Western's longstanding relationship with one of the world's oldest universities has been giving exchange students opportunities to grow their intercultural skills for decades. Now, Western and St Andrews University are opening new avenues for faculty to share, advance and apply their research.
Through a partnership supported by Western International, two Western professors are contributing to the scholarly community at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. The prestigious school consistently ranks among the world's top 100 global universities, offering highly regarded programs and rich history dating back to its founding in 1413 as Scotland's first university.
Western visual arts professor Kirsty Robertson has been at St Andrews since early May, as the senior global fellow at its Centre for Energy Ethics (CEE). Robertson sees the month-long fellowship as a perfect fit. In addition to her role as the Canada Research Chair in Museums, Art and Sustainability, she's the director of Western's Centre for Sustainable Curating (CSC), where she leads research on how to reduce the carbon output and energy consumption of museums.
"My work on energy usage overlaps with the CEE's work on using energy to power our society responsibly," she said.
"Museums use a lot of energy to heat and cool large buildings and maintain specific temperatures for collections. Transporting exhibition materials can also be energy intensive, so I'm always thinking of how to make use of museums as the great storytellers they are, while reducing their environmental impact."
Western and St Andrews faculty connect through global fellowship
The goals of both the CEE and CSC align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly the efforts to ensure access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy for all. Robertson said she admires St Andrews' success in working toward those goals.
"I'm so intrigued by what they've done at St Andrews. The CEE is renowned for finding sustainability solutions by bringing all kinds of people together - not just students and academics, but people you wouldn't imagine interacting like artists and energy workers."
Robertson's recent research at the CSC on sustainable practices is currently in use at Western's McIntosh Gallery, where labels are adhered to the wall with compostable adhesives made of tapioca starch. Outside of the CSC, Robertson is pursuing research on the use of plastics in museums and their long-term effects.
"I'll be working with a plastics researcher at St Andrews and sharing strategies for curating sustainably with museums in Scotland. I'll also collaborate with their faculty to find points of resonance that could develop into future work."
"These partnerships are essential for a global university. The best minds can be found all over the world."
- June Cotte, marketing professor, Ivey Business School
Ivey Business School professor June Cotte is returning to Scotland to advance research projects developed through an academic partnership between Western and St Andrews University. (Submitted)
The opportunity is made possible by the University of St Andrews Global Fellowship Scheme for academics who are significant scholars or emerging leaders in their fields. June Cotte, marketing professor at Ivey Business School, spent September 2024 at St Andrews, and is going back for another week this month.
Last fall, Cotte ran several seminars at St Andrews on teaching in executive education and publishing in top-tier academic journals. She also presented her latest published research on gender and entrepreneurs in crowdfunding.
The connections she made there led to two new projects she's working on now: one about cyberbullying and the other on children's spending and saving behavior.
"The Global Research Fellows program is a fantastic opportunity for Western faculty to connect with a new network of talented scholars in Scotland," she said.
Robert T. Jones Jr. Scholarship creates student exchange opportunities
Western's enduring connection to St Andrews began with a student exchange program. Since 1989, the Robert T. Jones Jr. Scholarship has funded 90 students from Scotland to study at Western, while sending about 175 Western students to St Andrews. Third-year criminology and sociology student Julia King was one of them.
King spent the fall term at St Andrews, where she discovered that studying abroad was a chance to belong to a unique community rooted in structure and close-knit networks.
"I feel such a special connection to St Andrews now," King said.
From day one, organized social rituals helped her bond with other students. Living in residence promoted connection through communal meals with schoolmates at set times every day. While the structure felt rigid initially, King soon experienced its benefits.
"The culture is designed to build cohesiveness. Eventually everyone gets to know everyone else. It's a lot easier to do that at St Andrews because it's a small school in a small town," King said.
Student life at St Andrews offers community through academic families, clubs and sport
The tradition of academic families' played a significant role in building social cohesion, King said. Senior students form social families' of peers who take on the roles of parents and extended relatives, then adopt newcomers into their groups.
"New students get to try out different families for a month before joining one. Academic families are there to support students all through their university journey, introduce them to new friends, help them sort out any issues and be a friend group to go out with," said King.
A lighthearted initiation into her academic family began with a 3 a.m. wakeup call, an annual rite that launches Raisin Weekend. Families get their new inductees out of bed to participate in a night of games, competitions, a moonlight swim and a campfire on the beach.
King said nearly everyone joined at least one sports team or club - not for competition, but for community.
"It doesn't matter how good you are," said King. "I joined the ultimate frisbee and horseback riding teams. It's about being involved, not being the best."
Studying abroad improves academic skills and confidence
King also grew academically. She embraced the opportunity to study new-to-her subjects including international relations, anthropology and marketing. She credits St Andrews' small class sizes and essay-based assessments with improving her writing and organizational skills.
"The courses were tough, but keeping up taught me how to structure my time, especially when balancing travel with school. It pushed me out of my comfort zone in more ways than one, but that's a good thing. That's what exchange is all about."
Beyond academics, King said the experience taught her self-reliance. Coming from Toronto, she knew many Western students before starting university, so she wanted to challenge herself socially.
"I went to prove to myself that I could still have a great university experience and make friends in a completely new environment," she said. "It gave me confidence that I could thrive without an existing support system. This exchange helped me grow so much."
