Colleges to explore global citizenship at conference November 10-11
MIDDLEBURY, Vt.-How to embed global citizenship into the curriculum and culture of U.S. colleges and universities will be the topic of a two-day conference in Burlington, Vt., November 10-11.
The second annual Fostering Global Citizenship in Higher Education Conference strives to establish a working definition of global citizenship for each campus and identify the skills that students should possess to become effective global citizens.
Sponsored by the Vermont Campus Compact, the University of Vermont, Middlebury College, and World Learning/SIT, the symposium is designed for faculty members and higher education staff in study abroad, international education, community service, student services, career services, and academic affairs.
More than 150 higher education professionals have already registered for the 2008 conference, which comes on the heels of last year’s successful event held in Brattleboro, Vt. Where the 2007 conference was a one-day event focused on strategies for campus-wide collaboration, this year the gathering has been expanded to two days to further define, identify, understand, and prepare for the challenges of globalization.
On day one, Monday, November 10, at the Hampton Inn and Conference Center in Burlington, Carol Bellamy, president of World Learning/SIT, will give the keynote address on “Shaping the Future: The Need for Global Citizens,” and Adam Weinberg, the provost of the School for International Training, will facilitate a working session on “Defining a Global Citizen for Your Campus.” Also planned are 10 workshops with break-out sessions to develop action plans.
On day two, Tuesday, November 11, at the Billings Center at UVM, there will be two curriculum development institutes: “Teaching and Learning in a Globally Engaged Classroom,” conducted by Luis A. Vivanco, associate professor of anthropology and director of the Area and International Studies Program at UVM; and “International Community Engagement: Global Communities as Educational Partners in Curriculum Development,” led by Rebecca Hovey, the Globally Engaged Scholar at World Learning/SIT.
As of late October, registrations were still being accepted for the November 10 session, while the November 11 institutes were described as “mostly full.” Prospective participants are advised to check the Web site for the conference or call Cheryl Whitney Lower at the Alliance for Civic Engagement Office at Middlebury College, 802.443.2507.