b'STUDY ABROAD SERVICES The core purpose of the Gilman is to help low-income students underrepresented in study abroad make their dreams a reality. During the 2023-2024 academic year, UF had 99 total applicants. During the 2024-2025 academic year, we had 162, 35 of which were ultimately awarded. As always, with so much interest in study abroad comes the need for excellent outreach and recruitment strategies. This years Study Abroad Fairs were both well-attended, with one faculty member remarking that they thought the Fall 2024 event was the most attended Fair since 2013. Other events throughout the year included two Passport Days in collaboration with UF Passport Services; tabling at First-Generation Student Day; Family Weekend; Giving Day; and our annual Pre-Departure Conference for outbound summer and fall students. The schedule for the Study Abroad Pre-Departure Conference, April 2025HIGHLIGHTING THE HUMANS OF STUDY ABROADFACULTY SPOTLIGHT ONURSAL EROLDr. Onursal Erol is a lecturer in the Bob Graham Center for Public Service with a specialization in the Middle East and North Africa. In 2023, he was a participant in the UFIC Study Abroad Leadership Program (SALP). This summer, Dr. Erol is leading the first iteration of the program he developed as part of SALP, entitled UF in Istanbul - Urban Studies from the Perspective of the Global South. This six-week program aims for students to experience the ways in which Istanbul is both a cosmopolitan bridge between the East and West, however fails to achieve certain global metropolitan standards. I designed UF in Istanbul with two voices whispering in my ears. One was intellectual. What better place to exploreprovide the same to my students. I picture them navigating the sedimented layers and rhythms of urban life than thisIstanbuls disjointed streets, discovering its cafs, engaging megalopolis, both ancient and unmistakably alive in thewith locals, and adapting to life as good stewards of the citys present? The other was personal. As someone shaped bymillion cats - all while grappling with the most fascinating life-changing international experiences, I feel compelled todebates in urban studies.24 |Global Engagement Report 2025'