Dr. Amy Sarch

Keynote Speech: [Re]defining “Value:” Creating Institutional Buy-in for Global Virtual Exchange

Biography:

Dr. Sarch is the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs at Shenandoah University.  She holds a Ph.D. and MA in Communications from the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, with an undergraduate BA degree in English literature and creative writing from Binghamton University.  

Dr Sarch has 25 years of administrative leadership in both the private and public settings, including service as program coordinator, department chair, director, and Associate Vice President.  Her work has ranged from broad-based and institutional-wide curriculum reform, to innovative programs that engage stakeholders at every level, to faculty and staff developmental opportunities and transformational student experiences.  She has worked most recently on a number of institutional-wide initiatives that focus on access and equity, with a passion for linking liberal learning with civic engagement. These and other initiatives have established Shenandoah University as an innovator in general education, one that has received recognition from the Chronicle of Higher Education, the American Association of Colleges and Universities, and most recently as the recipient of a Stevens Initiative Grant to embed global virtual exchange into the undergraduate general education program. 

Dr. Sarch is involved in a number of projects that speak directly to her commitment to access and equity. She has worked with (and has served on both the Board of Directors and Advisory Board) the Nyaka AIDS Orphans Project in rural southwestern Uganda, which strives to break the barrier of poverty by providing free, holistic education to orphaned and vulnerable children. This work has brought her to Uganda regularly to work closely with teachers and students in a range of projects, including workshops focusing on Sexual and Gender Based Violence, effective teaching practices, and public health initiatives.

Dr. Sarch is a consultant for colleges and universities across the United States and internationally on curriculum reform, the institutionalization of global virtual learning, and overcoming organizational resistance. 

Abstract:

Global Virtual Exchange (GVE) as a teaching and learning methodology has grown steadily in the past two decades–a trend largely accomplished through the work of inspired and committed faculty who see its transformational impacts.  One barrier for further expansion perhaps has been a lack of support for GVE at the institutional level.  While university leaders may be aware of this work, and even applaud it, what may be missing is an understanding of how GVE may contribute to the core mission of the institution and offer value and return in several ways.  

As a senior level administrator with over twenty-five years of experience in higher education, and also a GVE champion, I will discuss ways we can operationally define “value” to shift how we frame, design, and assess global virtual learning for faculty and for administrators – two stakeholder groups with distinct constraints that influence their understanding of GVE’s viability and value.  Administrators with an eye on shrinking budgets and limited resources do not necessarily see a “return” on a potential investment; faculty in a seemingly constant state of overload may not feel a course redesign is worth the time and effort. This presentation will discuss how we can move the needle from pockets of faculty members extolling the benefits of this innovative pedagogical tool to institutionalizing GVE as an essential, foundational, and sustainable part of an institution's mission.