The College of Education in a 21st Century Global Community
Education is the key to building a peaceful global community where mutual understanding and tolerance are the hallmark of relationships. Because of the U.S. strategic position in the world, it is essential that American students and those who teach them are at least as well-informed, if not better informed, than their counterparts in other parts of the world.
The College of Education (COE) has a responsibility to ensure that all faculty and students who participate in and graduate from its programs - regardless of their particular professional focus - develop a global perspective and an intentional sensitivity to other cultures. This may be developed in part from coursework as well as from interactions with other students and faculty both at UMCP and via study/research/visiting lecturer experiences outside the university in other cultural and political environments, both in the U.S. and abroad.
The University of Maryland is located less than 13 miles from the U.S. Capital which some might call the “capital of the world”. Numerous international agencies and non-governmental organizations are located a few Metro stops away and offer numerous opportunities for international research, internships and employment for students in Education and other disciplines. The University is located in a state that has many linkages to the global community. These include, but are not limited to, a large number of foreign-born residents (roughly 10% of its population), 31 Sister City programs, and nearly 13,000 foreign students (ranked #13 in the U.S.) studying at its tertiary institutions. Maryland is also home to one of the top container ports in the U.S. which contributes to its extensive trade with more than 175 countries around the world and exports over $5 billion annually.
The University’s unique location highlights the importance of the COE developing a plan to thoroughly integrate an international dimension into all aspects of its mission, structure and organization including hiring and promotion, curricula and teaching, research and publications. The COE is charged with preparing the next generation of teachers, school administrators, counselors, curriculum specialists and higher education personnel for the State of Maryland and elsewhere. These COE graduates must themselves be prepared to introduce students to the global community and help prepare Maryland’s future work force to be leaders in the international marketplace. The COE also has a responsibility to train the next generation of academics and researchers who need a international perspective if they are to make a meaningful contribution to the global knowledge community.
Excerpted from Draft Concept Paper: Internationalizing the UMCP College of Education
EDPL Working Group on Internationalization
February 12, 2006
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