{"id":95563,"date":"2019-03-22T16:03:37","date_gmt":"2019-03-22T20:03:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563//news/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563//?p=95563"},"modified":"2019-06-05T14:10:55","modified_gmt":"2019-06-05T18:10:55","slug":"global-perspectives-john-bersia-pushed-international-awareness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563//news/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563//global-perspectives-john-bersia-pushed-international-awareness/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563//","title":{"rendered":"Global Perspective’s John Bersia Pushed for International Awareness"},"content":{"rendered":"

John C. Bersia ’77, director of UCF/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563/u2019s Global Perspectives Office, a professor of international issues, and a Pulitzer Prize recipient while an editorial writer at the Orlando Sentinel, died Thursday of metastatic cancer. He was 62./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563/n

Bersia started working at UCF in 2001, later became a special assistant to the president for Global Perspectives, and was the executive producer and host of a weekly WUCF TV show by the same name, covering diplomacy, world affairs, human trafficking and other issues./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563/n

He was viewed by many of his colleagues and students as a global citizen, always pushing education, fairness and international awareness with the goal of a peaceful world./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563/n

/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563/u201cJohn gave UCF and Central Florida a wealth of opportunities to learn about the world and to tackle our toughest challenges, particularly human trafficking and modern slavery,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563/u201d says interim President Thad Seymour Jr./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563/n

/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563/u201cHe brought many distinguished world leaders to campus and also speakers who challenged us to actively help human trafficking victims and others who had no voice. We will forever be thankful that John has made us a stronger, more civic-minded and more compassionate campus community./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563/n

Harriet L. Elam-Thomas, a former ambassador to Senegal and director of the university/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563/u2019s diplomacy program, says she came to UCF as the State Department’s diplomat in residence for one year but remained 16 years because of Bersia, /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563/u201cwho always demonstrated the human touch/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563/u201d in his approach to community and world issues./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563/n

/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563/u201cJohn was the epitome of civility. Global Perspective staff, interns and fellows gained academic and life leadership skills throughout their affiliation with the Global Perspectives Office,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563/u201d she says. /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563/u201cThanks to John’s commitment to inform and expose the broader Central Florida community to international and domestic thought leaders, this community is well informed and able to make wise decisions on globally focused and culturally sensitive issues. The 海角直播 and the surrounding community present a comprehensive face of America, thanks to the insight, outreach and selflessness of John Bersia./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563/n

Dean Michael Johnson of the College of Sciences, of which Global Perspectives is a part, says Bersia dedicated many years of providing students /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563/u201can opportunity to be part of the world./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563/n

/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563/u201cWhat John knew is that the world has become very small, and our students are going to live in a world where they/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563/u2019re going to work and compete with people from every part of the globe,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563/u201d Johnson says. /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563/u201cJohn played a key role in opening doors for students and faculty to interact, learn and engage with different cultures./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/95563/n