Longtime Corbett Exchange Program manager and program coordinator for the Center, Marion Ferguson, has accepted a new position at the University of Washington. On June 16, Marion will begin serving as assistant director for undergraduate programs at UW CIRCLE (Center for International Relations and Cultural Leadership Exchange), overseeing the programming and services that CIRCLE provides to approximately 4,300 undergraduate international students.
Marion’s career at the Jackson School of International Studies goes back nearly a decade; she started in 2017 as the Jean Monet outreach coordinator with the Center for West European Studies and program coordinator for the Ellison Center for Russian, East European, and Central Asian Studies. She moved into her positions at the Canadian Studies Center in 2018. Marion has built the Corbett program from a concept of the Corbett family’s to a vibrant exchange program between UW, the University of British Columbia, and the University of Victoria, serving over 60 students to provide them with funding and an impactful study abroad experience. Marion supported these students by working with them to ensure their academic success but also their success as young professionals in the world. You can see some of her work and the many students impacted here.
In 2022, Marion took the expertise she gained through the Corbett Exchange Program and applied for and received a grant from the U.S. Department of State to provide a two-year program to develop study abroad access for UW Indigenous students. The International Indigenous Paths project was funded by the IDEAS (Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students) Program. Marion worked with the UW Center for American Indian and Indigenous Studies and the UW Office of Global Affairs to recruit students and support the program. She took two groups of UW Indigenous students to UBC where they were introduced to Indigenous faculty, students, and programs helping to create a pathway for study abroad in Canada.
It is both with regret and joy that Marion leaves the Center and Jackson School, and we are happy for her well-deserved success and professional move forward. Thank you, Marion, for your years of service and congratulations on the new role at CIRCLE!