UC Professor Selected for Prestigious Opportunity

July 2, 2025 – A University of Charleston assistant professor will be one of 15 educators selected to take part in an international professional development initiative.

Sarah Gallagher, Assistant Professor of Education at the University of Charleston, will participate in the Transatlantic Outreach Program Study Tour for Social Studies Educators. She will leave for Germany on Friday, July 5, and travel through July 19.

“I am so humbled and grateful to have been selected to be a part of this year’s cohort.” Gallagher said. “I am most looking forward to working in schools and collaborating with teachers from across the country.”

The teachers and professors were chosen from more than 300 applicants from across the US and Canada. The group will visit historical sites, schools, universities, and government agencies, as well as meet with officials, to learn about contemporary Germany. They will then write and publish lesson plans about Germany for teachers to use in their classrooms.

Founded in 2002, the Transatlantic Outreach Program (TOP) is a public/private partnership that provides curriculum and study tour experiences to offer educators a multi-faceted understanding of important issues in contemporary Germany and the European Union. The experience will equip them with information, resources, and networks that they can use in their instruction to increase their students’ global competency. Travel groups include social studies educators, STEM educators, and workforce development professionals interested in the German apprenticeship model.

The trip is funded by the Federal Foreign Office, Goethe Institut, and Deutsche Bank, and will include visits to Frankfurt, Würzburg, Geisa, and Berlin.