Global Education Office hosts two ERASMUS+ cohorts from Spain
Contact: Nicol Tinsley
VCU Global Education Office
(804) 828-6463
nctinsley@vcu.edu
Richmond, VA (July 24, 2026) —Virginia Commonwealth University’s Global Education Office has had a busy summer semester, continuing to make new connections with other universities around the world. In its second year of participation, GEO welcomed two cohorts to VCU to participate in the ERASMUS+ exchange program. The program brought to campus three students and one faculty member in May for two weeks, and 19 faculty members in July from universities and technical centers throughout Spain for the second year to learn more about the American educational system, possibilities for exchange for their students and faculty, and other opportunities for their home universities to collaborate with VCU.
The ERASMUS+ program supports education, training, and mobility throughout the European Union, and American universities may participate in ERASMUS+ programming when invited by a European partner. VCU’s strong partnerships in Spain led to the creation of these 
ERASMUS short term exchange programs to Richmond and VCU plans to expand the opportunity to more EU partners in the future.
Sarah Carrier, director of global partnerships, views these programs as beneficial to the internationalization of the university and to building VCU’s prominence in Europe. “VCU's engagement with ERASMUS+ programs has so many benefits for our campus,” she said. “These connections with Spanish universities open doors for reciprocal mobility for VCU faculty and staff, and bring the world to VCU so students and faculty can engage globally right here in Richmond.”
While visiting VCU, program highlights for the groups included dialogues with VCU faculty in their disciplines, programming with the Da Vinci Center, a day spent at Brightpoint and Reynolds Community Colleges to learn more about technical education in the U.S., a tour of the Virginia State Capitol, home visits with local Richmond families, and trips to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and a Flying Squirrels game.
In addition to international ERASMUS participants coming to VCU, Shira Schieken, an international training and employment visa manager and instructor of intercultural communication for VCU’s School of Business, participated in the higher education staff mobility program held in Timisoara, Romania. As the first from VCU to participate in the program, Schieken had an extraordinary opportunity as a presenter and host of a workshop at West University of Timisoara’s 30th Symposium of Students in English.
“I was excited to receive this opportunity to participate in the Erasmus International Teaching Week in Romania and the experience was amazing,” she said. Along with engaging with other Erasmus+ participants from around the world, the program matched visiting participants with local faculty in their area of expertise. “I was extremely fortunate to be paired with excellent faculty hosts from the Department of Modern Languages & Literatures and have meaningful conversations with engaged students. My time in Romania, while short and sweet, was definitely a highpoint of the year.”
Schieken was in a cohort of educators from the U.S. and other countries including Taiwan, Bulgaria, Mexico, and noted the similarities in issues that are being experienced in higher education. “A current topic that was popular was the threat of AI to students’ critical thinking skills. It was eye-opening to see that the problems we face on American campuses resonate across the world,” Schieken stated. She added, “The Erasmus+ program allowed me to gain a new perspective from a global education framework. I strongly encourage others to apply.”
The Global Education Office plans to continue participating in the program in future semesters, and to extend to more partnerships with other countries and institutions. Faculty and staff interested in an Erasmus+ exchange should reach out to Sarah Carrier, director of global partnerships, at syoung8@vcu.edu.