As we close the year in the wake of several tragedies spanning multiple countries and cultures, we are reminded of the urgency of our mission: to create informed global citizens who are prepared to tolerate ambiguity, practice mutual respect and appreciation, and feel empowered in an increasingly interconnected and rapidly changing world.
We have seen the transformative power of education change lives particularly in harder-to-navigate and non-English speaking geographies. Access to educational opportunities, no matter one's creed, race, ethnicity, or otherwise, is imperative if we want to build a positive society with equal opportunities for all.
There are, of course, many avenues to achieve such an impact: but our passion and expertise lies with international education, as it has for the past four decades. While the global landscape is ever-shifting and can at times feel overwhelming, negative, or downright disruptive the opportunity to experience a truly international education is what we believe will ultimately prepare our next generation of leaders across the globe to rise to the world's challenges and work towards a more sustainable peace.
From climate change to global health to business practices to transparency and merit-based educational systems, our lives are touched by international education.
This holiday season, we reflect on how international education can create a more peaceful world:
Every US student should learn a critical world language.
Just several years ago, 70 US government agencies reported needing more employees with critical language skills; yet only seven percent of US undergrads are currently enrolled in a foreign language course. And even though US engagement with countries vastly different from our own continues to grow, the state of language learning in the US has not kept pace with our involvement in global affairs.
The Obama administration is on the right track with its new initiatives to have one million students studying Mandarin by 2020 and to increase the number of US students studying abroad in Latin America to 100,000 by the end of the decade; but we need to ensure that every US student enters the workforce as a multilingual professional equipped with the language skills needed to find solutions to global problems with their international counterparts.
Our future leaders should experience a deep understanding of cultures unlike their own.
The future of global affairs, of international trade, and of the world's workforce lies in regions outside the comfort zone of Americans; yet Western Europe is still the top destination for US students studying abroad. In the US alone, one out of every five jobs is tied to international trade. For this reason, we must turn our attention to understanding the critical regions of the world to ensure the next generation can effectively build relationships with people from other cultures.
While international students coming to the US increased by 10 percent last year the largest gain in 35 years only 5 percent of US students studied abroad in another country, with the top three destination countries all in Western Europe. The gap between the US and other countries is rapidly widening as the rest of the world recognizes the significance of international experience. It's time to equip our future leaders with the invaluable cross-cultural understanding that comes from spending time in another culture even if that means temporarily exiting one's comfort zone and becoming fully immersed in a country and culture completely unlike one's own.
All students and young professionals should have access to international education.
The next generation of future leaders must come from all walks of life, regardless of background, origin, or level of privilege, in order to create a sustainable peace. Whether one calls a remote mountainous village of Central Asia or a metropolis in Southeast Asia their home, access to the world outside one's own borders is critical to understanding the cultures and customs of others.
The skills that our future leaders gain today will serve our world tomorrow. That's why we believe international education cannot wait: Cross-cultural understanding, people-to-people connections, and competency in foreign languages are more critical than ever before.
No matter where you are in the world or what you celebrate, we are grateful for your support, intellectual curiosity, and generous spirit this season and we wish you a happy and healthy 2016!
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