British Deputy Consul-General Tammy Sandhu and three delegates from Northern Ireland spent three days touring the Central Valley in late February, becoming more familiar with the region and its culture and discussing study abroad opportunities for Fresno State students.
Sandhu serves as a senior diplomat and key adviser to the Consulate General, overseeing U.K.-U.S. relations throughout the Pacific Northwest and playing a key role in providing policy work on issues related to climate, technology and trade. Her office is located in San Francisco.
Sandhu and the delegates visited Lodi, Merced, Turlock, UC Davis, the World Ag Expo in Tulare, Bitwise Industries and Fresno State. There was also a special welcome reception hosted at Chukchansi Park by the Fresno Economic Development Corporation. The reception was attended by various city leaders, including Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, Fresno County Supervisor Steve Brandau and Dr. Kent Willis, vice president of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management.
Willis gave welcoming remarks at the reception and spoke of Fresno State’s global impact, including the new Global Agriculture and Food Security Initiative designed to address food security and empower students to be global leaders in agriculture.
While visiting Fresno State, Sandhu and the delegates met with staff from the Division of Continuing and Global Education to discuss ways to expand academic cooperation and promote study opportunities in the U.K. through Marshall Scholarships. In 2014, Gavin Baird became the first Fresno State student to earn the prestigious scholarship.
As Marshall Scholars, Fresno State students would be eligible to attend graduate school in the U.K. while receiving funding for: university fees, living expenses, an annual book grant, a thesis grant, research and daily travels, travel to and from the United States and support of a spouse.
Marshall Scholarships are highly competitive, with only 50 scholarships awarded each year to students across the United States.
“We really want our scholarship program to pick up the students for whom it will have a huge impact and who will have…a great impact back here, too,” Sandhu said.
In addition to pursuing academic interests abroad, Marshall Scholarships give students the opportunity to experience a new culture, developing cross-cultural awareness and other personal strengths.
For more information, or to support students studying abroad, visit the Division of Continuing and Global Education website or contact Katie Bewarder at 559.278.5768 or katieadamo@mail.fresnostate.edu.
