Higher ed leaders discuss global learning

PULLMAN – Leaders from six higher education institutions, including WSU, recently recommended global learning goals to the state Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB).
 
“Washington can become a national leader as the first state to adopt such goals while building our reputation as a state that produces globally competent graduates,” said Lance LeLoup, vice provost of International Programs at WSU and co-chair of the Global Washington education advisory committee. The effort is coordinated by Global Washington, a group of nonprofit organizations, corporations, small businesses, public and private academic institutions that share the desire to improve the lives of the world’s poor.
 
“The Global Learning Goals were intended to provide a common platform as the different colleges and universities in the state internationalize their curriculum,” LeLoup said. The recommendations were developed over five months. The committee proposes that graduates need to have many or most of the following:
• A diverse and knowledgeable world view
• Comprehension of the global dimensions of their field of study
• Effective communication skills in more than one language
• Demonstrated sensitivities and abilities to adapt in cross-cultural
communities
• Cross-cultural international education experiences
 
WSU President Elson S. Floyd was one of the first presidents to endorse the goals after Global Washington sent them to 52 leaders of institutions of higher education in the state last spring. Presidents at more than half the schools have signed on, said LeLoup.
 
“Washington is the third most trade dependent state in the U.S.,” said Bookda Gheisar, executive director of Global Washington. “Numerous globally recognized companies are based here like Microsoft, Starbucks, Amazon and Costco.  It is important that all of our students understand what it means to be a global citizen and develop the tools they will need to be successful in an inter-connected world.”
(Adapted from MarketWatch news)

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