International Education for an Interdependent World
The University Looks to the Future
Our most important responsibility
will be to educate our students in
the skills and attitudes that will
be needed for an increasingly
technological, education-dependent,
multicultural world.President Richard L. McCormick.
Universities across the country are recognizing that international issues are critical to the future of the United States. Changing patterns of communications, trade, and social and cultural exchange mean that our students will live in an increasingly interdependent world in which they must consider the effects of their actions and decisions not just on their immediate environment, but on other parts of the world as well. We at the University of Washington have an obligation to prepare our students so that they will have successful lives and careers in this new environment. Thus, in August 1995, shortly after my appointment to the UW presidency, President Gerberding and I established a Task Force on International Education with faculty representatives from diverse disciplines. We asked the Task Force to examine the nature, substance, and organization of our international activities and offerings with an eye to enhancing the University's prominence in these endeavors.
International issues are important to our region. The Pacific Northwest is home to ethnic communities with connections to many parts of the world. Washington is the leading state in the nation in international trade. Higher education can provide leadership for understanding the changing economies and cultures around the world. We can assist in identifying and analyzing global trends. Our research in science, technology, and social analysis will be important in addressing the demanding challenges of feeding, educating, and improving the health and well-being of the world's population. Even more than the generation of new technologies and knowledge, our most important responsibility will be to educate our students in the skills and attitudes that will be needed for an increasingly technological, education-dependent, multicultural world.
The University of Washington has long been distinguished among U.S. universities for its international research and teaching activities supported from federal, state, and private sources. Young people from all over the world have received UW degrees, while increasing numbers of our students are broadening their academic experience through educational and research programs outside the United States. Many faculty are involved in teaching and research on international subjects, and many departments offer majors or concentrations with an international focus. As just one example, through the highly interdisciplinary International Health Program, including three international scholars programs funded through the National Institutes of Health Fogarty Center, the School of Public Health and Community Medicine has established a distinguished reputation for its international activities.
Although the UW is a leader in international education, to prepare our students adequately for careers and lives in the next century, we must do more. The Task Force on International Education has made recommendations in four areas: (1) Curriculum: including strengthening foreign language education, the undergraduate curriculum, and creation of international tracks at the graduate level. (2) Interdisciplinary Integration: proposed "thematic institutes" will give students, faculty, and the community opportunities to study and explore selected issues for five-year periods. (3) Administration: a proposed central office for International Education would coordinate international activities. (4) Funding: needs and sources. I have submitted these recommendations to the University community so that we may begin discourse about how best to proceed in our goals of incorporating international education into the University's overall mission.
My introduction to this issue of Washington Public Health must conclude with a special tribute to Gil Omenn, dean of the School of Public Health from 1982 until September 1997. He has worked with tireless dedication to maintain a level of academic and research excellence that places the School near the top of its field nationally. He also has encouraged international collaborations that have earned the School a distinguished reputation worldwide, and thereby enhanced the UW's stature. The University community will miss him.
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Created: 2/6/98 Updated: 7/15/99
