Mount de Sales establishes global studies center with international opportunities

Mount de Sales, in conjunction with Mercer University, is opening a new global studies center that will provide language classes and international service opportunities for students.

The Judge Betty Willis Ruben Center for Global Studies — named after the notable alumna who advocated for juvenile justice reform and spent time abroad learning law in China — is set to open in the fall of 2025 in a renovated space on campus.

School officials and board trustees shared the first step toward the creation of the new center at a press conference Wednesday afternoon. 

The private catholic school plans to leverage Mercer’s study abroad and international service program, Mercer on Mission, and send its students to the Dominican Republic alongside Mercer students this summer.

“Our future is collaborative, and so (with) the connection with Mercer, we hope to partner even further with local universities and schools to have opportunities for resource sharing,” Mount de Sales President Brendan O’ Kane said.

O’Kane said the new center made sense in the context of Mount de Sales’ emphasis on service and the school’s “very diverse community.” 

Mercer President Bill Underwood said the two institutions found common ground when the two presidents formed similar ideas about creating a center anchored by the importance of experiential learning and the “lifelong impact” of education. 

“We’re in the business of education and we want to be supportive of educational endeavors that will make a difference for young people in this community,” he said. “I think this is one of them.”