: Implementing a rapid assessment tool to monitor and improve vaccination coverage within Narok County, Kenya
- Jeffrey Kaplow, Assistant Professor, Government
- Project: The past and future of nuclear proliferation
- Ranjan Shrestha, Lecturer, Economics
- Project: Studying anemia in adolescent girls in Indonesia
- Patton Burchett, Associate Professor, Religious Studies
- Project: Research for new book tentatively titled, “The Authentic Yogi: Yoga and Tantra between Science, Religion and Magic“
We hosted global events . . .
We joined forces with NATO and across campus -- with the Whole of Government Center of Excellence, the offices of the provost, president, the W&M Washington Center and university communications -- to launch a new high-level event: The NATO Youth Summit on NextGen Freedom & Security in Brussels and Washington D.C.
. . . and forged collaborations
Some of our partners
- University of St Andrews
- Keio University
- Beijing Normal University
- Leiden University
- Comision Provincial por la Memoria
- Aegis Trust (NGO), Rwanda
- National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
We placed students in internships & fellowships
International internships embedded in study abroad take place in Argentina, Australia, Chile, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Portugal and Spain, and through the Freeman grant, across East Asia.
We engaged the campus
The impact: In their own words
Vilnius
“It was incredible to be in the center of something that large in geopolitics, something that I haven’t had the opportunity to experience yet.”
-- George Hage ’25 was studying Russian language in Vilnius for two months as part of Project Global Officer, a program for ROTC cadets supported by a grant from the Department of Defense. The government and post-Soviet studies major plans to commission into the U.S. Army and seek a career in military intelligence.
“
“I think it was the best time to be in Lithuania because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience with the NATO summit being there.”
—Yasha Barth ’23, an international relations and global studies double major with a concentration in Russian and post-Soviet studies. He was studying Russian language and history for five weeks as part of a faculty-led summer abroad program through the Reves Center. He plans to pursue a career in international development or for a non-profit NGO.
Berlin
“I went on W&M’s 6-week summer German immersion program in Berlin. Not only did my study abroad experience help me grow as an individual, but it introduced me to people that I believe I will be in contact with for the rest of my life.
It helped me gain some more independence and confidence as I was then tasked with being a lone traveler. It also challenged me and helped me improve my German and my ability to interact with people from a different culture.”
—Neah Nixon ‘25
La Plata
“I am interested in being a lawyer and going to law school ... One thing I loved about my internship was that I didn’t just learn a series of technical skills or learn a set of facts about human rights, but instead, I learned a whole host of ephemeral challenges associated with maintaining and protecting human rights.
Collective memory is as important for preventing the re-occurrence of abuses as anything else, and collective memory isn’t an algorithm and doesn’t require a regression model to solve. Instead, it requires something more difficult: recognition of feeling. I was incredibly honored and happy to have this experience and learn what only such an in-depth and immersive experience could have instilled in me.”
—Daniel Posthumus ‘24, La Plata, Argentina Internship
