Worldwide Week brings global office directors to campus 

The Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs (OVPIA) recently hosted Harvard’s eighth annual Worldwide Week at Harvard event. As part of the week, which ran Oct. 5-12, Harvard’s Schools, departments, research centers, student organizations, and domestic and international offices hosted nearly 50 academic and cultural events with global or international themes. 

While these events happened across campus and online, Harvard’s international centers were also bringing the world to campus in a more literal way. The directors of several of the University’s global offices visited campus for Worldwide Week, including leadership from the Center for African Studies office in South Africa; Center for Hellenic Studies in Greece; Center for Middle Eastern Studies Tunisia Office; David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies offices in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico; China’s Harvard Center Shanghai; and the Lakshmi Mittal South Asia Institute India Office. 

Harvard’s 20+ offices worldwide support the University’s faculty, students, and researchers in their work abroad and connect local individuals, organizations, and alumni to Harvard. The  University’s international engagement is overseen and supported by the OVPIA, which strengthens Harvard’s ties with our global community and bolsters our impact on campus and beyond. 

“Worldwide Week is a unique opportunity for us to spend time on campus, reconnect with each other and share updates, interact with our vibrant student community, and meet with colleagues from around the University to discuss existing and new programs and collaborations,” said Christos Giannopoulos, executive director of the Center for Hellenic Studies in Greece. “These meetings set the tone for the work we do worldwide and truly convey the idea of ‘One Harvard, One World.’” 

During their visit, the global office directors participated in a full-day summit hosted by the OVPIA, enabling them to trade best practices and learn about campus and international developments that affect their work.  

The group also hosted its first-ever Harvard’s Global Offices Information Table on the Science Center Plaza on Oct. 9 to meet students and community members on campus and hand out materials on opportunities abroad — as well as international treats. 

“The information table was a novel and noteworthy initiative during Worldwide Week,” said Marcela Rentería, executive director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies’ Chile Office. “The event allowed us to share international opportunities with an engaged audience passing by the Science Center Plaza on an exceptionally sunny afternoon. It facilitated meaningful interactions with students, staff, and faculty, along with dynamic conversations, where the directors had the chance to answer inquiries and encourage international engagement with the crowd. Observing students’ enthusiasm was profoundly inspiring, and the conversations translated into a flurry of emails from students requesting more information.” 

You can learn more about Harvard’s global offices, including the opportunities they offer for study or research abroad, on each office’s website or on the Harvard Worldwide website, or by reaching out to the OVPIA team.