UNITING THE WORLD Davis UWC Scholars The 2021 Report of the Davis UWC Scholars Program “I’m trying to stimulate leaders of the future to make a difference through the grounding in education that I’m helping to give them. When I started my business career, I took my own history lesson from Princeton: I learned how leaders make a difference, in their countries, in their centuries. So I invested in leaders, and that investment helped me to be successful. …I’m looking to invest again in leaders of the future.” SHELBY M.C. DAVIS Co-founder and Philanthropist UNITING THE WORLD “We strive to build critical masses of globally minded young men and women on American campuses, to foster highly personal relationships between outstanding Americans and non-Americans, and to seed global networks. These networks can serve a higher calling of international understanding and common purpose among future leaders in all walks of life in our world.” PHILIP O. GEIER Co-founder and Executive Director Davis United World College Scholars PROGRAM 2021 Annual Report On the cover: TK Private Philanthropy Supporting International Understanding through Education On the cover: Profiles of these Davis UWC Scholars and others “in action” can be found throughout this report. 2 Uniting the World The Program Presidents’ Perspectives Uniting the World Undergraduates in Action College of the Atlantic. 70 A Year Like No Other .............................5 Acting to Advance World Understanding .............34 Lewis & Clark College. 73 The Program by the Numbers Using Data to Predict COVID-19 Status ..............40 College of Idaho . .76 Timeline of Program Growth. 8 Blending Global Openness with a Passion for Finance ...48 Davidson College. 79 How the Program Works ..........................8 Reaching Out for a Closer, Healthier Community .......56 Bates College. 82 163 Home Countries — 3,429 Current Scholars .......10 Expanding Knowledge about Birds of the Ocean .......69 Wartburg College. 85 Brandeis University. 88 Distribution of Scholars by World Region ............. 11 Creating a Magazine for Black Women Everywhere ..... 81 Bennington College. 93 99 Partner Colleges and Universities ................12 Creative Leadership Makes an Impression ............90 Ringling College of Art + Design . .94 Number of Scholars by Class Year ..................14 Pitching In to Help Remote Learning Succeed ........ 101 Methodist University . .99 Winner of the 2020-21 Davis Cup .................. 17 Working to Probe Secrets of the Universe ........... 107 Middlebury College. 102 Building Awareness and Boosting Young Leaders ..... 117 The Davis Vision and Its Impact Wellesley College. 108 An Interview with Philanthropist Shelby Davis and Graduates in Action Northwestern University . 111 International Educator Phil Geier ...................19 Skidmore College. 114 An ER Doc on the COVID Front ....................33 University of Richmond. 119 Working to Democratize the World’s Health Care ....... 37 Philanthropists Honor Roll ......................21 Harvey Mudd College. 120 Courage Inspires the First Afghan Rhodes Scholar ......45 St. Lawrence University. 121 Leading and Learning on Remote Global Expeditions .... 51 Where the Scholars Come From ..................25 Pitzer College. 122 CONTENTS Training and Empowering Rural “Solar Mamas” ........ 61 The UWC Schools ..............................26 Lake Forest College. 125 Sources of the Davis UWC Scholars .................28 Innovating IT for Learning and Research .............74 Macalester College. 126 More Davis UWC Scholars Become A Musician Explores New Ways of Connecting .........86 Swarthmore College . 127 Rhodes Scholars ...............................62 Connecting the Dots and Aiming for Solutions ......... 97 Vassar College . 128 Opening New Paths to Opportunity in Africa .........104 Princeton University . 131 The Scholars Bringing Fresh Financial Tech to the World’s Youth ....113 Brown University. 132 Amherst College . 134 The Class of 2021 ..............................29 Acknowledgements and Credits . .136 Undergraduate Classes Class of 2022 ................................. 67 Class of 2023 .................................89 Class of 2024 ................................115 2 Uniting the World Davis United World College Scholars Program 3 A Year Like No Other he global pandemic made for a year like no other. TChallenged by unpredictable threats, the rhythms of everyone’s daily lives were altered, bringing tragic consequences to many. Resilience, heroism, and hopefulness joined with compassion, creativity, and UNITING THE WORLD cooperation to bring relief and comfort to the afflicted, demonstrating humanity’s better side. For the Davis United World College Scholars Program, the pandemic, related visa hurdles, and stymied global mobility brought unprecedented challenges. In the Davis United World College Scholars Program co-founders: philanthropist face of these challenges, Davis philanthropy stood firm, Shelby M.C. Davis (right) and international educator Philip O. Geier remaining fully dedicated to the program and increasing its financial commitments to ensure ongoing educational opportunities for eligible scholars and expanded resources for partner colleges and universities. And each of these partner colleges and universities deserves special recognition for the extensive care they selflessly provided to their Davis UWC Scholars throughout these trying times. Results were surprisingly gratifying. The 2020-21 academic year reached a new 20-year high with 3,429 undergraduate scholars from 163 countries populating nearly 100 American 4 Uniting the World Davis United World College Scholars Program 5 colleges and universities. Cumulatively, since its inception at the advent of the 21st century, the program has benefited over 11,000 scholars, and, remains committed even more than ever to its five main goals: » provide scholarship support for exemplary and promising students from a wide range of countries and cultures, who have absorbed the passion and mission of their UWC schools for building international understanding; In Memory of Stirling William “Bill” Kolb, » build meaningful clusters of these globally aware scholars within the undergraduate University of Florida’s Davis UWC Scholars Program Liaison and Senior Advisor populations of selected partner colleges and universities across the U.S.; » help transform the American undergraduate experience through international diversity and intercultural exchange — as much for the large majority of traditional American students as for the scholars; » leverage the value of this philanthropic initiative — to the long-term benefit of all learners and their teachers — to contribute to strategic shifts in institutional thinking, and to bring greater resources to the effort; and » contribute proactively to the well-being of our volatile, highly interdependent world by expecting our scholars and those with whom they interact to take personal responsibility for helping shape a better world. Bill Kolb (far left) with Shelby Davis (middle), Phil Geier (far right), and the Class of 2016 Davis United World College Scholars at the University of Florida The Davis UWC Scholars Program is at once practical and inspirational. It reflects the huge potential of private philanthropy to promote international understanding in dynamic, expanding ways, through educational institutions that share its strategic vision and are committed to building greater opportunities for global engagement for all their students. In essence, the program is about using philanthropic leadership to leverage additional support for transformative impact on individuals, institutions, and the wider world. 6 Uniting the World Davis United World College Scholars Program 7 Twenty-One Years of Program Growth Schools 5 Schools 99 Scholars 43 Scholars 11,264 Countries 31 Countries 163 201 586 1,274 2,306 3,591 4,853 6,198 7,686 9,248 Scholars Scholars Scholars Scholars Scholars Scholars Scholars Scholars Scholars 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 117 309 923 1,720 2,962 4,230 5,508 6,909 8,549 10,424 Scholars Scholars Scholars Scholars Scholars Scholars Scholars Scholars Scholars Scholars How This Works 1 2 3 4 Since 1962, thousands of young people from 175 nations In 2000, the Davis UWC Scholars Program began providing This academic year, there are 99 U.S. colleges and With their education made possible through their own have been selected by committees in their home countries scholarship grants to a pilot group of American colleges and universities in partnership with the Davis United World merits and the help of the Davis United World College to complete their last two years of high school at one of universities to support UWC graduates who matriculated at College Scholars Program. For partner schools, the Scholars Program and its partner schools, Davis UWC 18 United World College schools. UWC schools are these schools. These pilot schools — Colby College, College program provides annual grants in support of need-based Scholars will go on to play important, meaningful, and located in Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, of the Atlantic, Middlebury College, Princeton University, and scholarships for each matriculated UWC graduate for up often leadership roles in their communities, in their home China, Costa Rica, Eswatini, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Wellesley College — are graduating