Our first GALA visit as Academic Director and Assistant Academic Director took us to the Netherlands, where we met with partners at University College Roosevelt (UCR) and Utrecht University. First stop was the picturesque Middelburg in the southwest, where we met with Professor Barbara Oomen, Dean of UCR and Laelia Dard-Dascot, Project Manager. UCR offers a broad and interdisciplinary three-year bachelor programme in Liberal Arts and Sciences—a relatively new concept to Europe, but widely used in the United States. That evening we dined with international delegates attending the following day’s Going Glocal Symposium, where pedagogical practice in the field of education for global citizenship, theoretical reflections and practical experiences of the assessment of global citizenship constructs, and transformative learning experiences of students were shared.

Next stop was Utrecht University, where we met with Professor Rosi Braidotti, Director for the Centre of Humanities (CfH), Professor Berteke Waaldijk, Education Director of the School of Liberal Arts— Language and Culture Studies, Professor Iris van der Tuin, incoming director of the Liberal Arts programme, and Tobijn de Graauw, general manager of the Centre of Humanities. Amongst the possible collaborative themes, topics and activities identified were: the Environmental Humanities (CfH as the main partner); Student mobility (University College Utrecht (UCU) and UCR); Global Citizenship (UCR); books and media (with writer in residence at Utrecht); and public humanities (CfH). Overall a thoroughly productive and enjoyable visit with two very impressive GALA partners— and a lot of opportunities to follow up.

From left to right (first photo): Barbara Oomen, Ian Gadd, Rebecca McGuire-Snieckus, Laelia Dard-Dascot at UCR

From left to right (second photo): Tobijn de Graauw, Rebecca McGuire-Snieckus, Rosi Braidotti, Ian Gadd at Utrecht