In August 2025, six DePaul representatives traveled to Pune, India, marking the fifth faculty and staff cohort to visit partner institution Symbiosis International University (SIU).
Faculty members Alec Brownlow (CLAS), Anna Souchuk (CLAS), and Margaret Workman (CSH), along with Alma Sandoval Tzontchev (Study Abroad), GianMario Besana (Global Engagement), and Zafar Iqbal (DCOB), spent an intensive week at Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts building foundations for new collaborations in global learning, research, and study abroad programming.
From Campus to Campus: Faculty Partnerships Take Root
Photo courtesy of Margaret WorkmanDePaul faculty connected deeply with Symbiosis colleagues, leading to substantive partnerships. Dr. Margaret Workman was paired with Dr. Richa Minocha to explore environmental justice and climate change education. Their collaboration has already produced a guest-taught climate treaty negotiation simulation and a submitted Global Conversation titled "Water Justice: Climate Change and Unequal Water Futures." "This partnership has been highly collaborative and energizing," Workman notes, "and represents a strong model for future global learning initiatives between our institutions."
Dr. Alec Brownlow connected with Professor Manoranjan Ghosh over their shared expertise in political ecology. After delivering a guest lecture and leading a workshop on presenting at professional conferences, the two are now exploring a joint GLE course where students from both institutions would study Indian case studies together.
Student Connections That Inspire
Faculty members were struck by the enthusiasm and global awareness of Symbiosis students. "The students were exceptionally enthusiastic, intellectually curious, and eager to engage with us in meaningful discussion," Workman reflects. Brownlow noted that students approached him after workshops seeking guidance on thesis defenses and research presentations, with many requesting to send drafts for review. The delegation's timing during Symbiosis's Welcome Week added unexpected cultural richness. Students invited the DePaul visitors to officially launch the festivities by pressing the button that dropped the welcome banner. The ceremony featured inter-class competitions and student performances, highlighting the strong sense of community at Symbiosis.
Beyond the Classroom: Building Institutional Capacity
Dr. Margaret Workman with colleague, Dr. Richa Minocha at Symbiosis International University (SIU)While faculty focused on academic partnerships, other delegation members worked on institutional infrastructure. Sandoval Tzontchev collaborated with global engagement staff at SIU to develop a long-term study abroad option for DePaul students. Meanwhile, Besana and Iqbal met with SIU global engagement leadership to explore partnerships with other colleges within the university system, expanding potential collaboration beyond SSLA. The group also conducted research workshops for SSLA students and led faculty development sessions, sharing pedagogical approaches and best practices across institutions.
Looking Ahead: From Visits to Sustained Partnerships
What began as a weeklong visit is blossoming into ongoing collaborations. The partnerships seeded during this trip are already producing Global Conversations, co-taught courses, and research collaborations. As Workman notes about her work with Dr. Minocha, "Our goal is to create an embedded, course-based collaboration that allows students to engage over a longer period of time, deepen intercultural competencies, and critically examine water quality as both a scientific and human rights issue."
For DePaul's commitment to global engagement, the Symbiosis partnership represents exactly what meaningful international collaboration should look like: faculty working with faculty, students learning with students, and institutions building structures that will support global learning for years to come.
Interested in exploring global learning partnerships? Learn more about faculty opportunities at
go.depaul.edu/gle.