The need for cultural competency among 21st century graduates becomes ever more pressing as U.S demographics shift, local and global communities become further intertwined, the job market becomes increasingly global, and the workforce continues to diversify. In order to become responsible, productive citizens, our students must possess an understanding of their own cultures and those of their neighbors at home and afar. They will also need the skills to analyze interconnections between global and local systems and effectively participate in their diverse communities. Through our newly titled initiative At Home in the World: Educating for Global Connections and Local Commitments, The American Council on Education (ACE) seeks to address these needs by engaging a group of higher education institutions in examining the commonalities and potential for collaboration between diversity/multicultural education and internationalization on U.S. campuses. This initiative is driven by the premise that synergistic efforts between these areas can assist institutions in educating more effectively for global connections and local commitments. For institutions to fulfill their service mission in a globalized society, they will need to advance the analytical frameworks, pedagogical enhancements, diversification strategies, and innovative solutions to societal issues that the work in this intersection affords. ACE's Center for the Advancement of Racial and Ethnic Equity (CAREE) and Center for International Initiatives (CII) are collaboratively building on their history of work on internationalization, access, success,equity, and diversity/multicultural education to promote the At Home in the World Initiative intended to explore the best ways in which to educate for global connections and local commitments. Through meetings and publications over the past few years, ACE has engaged institutional leaders and practitioners in discussion about these issues:
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