Educating World Citizens
By Ding-Jo H. Currie
A new world is under construction. Thomas L. Friedman
has told us that technology is flattening the world, and as the world
flattens, boundary lines between countries and continents blur and
become practically invisible. Regardless of national or international
policies, people and corporations are mobilizing themselves to meet
demands for human capital and reap opportunities for profit.
We are experiencing what I think of as Phase I of a
major shift in global workforce distribution. New recruits of
health-care professionals at local hospitals and customer service
representatives at call centers are both indicators of this shift.
Here in the United States, it is hugely important for
higher education, and for community colleges in particular, to embrace
this vision of an international society and prepare students well for
this new world order. This training cannot be just technical in nature
but also must incorporate the "soft skills" needed in working with and
managing a rapidly expanding, more diverse, international workforce. . .
.
Excerpted from the spring 2007 issue of The
Presidency. To subscribe to the magazine, please call (301) 632-6757,
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