As part of International Education Week, the UA hosted an annual event Tuesday evening to recognize a campus musical group and two individuals for global excellence.
The Global Excellence Reception was hosted by the Center for English as a Second Language and the Office of Global Initiatives.
“International Education Week is part of the government’s effort to promote programs in the U.S. and overseas, as well as celebrate benefits of international education and exchange worldwide,” said Suzanne Panferov, director of the Center for English as a Second Language.
The UA Studio Jazz Ensemble from the School of Music won the Student Award for Global Excellence for its production in China that began in 2010.
The tour took the Studio Jazz Ensemble to Quingdao, China, marking the first time jazz music had ever been introduced in the concert hall, said Glendon Gross, a trumpet performance senior who plays in the Studio Jazz Ensemble.
“It was really exciting for the U of A to be a part of that,” Gross said.
About 18 musicians traveled and played in the band, unofficially calling themselves the Sassy Jazz Orchestra because it translated better, Gross said.
“There is a diplomatic window open now because of this tour,” he added. “It was a real honor to go out there and introduce our music to that country.”
The second award was given to David Gantz, a professor of law at the James E. Rogers College of Law and director of the International Trade Law Program.
At the time of the event, Gantz was in Chile for a Fulbright Specialist Program, Panferov said.
The final award was the Award for Excellence in Global Service, which was given to Ronald Pust, a professor in the UA College of Medicine.
Pust is the director of the College of Medicine Global and Border Health Program, Panferov said, which is a program dedicated to providing North American medical students with the opportunity to learn and work internationally as health care professionals in global health and education.
“I see it as more of a recognition of the importance of service,” Pust said. “I do what you do when you’re a doctor, and I guess that is a service.”
– Follow Adriana Espinosa @adri_eee
