In 2016, at the International Peace Research Association conference in Sierra Leone, DePaul’s Dr. Isidore Udoh met Dr. Idorenin Eyo, a law professor from the University of Uyo in Uyo, Nigeria. Since then, Dr. Udoh has been cultivating more faculty connections between the University of Uyo and DePaul to provide more opportunities for students from Chicago to meet and work with Nigerian students.
Dr. Udoh, a faculty member in DePaul’s Masters in Public Health program has been a strong promoter of intercultural engagement over the years. This July 2021, Dr. Udoh will complete his 10th year at DePaul and has taught courses such as Research Seminars, Critical Thinking, Global Health, Health Policy and Administration, Public Health and Forced Migration, and Introduction to Environmental Science. One way he has introduced his students to global perspectives has been through the implementation of a
Global Learning Experience (GLE) in his Public Health and Forced Migration course starting in 2018. A GLE is a virtual exchange project between students in courses from two or more universities. In this course, Dr. Udoh partnered with Dr. Eyo to deliver a GLE project called
Cross-National Perspectives on Refugees Resettlement in which students from DePaul University met and collaborated virtually with students at the University of Uyo to understand the experiences of refugees’ and internally displaced persons’ resettlement in Nigeria and the United States. While the students learned about refugees in their respective cities to share their findings with the counterparts across the Atlantic, Dr. Udoh shared that, “Students enjoyed the weekly WhatsApp discussions the most. They shared personal and professional experiences, as well as photos, videos, and links to web-based content that provided in-depth perspectives of Nigeria and the United States.” This GLE was a success in part thanks to the relationship with the partner institution, the University of Uyo.
Another opportunity Dr. Udoh utilized to engage students on global issues has been his participation in the
Global Conversations; synchronous, interactive, interdisciplinary conversations that center on a specific topic and highlight students’ perspectives and experiences. Most recently, Dr. Udoh, Dr. Eyo and their colleagues, Dr. Adibe Clement and Dr. Anyiekere Ekanem hosted a Global Conversation entitled, Policing and Law Enforcement in the 21st Century. Dr. Udoh attested to the fulfilling nature of the Global Conversations, particularly with topics that “relate to the core values that guide [his] life and work.” He added:
“I have learned through interacting with students from around the world that the challenges that we experience here in the United States are like those experienced in many other countries around the world. In the conversations that I co-facilitated on COVID-19, protest and public health, and policing and law enforcement in the 21st century, I enjoyed listening to students from the United States, Nigeria, India, Brazil, Botswana, and Canada contribute brilliant perspectives and innovative solution ideas. Listening to students in these conversations gives me hope about the future of our world community. I am convinced that we are building a network of future global leaders, one conversation at a time, here at DePaul University.”
Dr. Udoh is co-facilitating another Global Conversation on April 14 again with partners from DePaul, the University of Uyo, and the Catholic Institute of West Africa, called Protests and Public Health. In this session, with DePaul faculty, Dr. Michele McCay students will examine the roles of civic participation and protests and their relationship to population health. Global Engagement has relied on Dr. Udoh’s wisdom, talents and grace to create positive interactions for students, and we look forward to the coming opportunities to learn with him and from him.