Nick Gozik, who helped strengthen Boston College’s presence abroad as director of the Office of International Programs and the McGillycuddy-Logue Center for Undergraduate Global Studies, is leaving the University to become dean of global education at Elon University.
Gozik will begin his duties at the North Carolina-based university on January 25.
Nick Gozik
As director of the OIP, which he joined in 2012, Gozik oversaw an office that each year provides support for some 1,200 BC undergraduates studying abroad as well as more than 200 international exchange students from partner institutions. He played a key role in the University’s strategic planning efforts to raise its international profile, such as through increased study-abroad and research activity by students and faculty members and hosting conferences and meetings on global education.
Gozik based his vision of global education on the idea that students should be reflective and intentional in their study-abroad and other international experiences, and incorporate these more fully into their undergraduate studies. He developed a popular online course, Reflections on Being Abroad, and revamped OIP’s advising processes as a means of helping students cultivate a well-rounded time abroad. Under Gozik, BC emerged as a leader in the intercultural skills movement, and in 2016 began hosting the first annual conference on the subject to be held in New England.
Gozik also championed diversity and inclusion in the development of OIP programs and services, and expanding opportunities in particular for students of low income. He administered the McGillycuddy-Logue Center, which promotes and fosters innovative international learning through travel grants to high-need students. Another resource for OIP programming was a $1 million grant from the Victor and William Fung Foundation in Hong Kong establishing the Fung Scholars Program for study-abroad activities in East Asia. He co-edited the book, Promoting Inclusion in Education Abroad: A Handbook of Research and Practice, among other publications and areas of service.
Other achievements under Gozik included the creation of new partnerships and programs in the Czech Republic, Croatia, Portugal, Australia, Ireland, Germany, Italy, China, Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan. OIP also became involved in experiential learning, including summer internships in locations such as Paris, Madrid, Prague, Shanghai, and Singapore. This coming spring, the office will launch virtual internships for 74 students unable to go abroad due to COVID-19; students will participate for free, in a variety of locations and fields of work.
"It is still hard to believe that I will be leaving Boston College after more than eight years,” said Gozik. “I absolutely love my current position and the University, where I have felt welcomed by faculty, staff, and students. Much of this comes down to Boston College's commitment to community building, on campus and beyond. I have also found great synergy between global programming and BC's Jesuit history and values, with a commitment to student reflection, engagement with local communities, and social justice."
The University is preparing a search for Gozik’s successor.
Sean Smith | University Communications | December 2020