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Wes Watkins Center

School of Global Studies and Partnerships announces new name

Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Media Contact: Mack Burke | Associate Director of Media Relations | 405-744-5540 | mack.burke_iv@okstate.edu

The Oklahoma State University School of Global Studies and Partnerships (SGSP) has changed its name to OSU Global.

The name change is strategic and is intended to increase OSU’s international engagement, creating awareness and clearly identifying the scope and responsibilities of the department for the sake of international and domestic audiences.

“This new brand, OSU Global, will enable us to better serve our university and external partners,” Dean Randy Kluver said. “A simplified, broad name will bring a greater awareness of the impact the university has on global engagement. As we position the university to be a preeminent land-grant university, this will help us to build a broader set of international partnerships to facilitate our service to the state and the world.”

The rebranding will create awareness that the administrative offices serve the entire university and represent the entire university to external constituencies. The new name updates the unit to reflect national norms and positions OSU as a committed leader in international engagement with a focus on overall global engagement. 

Since its inception in the early 1950s, the central international office has held many names. Beginning with OSU’s global work in the 1950s, the unit was called the Office of International Programs. In 1997, it transitioned to the International and Economic Development department. In 1999, the unit was named International Education and Outreach (IEO). In 2017, the unit went under another rebranding to the School of Global Studies and Partnerships (SGSP) and added the International Students and Scholars (ISS) office to the unit.

OSU Global will remain the overall administrative office for a variety of globally oriented programs at OSU, including the Wes Watkins Center for International Trade Development (CITD), International Students and Scholars (ISS), the Center for Global Learning (CGL), the English Language and Intercultural Center (ELIC) and the School of Global Studies.

The dean’s office will remain responsible for internationally focused functions across the university, such as international partnerships and agreements; promotion of the Fulbright and other internationally oriented scholarship programs; coordination of universitywide external branding efforts (such as the Times Higher Ed Impact rankings effort and related efforts); the Mexico Liaison Office; and other communications.

OSU Global will continue to house the academic unit — the School of Global Studies. The unit includes the M.S. in global studies, two graduate certificate programs, the Iranian and Persian Gulf studies program, the global briefing series and administration of the interdisciplinary undergraduate minor in international studies.

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