As we enter the 21st century, the criteria of what makes a great, public university are evolving.
Our marketplace now transcends national boundaries. Effective progress in environmental and health concerns hinges on international exchange and cooperation. And even traditionally domestic concerns, such as national security and legal rights, now play out on a global stage.
That’s why UW–Madison has recently implemented a strategy that calls for us to both prepare globally competent students and also to ensure that our campus, through its research and international collaborations, continues to help shape the future of global relations.
It is no longer enough to educate students who are exceptional in their own fields. To prepare graduates to excel in business, healthcare, law, the sciences and more, we must provide them with the interdisciplinary training and a global competence that will help them effectively contribute to our increasingly interdependent world.
Equally important, international students and their families bring to Wisconsin the diverse backgrounds and international collaborations that enhance our community in immeasurable ways. Last year UW–Madison was home to more than 3,800 international students, ranking in the top 20 of research universities nationwide.
“Today, education is the currency of the global knowledge economy,” says Gilles Bousquet, dean of the Division of International Studies. “we’re preparing our students to navigate in an increasingly interdependent world.”
Global Public Research University discussion series – watch the Web cast!
Complementing this development, the Division of International Studies, in partnership with the Worldwide Universities Network and the Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Post Secondary Education, has launched a Global Public Research University discussion series.
Broadcast across the world, this biannual discussion with international luminaries in the field, examines the trends, challenges and opportunities that public universities face in response to a dynamic and challenging global environment—and how public research universities can learn from and work with one other.
Our first discussion took place in October 2007, and featured Stephen Toope, President, University of British Columbia and David Ward, President, American Council on Education and Chancellor Emeritus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
To watch the program in full, please visit the UW-Madison WUN Web site.
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