GPII Hosted Events

UCF Office of Global Perspectives and International Initiatives (GPII) is pleased to invite you to a public event with esteemed guest Senator Max Baucus, the longest-serving U.S. senator in Montana and Former US Ambassador to China.

The discussion will focus on the current state of the bilateral relations between US and China, US Foreign policy, as well as the competition in the technological, economic, and geopolitical arena.

Mandell Distinguished Speaker Series Understanding US-China Relations: Strategic Competition and Cooperation

GPII is honored to host Lieutenant General (Retired) Ben Hodges, the former Commanding General of US Army Europe. The discussion will focus on the ongoing war in Ukraine and the critical security commitments for the European Union to deter the Russian threat. The conversation will include US foreign policy toward Ukraine and its role in the changed political scene in Europe.

Mandell Distinguished Speaker Series: Ukraine and the Future of Security in Europe

UCF’s Office of Global Perspectives and International Initiatives (GPII) cordially invites you to a discussion of science, diplomacy and policymaking, featuring Dr. Frances Colón. Dr. Colón is currently a member of the White House Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, and formerly served as Deputy Adviser on Science and Technology to the U.S. Secretary of State. She has represented the U.S. at global climate change and environmental conferences and summits and is an advocate for the global advancement of women in science.

Climate Change & the Diplomacy of Science with Dr. Frances Colón

UCF’s Office of Global Perspectives and International Initiatives (GPII) cordially invites you to a discussion of science, diplomacy and policymaking, featuring Dr. Frances Colón. Dr. Colón is currently a member of the White House Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, and formerly served as Deputy Adviser on Science and Technology to the U.S. Secretary of State. She has represented the U.S. at global climate change and environmental conferences and summits and is an advocate for the global advancement of women in science.

A Conversation with Jeff Nussbaum

The Middle Eastern Studies Program and GPII are excited to host Dr. Zeynep Arda for an in-person event titled:“Breaking Bread: An Intercultural Conversation.” This workshop aims at creating an intercultural conversation that starts with the simple act of breaking bread together. Centered around the most basic of all food, one that is as old as history itself and one that cuts through all the cultures of the world, we kindly ask you to bring your favorite loaf (from your country of origin if relevant). While we have some multimedia artworks to share with you, you are highly encouraged to bring in photographs, recordings, paraphernalia and other items you feel is personally relevant.

Breaking Bread: An Intercultural Conversation Dr. Zeynep Arda

The UCF Office of Global Perspectives and International Initiatives (GPII) is excited to announce its upcoming virtual event: “Championing Women’s Issues Across UCF & Beyond.” The panelists, comprised of UCF Faculty, will highlight their work on women’s issues locally and globally, and its importance.

This event is organized as part of GPII’s new initiative, the Global Women Think Tank (GWTT) which aims to advance women’s rights through research-informed work, leadership development, and strengthening institutions’ infrastructure.

Championing Women Through UCF and Beyond

Kal Penn is a writer, producer and actor from House, Designated Survivor and the Harold and Kumar franchise. He also served as an Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. Penn will read from his national bestseller You Can’t Be Serious, where he shares memories from his life as the grandson of Gandhian freedom fighters and the son of Indian immigrants. Penn will also answer questions from the audience.

An Evening with Kal Penn

Please join the UCF Center for the Study of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery and our guest, Shawn Sullivan, President of Mission 823, for a discussion on the current humanitarian and human rights situation in Ukraine.

HTMS – Humanitarian and Human Rights Crisis in Ukraine

Please join this exciting event titled: “Cultural Inquiry: New Spaces, New Objects: An Interdisciplinary Inquiry.” Cultural Inquiry is an innovative series of interdisciplinary research events that promotes fruitful exchanges and interactions between the Middle East and the United States. The series seeks to address and uncover the specific synergies at work in the East-West dialectic, connection, and circulation. Reading and reaching across disciplinary boundaries, Cultural Inquiry fosters rich and intellectually stimulating dialogues through research seminars, lecture series, creative events, exhibitions, and conferences. Cultural Inquiry brings scholars and research students together with the aim to reframe and to transform contemporary criticism by focusing attention, in various ways, on transdisciplinary studies, cross cultural dialogues, and cultural/visual theories from the Renaissance to the Modern.

Cultural Inquiry: New Spaces, New Objects: An Interdisciplinary Inquiry

Join us for a conversation on a groundbreaking oral history project to explore the future of International Expositions and the United States’ role in them. Oral historians, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities and State Department, will discuss their findings from interviews with U.S. host city organizers and participants, as well as with Youth Ambassadors and Cultural Performers who represented the United States at Expos abroad.

Understanding the Role of the United States in Expos

Join us for lunch and a discussion with Prof. Agreement Lathi Jotia, Dr. Lucretia Wame Hambira, and Dr. Kebapetse Lotshwao on climate change adaptation, politics, economy, globalization and higher education.

Botswana: Politics, Environment, and Education

You are cordially invited to join us for this special webinar featuring experts from the United States and Middle East and North Africa in a conversation on migration management.

A Transatlantic Conversation: Managing Migration in Florida and Cairo

Please join us for a special event “America’s Place in the Changing World: A Discussion with Ben Rhodes”. As Deputy National Security Advisor to Barack Obama, Ben Rhodes not only had a front row seat, but was an active participant in formulating American foreign policy for eight tumultuous years. Rhodes will share his observations about how global politics are changing, weaving is his experiences in the White House and more recent events including the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Working for President Obama, Rhodes dealt with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the unrest of the Arab Spring, the “Asian pivot” in American policy, negotiations with Cuba and Iran, and relations with world leaders from Vladimir Putin to Xi Jinping

Mandell Distinguished Speaker Series – America’s Place in the Changing World: A Discussion with Ben Rhodes

Dr. Zeynep Arda, the Chair of the Visual Communication Design Department at Izmir University of Economics in Turkey, will discuss the identity issues, resilience, and evolvement of artists in exile. This discussion is moderated by Dr. Victor M. Davila, an Associate Professor of Graphic Design and Illustration at UCF’s School of Visual Art and Design.

Designing for Interaction and Integration: Artists in Exile