Dear Friends,
Las month I spent two weeks in Asia meeting with university and government representatives and many of our alumni. I will report more on my trip and several exciting initiatives involving East Asian Studies in the next edition of E-International. But I wanted to once again share with you my conviction that UW-Madison is truly a global university and you, our alumni, key players in our education efforts around the world.
As dean of International Studies, I am responsible for accelerating internationalization, one of the campus’ five strategic priorities. And one of my most important jobs is to ensure that we educate globally focused students whose skills will serve the nation and the state, as well as help people around the world. So, I am especially pleased to announce that UW-Madison’s Provost Patrick Farrell has convened a Task Force on Global Competence.
This task force, chaired by Randall Dunham, a professor in the School of Business, includes representatives from the campus, government, and business. The task force will spend the 2007-2008 academic year developing a working definition of global competence for UW-Madison students and review opportunities available on campus to meet global competence goals. The Division of International Studies will facilitate exchanges with professional organizations engaged on this issue, such as the American Council on Education.
By next year, the task force will formulate recommendations regarding the skills, knowledge, and attitudes students will need to succeed in a global marketplace. The committee will also provide faculty and staff a framework to help them make global competence a reality among our students and in the community.
I view the task force as an exciting development as the university continues to play a leading role in educating the next generation of globally competent leaders. I look forward to updating you on the committee’s work and, as ever, encourage you to get in touch with me on this and other campus initiatives.
Cordially,
Gilles Bousquet
Dean of International Studies