Valeria Bertacco, vice provost for engaged learning, leads the university’s efforts to expand and enhance experiential learning opportunities for students, with a particular focus on global engagement. Under her leadership, the university launched an ambitious Global Engagement Strategic Plan in 2023 and has seen significant growth in education abroad participation. Global Engagement is also a pillar of U-M’s strategic vision for the next decade, Vision 2034. We sat down with her for a timely discussion on U-M’s recent recognition as the top-ranked public university for study abroad and her vision for the future of global engagement. 

Vice Provost Bertacco also oversees many other areas and units as part of her vice provostial role, which will be the subject of a future interview. 

The University of Michigan was just named the country’s top-ranked public university for study abroad. What does this recognition mean to you?

VB: This recognition really validates the incredible work of our entire education abroad community. We’ve built a robust ecosystem that supports students at every step of their journey, from first considering an international experience to returning home and reflecting on their growth. But what makes me particularly proud is not just the numbers – though seeing 5,462 students participate in international experiences this year is remarkable – but the increasing diversity of our programs and participants. We’re making real progress in ensuring these transformative experiences are accessible to all U-M students.

Can you tell us more about the initiatives driving this increased accessibility?

VB: Absolutely. When we developed our Global Engagement Strategic Plan, we knew we needed to address both financial and cultural barriers. Last year, we launched several exciting initiatives, including our First-Generation Education Abroad Scholarship program. The stories from our scholarship recipients are incredibly moving – students like Julia Kassab, who studied design thinking in Spain, and Mahmuda Chowdhury, who studied Arabic language in Morocco, who didn’t think studying abroad was possible for them but are now having these life-changing experiences.

We’ve also expanded our outreach significantly, participating in 22 events that reached 6,000 incoming students. Our “Go Blue, Go Abroad” workshop series has been particularly successful in engaging first-year students. And we’re seeing results – there’s been a 44% increase in first-year participation in education abroad programs. We’re also proud that Pell Grant recipients now make up 24% of our participants, and we’re seeing steady increases in participation from first-generation students.

How are you working with faculty to diversify program offerings?

VB: We’ve introduced two exciting grant programs that are really reshaping our portfolio of faculty-led programs. We awarded grants to support eight new programs this year, with a particular focus on less-traveled destinations in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America. For example, Professor Brian Stewart from LSA led a fascinating archaeological program in Lesotho, where his students learned the full excavation process through hands-on fieldwork. Professor Maria Arquero de Alarcon from Taubman developed a program in Brazil that really emphasizes equitable partnerships with local communities. In that program, students investigated the anticipated impacts of a large redevelopment project in São Paulo City, creating maps and supporting local efforts to secure housing. Another really impressive program, led by Professor Susan Atkins from Education, took English language development students to Cuernavaca, Mexico, to study Spanish and engage with children in local classrooms. 

We’re also investing in faculty development, offering workshops and resources to help them create meaningful international experiences. This year alone, we conducted seven workshops reaching 182 faculty participants. It’s not just about adding new destinations – it’s about ensuring these programs are well-designed and impactful for our students. Students in that program learned about the Thai healthcare system, then spent almost two weeks immersed in the clinical setting, providing care in patient’s homes, schools, and clinics. They also got to meet and socialize with Thai nursing students. It’s really a model of the entire Michigan ethos – education and impact through research and experience. 

What’s your vision for the future of global engagement at Michigan?

VB: While we’re proud of reaching nearly 6000 international experiences this year, we’re just getting started. Our strategic plan is ambitious – we want to continue expanding both the number and diversity of opportunities available to students. This means developing more programs in underrepresented regions, creating more accessible short-term options, and strengthening our support systems for students before, during, and after their experiences abroad.

We’re particularly excited about scaling up successful pilot programs. For instance, our First-Gen Education Abroad Scholarship will support up to 100 students this year, a tenfold increase from last year. We’re also focusing on innovative programming that makes international experiences more accessible, like our Passport Day initiative that provided 200 passport grants to first-time passport holders.

Finally, what’s one thing about global education that might surprise people?

VB: I think many people still picture study abroad as just semester-long programs in Europe, but the reality is so much more diverse and dynamic. We have students doing dental outreach in Chile and nursing clinical field experiences in Thailand, learning about marine energy systems in Taiwan and reproductive health in Denmark, and participating in law externships in India and project-based service-learning programs in Zimbabwe. Some experiences are just a few weeks long, others span a full year. Some students are earning academic credit, while others are gaining valuable co-curricular experience through internships or research. This diversity of opportunities is what makes our program special – there’s truly something for every student, regardless of their major, background, or circumstances.

What can you tell us about your experience as a faculty member outside your vice provostial duties?

I am a faculty member in Computer Science and Engineering, researching technologies on how to better design the complex silicon microchips that support today’s electronic devices. We are experiencing an inflection point in the semiconductor field because we are reaching the limit of how small of a transistor we can manufacture. A primary way the industry has traditionally created value has been to leverage a current chip design and move it to a smaller and faster transistor technology. Today that is no longer possible. Thus, the industry has shifted towards leveraging more new and innovative chips. A key challenge in doing so is that there are not enough engineers that can design chips. So, one of my research goals is to enable broader participation in the field, which is accomplished in part by developing new design tools that lower the complexity of designing complex chips, and in part by exposing students in middle and high school to the world of silicon chips, so that they can fall in love with it. Because, who would not fall in love with it, if they got to know the world of hardware design?