Globally Engaged Citizens (GEC) Recognition

Discover Global Citizenship. Discover You.

As a student at Notre Dame, you have many opportunities to study languages and engage in multilingual and cross-cultural learning. ND's language departments, the CSLC, and other campus organizations offer a myriad of experiences, events, and activities in which you're already participating.

The Globally Engaged Citizens (GEC) recognition—founded by former Notre Dame professor and CSLC faculty member Eva Hoeckner—validates this learning as a significant asset for our campus and your future employers.We hope that through GEC, our students are motivated to deepen their engagement with languages and cultures. The GEC aligns with the goal of Notre Dame language departments to integrate real-world applications of languages across the curricula while giving students agency in their learning.

How the GEC Works

The GEC is awarded for participating in language- and culture-related (co-)curricular and extracurricular activities throughout your ND undergraduate career. We use a point system for each of these accomplishments; upon reaching the required 15 points for the GEC, students complete a summative eportfolio and receive this recognition upon graduation. Graduating seniors receive a graduation cord, a confirmation of achievement, and a LinkedIn badge.

• All undergraduate students are eligible to register for this opportunity at no cost
• Mixing or combining language coursework to count GEC points is allowed and encouraged.
• Event coordination/attendance/participation is counted for on-campus and off-campus events, including study abroad to linguistically diverse destinations, international or domestic cross-cultural internships, research contributing to or relying on linguistic and cultural knowledge, and community service opportunities.
• Coursework with linguistic, intercultural, or international topics is eligible to count toward the GEC, even if these classes are conducted in English.

When you register for the GEC, you will be invited to join a Canvas "course" that will give you more details on this point system and help you to build a digital portfolio of these experiences. The portfolio is due in your senior year.

Get Started Today

To see our growing list of point opportunities for coursework and activities, we invite you to join 300+ of your fellow students and register for the recognition. You will then be invited to enroll in a non-credit-bearing Canvas "course" in which you can easily add your points and learn about upcoming opportunities to earn more points to complete the GEC.

Register for the Globally Engaged Citizens Recognition

If you have specific questions before registering, please email the CSLC staff (cslcstaff@nd.edu) and we'll be happy to help.

Why Should I Register?

• The GEC is a powerful endorsement of your engagement with foreign languages and cultures at Notre Dame. 
• You can be recognized in your college for your work in languages and make it to the Dean's newsletter. 
• You can use the digital GEC portfolio and the recognition in your applications for jobs and graduate school.
• You do not have to fulfill extra requirements or take exams or additional courses as long as your studies have earned you the minimum of 15 points for the GEC. Creating the portfolio is a straightforward process that puts you in the driver's seat. Reflection about your experiences is the focus, and you have freedom to be creative with your submission.