Baruch College and the International Center selected eight U.S. citizens to serve as Climate Change Professional Fellows during the Summer Cohort component of the State Department funded program. The Cohort of US Fellows chosen to visit China completed their fellowship experience in the cities of Beijing and Shanghai, July 18 – August 5, 2011; while the US Fellows who were selected to complete their fellowship in Australia, did so in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, July 25 – August 12, 2011.
Program staff worked in tandem with partners abroad to develop a comprehensive program which offered distinct learning experiences, knowledge exchange, valuable professional networking opportunities, as well as enhanced cultural immersion. Most notable about the planning and implementation of the Summer Cohort programming was the integral involvement of previous fellows, as well as their vital role in the introduction of program staff to pertinent climate change professionals in both China and Australia. These relationships served as a positive indicator of the program’s success in reaching the overarching goal of transcending national boundaries by fostering mutual cooperation between nations in the interest of the larger global community.