CEHD Global Initiatives is the 2019 recipient of the C. Eugene Allen Award for Innovative International Initiatives. The award, presented by the U’s Global Programs and Strategy (GPS) Alliance, recognizes faculty and staff for their contributions to further the internationalization of the University of Minnesota.

CEHD received the award for its Brazil Delegation Program, which funded 11 faculty members’ attendance at the fifth World Conference on Remedies to Racial and Ethnic Economic Inequality held in Vitória, Espírito Santo–Brazil. The interdisciplinary team of faculty partnered with Universidade Federal do Espirito (UFES) to visit local schools and communities, which led to an emerging research and practice collaborative with CEHD and UFES faculty, students, and school and community leaders.

The program is a response to collegiate strategic goals to enhance diversity and internationalization, foster excellence in research, and encourage innovation. The 11 faculty who participated represented five academic departments and 10 different degree programs in CEHD. UFES was selected for its interest and commitment to indigenous education, social justice, and commitment to multi-disciplinary participative research and community engagement. 

Learning from the program have been shared in undergraduate and graduate courses and with other faculty. The delegation members have continued to meet and plans to return to Brazil in August. A larger goal of this second visit is to investigate a number of common interests and co-develop a research agenda for the next three-to-five years to include faculty, staff, and students from across the colleges.