Global People: Competencies for Effective Intercultural Interaction

The University of Missouri , like many other US universities, is now reviewing its general education requirements. In that context, I've heard faculty - and business leaders - emphasizing the importance of cross-cultural understanding and communication.

But what do these terms mean? How can we define them in terms of student competencies or learning outcomes?

These are important questions. One of several projects that's focused on them is called Global People at the University of Warwick.

If you're interested, check out their publications and tools, including The Global People Competency Framework: Competencies for Effective Intercultural Interaction.

Ambassador John Bruton - MU Honorary Degree

It's graduation time at higher education institutions across the United States. This week the University of Missouri will confer approximately 5,000 academic degrees to worthy candidates.

Of course, there are many rich traditions surrounding MU graduation ceremonies. At the Honors Convocation, students with the highest academic achievement are recognized, along with their faculty mentors. We also use this occasion to confer honorary degrees to world-known leaders in sciences, humanities, business or public service. (Check here for a list of all MU honorary degree recipients).

Tomorrow, EU Ambassador John Bruton will receive the Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) degree. It was my pleasure to nominate Am. Bruton for this award (along with my colleague, Prof. Byron Scott - Emeritus).

As former Prime Minister of Ireland, Mr. Bruton was instrumental in establishing a number of very productive relationships between the University of Missouri and key institutions in Ireland. His efforts paved the way for me to begin my work in international research and education. My experience in Ireland and Northern Ireland has changed my life's work and friendships. For this, I'm truly grateful.

Irish: Training the Next Generation of Scientists

Since I'll spend June in Ireland this summer - co-leading a study abroad program - I've been following events and opinions in the media.

Today's Irish Times includes an interview with technology business leaders. If current trends hold, Ireland will prepare far fewer qualified scientists, engineers and mathematicians than needed by its employers. (Of course, we face a similar predicament in the US).

The Times asked several business leaders how they would address this problem.

Dr. Kevin Marshall -- Head of Education for Microsoft Ireland -- starts the conversation below:

The problems and issues that we face as a business are multidisciplinary and open-ended. Communication, teamwork, flexibility, the ability to work across boundaries, and taking account of cultural sensitivities are all very important, and as new technology emerges, we have to be agile and think globally.

The business leaders interviewed do not agree on all points, their comments are worth reading.

New Book: Higher Education on the Move

A recent Inside Higher Education article tells us that an estimated 2.9 million students around the world are pursuing their studies outside their home countries. Student learning across borders has increased by 57 percent since 1999. These estimates come from the just published IIE report, called Higher Education on the Move: New Developments in Global Mobility.

Here's an excerpt from Inside Higher Education's coverage:

...participants discussed the implications of that figure and other trends and trajectories not only in student mobility, but in scholar and institutional mobility, as well. Participants often described the three phenomena as interconnected, with scholar mobility driving institutional mobility and institutional mobility driving student mobility.

Sabine O'Hara, executive director of the Council for International Exchange of Scholars and vice president of IIE, described scholar mobility as "maybe a little overlooked" in terms of its impact on students and the overall international character of a college.

Her chapter in the book cites data from a 2007 study at Seton Hall University finding significant correlations between time spent abroad and the international content of a faculty member's teaching and research. "Faculty who spent one to two years abroad are almost twice as likely to incorporate international themes in their courses as those who spent no time abroad; and faculty members who spent more than two years abroad were nearly three times as likely to incorporate international perspectives into their courses. Faculty members who spent time abroad are also three to five times more likely to have a research agenda that is international in scope. In fact, time spent abroad proved more influential than being foreign-born or than experiencing institutional pressures to internationalize."

Yet, problematically for U.S. faculty members, they're among the least mobile worldwide, ranking last among 14 countries on measures like percentage of articles published in a foreign country or co-written with foreign colleagues.

Bologna: The Next Ten Years

Last week the Conference of European Ministers Responsible for Higher Education on the Bologna Process marked ten years since sweeping reforms of European higher education began.

The Ministers issued this brief communique to summarize Bologna achievements, and to announce shared priorities for continuing reform through 2020.

In brief, the Ministers emphasized involvement of all stakeholders (e.g., students, employers, faculty, regional authorities) in planning and implementation. They are committed to student-centered learning, and to improve access to higher education. They also emphasized the roles that higher education institutions will play in economic recovery, and in supporting lifelong learning.

Finally, they highlight the importance of student mobility - or, in our terms - study abroad.

Here's an excerpt.

...mobility of students, early stage researchers and staff enhances the quality of programmes and excellence in research; it strengthens the academic and cultural internationalization of European higher education. Mobility is important for personal development and employability, it fosters respect for diversity and a capacity to deal with other cultures. It encourages linguistic pluralism, thus underpinning the multilingual tradition of the European Higher Education Area and it increases cooperation and competition between higher education institutions. Therefore, mobility shall be the hallmark of the European Higher Education Area. We call upon each country to increase mobility, to ensure its high quality and to diversify its types and scope.

Within each of the three cycles, opportunities for mobility shall be created in the structure of degree programmes. Joint degrees and programmes as well as mobility windows shall become more common practice. Moreover, mobility policies shall be based on a range of practical measures pertaining to the funding of mobility, recognition, available infrastructure, visa and work permit regulations. Flexible study paths and active information policies, full recognition of study achievements, study support and the full portability of grants and loans are necessary requirements.

How to Attract and Fund International Students

The US Government Accounting Office (GAO) recently released a study of how international students are recruited and funded in the US, compared to several other countries.

You can download the report here.

Study Abroad Increases Creativity

Outside The Box: New Evidence Shows Going Abroad Linked To Creativity

ScienceDaily (2009-04-24) -- Living in another country can be a cherished experience, but new research suggests it might also help expand minds. This research is the first of its kind to look at the link between living abroad and creativity. ...

Read the article here.