University College Dublin (UCD) brought together senior leaders from across higher education, government, and industry on Monday, May 12, 2025 at the Symposium on Global Education and Climate Action: Leadership Strategies for an Uncertain Future. The event was held at the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations in New York City and featured a welcome address by Ambassador Fergal Mythen, a UCD alum.
The Symposium served as a platform to explore the intersection of sustainability and international education in an era of accelerating climate uncertainty. The high-impact, hybrid symposium convened senior leaders in sustainability and global education from partner universities and organizations to address how universities can embed climate responsiveness across international programs. The day featured a tour of the United Nations, two expert panels, small group discussions, and closing remarks from UCD’s Vice President for Sustainability, Tasman Crowe, and Vice President for Global Engagement, Dolores O’Riordan.
“The challenges of climate change demand a reimagining of how universities engage globally,” said Professor Dolores O’Riordan, UCD Vice President for Global Engagement. “At UCD, we believe partnerships rooted in shared values of sustainability are essential to building education systems that are not only resilient but transformative. This symposium reflects our deep commitment to convening those conversations and catalyzing action with a global approach.”
The first panel, Sustainability as a University Wide Value, highlighted how higher education institutions take on leadership and commitment to climate action across teaching, research, and operations in the current geopolitical landscape. Panelists included Northeastern University’s Senior Advisor for Sustainability, Davis Bookhart, University of Richmond’s Associate Director of Sustainability and Environmental Justice, Daniel Hart, Climate Action Network for International Educators (CANIE) Global’s Vice President, Deborah McAllister, in addition to UCD’s Professor Dolores O’Riordan.
The second panel, From Crisis to Readiness: Best Practices in Climate Preparedness, focused on institutional readiness and student engagement with climate issues, featuring valuable insights from leaders in health, education abroad, and student advocacy. Panelists included The Forum on Education Abroad’s President & CEO, Melissa Torres, UCLA Heath’s Sustainability Programs Manager, Sarah Brockhaus (virtual), a current UCD student in the BSc Sustainability programme, Kendra Paleczny (virtual), in addition to UCD’s Professor Tasman Crowe.
Small group discussions encouraged participants to work together to develop collaborative strategies that align global engagement efforts with institutional climate goals—an urgent and timely dialogue as universities seek to lead with purpose in a rapidly changing world with many competing priorities.
This event marks a significant milestone in UCD’s international engagement efforts and its institutional mission to be a thought and action leader of transformational change for sustainability since the release of UCD’s University Strategy, Breaking Boundaries, and the recent publication of UCD’s Sustainability Plan. Building on its 2024 signing of the CANIE Accord, UCD continues to lead by example in integrating sustainability as a university-wide value and operational principle.
A closing keynote from Professor Tasman Crowe, UCD Vice President for Sustainability, underscored the strategic role of universities in shaping a sustainable future.
“Universities have a vital role to play in advancing sustainability at local, national, and global levels,” said Professor Crowe. “The most effective path forward is through collaboration and partnership—drawing on the diverse expertise of staff and students within and across institutions, and engaging a wide range of societal stakeholders.”
The symposium also served to celebrate and deepen UCD’s long-standing partnerships in North America, reinforcing its commitment to sustainable mobility and academic collaboration. It showcased how Irish leadership on climate action can help mobilize international networks for broader impact.
For more information or media inquiries, please contact:
University College Dublin – UCD Global
Email: (opens in a new window)global.partnerships@ucd.ie
Website: www.ucd.ie/global