Temple University was recently selected to become a United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) member organization. Established in 2010, the UNAI initiative connects higher education institutions in 145+ countries that share a commitment for realizing United Nations goals and mandates.
UNAI 10 Basic Principles:
- Addressing Poverty
- Capacity Building
- Education for All
- Global Citizenship
- Access to Higher Education
- Human Rights
- Intercultural Dialogue
- Peace and Conflict Resolution
- Sustainability
- United Nations Charter
Since its founding in 1884 by Russell Conwell, Temple University has sought to widen the reach of higher education. Campus culture and curricula emphasize active citizenship and social impact, creating transformative opportunities for Temple students to lead thoughtful and deliberate change in Philadelphia and across the globe. UNAI membership provides Temple with recognition for its past humanitarian achievements, and support for future endeavors.
“UNAI is a platform to exchange ideas across Temple and among peer institutions to see how we can develop best practices and advance United Nations goals,” said Sam Kelley, PhD, assistant director of Global Programs at Temple. “It is also a way to showcase what we already do, and to bring unique opportunities to all the moving parts of our university,” added Kelley, who initiated Temple’s application to this program.
Being a part of UNAI means that Temple will have access to UN-affiliated scholarships, fellowships, internship opportunities, collaborative research development resources, invitations to present at UN conferences and workshops, and connection to UN offices for events.
According to Kelley, the next step is creating a campus-wide awareness campaign letting everyone know about UNAI opportunities in which they can participate.
“When the Temple community comes together, we can really make a lasting difference at a local level on our campus, in classrooms and in communities. Our membership with UNAI is an opportunity for everyone: clubs, schools, faculty, staff, students, and more,” said Kelley.
By Jadyn Amelia Howard, communications intern ’22-’23