Forum sets global goals for education

Author: Michael Suen

From Jan. 22 to 24, the Connect·Ed Conference on Global Education was held in Monterey, California. Co-hosted by Middlebury College and the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS), the conference saw more than 400 leaders - representing universities, governments, corporations, foundations and NGOs from 26 countries - assemble to explore the issues surrounding education in an increasingly global and technologically advanced world.

"Everyone is talking about globalization. Everyone is talking about global education," said Michael Geisler, vice president for Language Schools, Study Abroad, and Graduate Schools, in a phone interview. "What does that mean? What does that look like? What are the costs and benefits? What are some things that get added and what get lost in the shuffle? These are all issues we must consider."

The three-day conference included a series of 25 panel presentations, more than 90 presenters, two roundtable discussions with 12 senior experts and a facilitated session of open dialogue.

The idea for the conference was first envisioned in 2005, when the College signed an affiliation agreement with MIIS, signaling a partnership in expanding their distinctive, internationally oriented academic programs such as languages. It was then that President of the College Ronald D. Leibowitz, MIIS President Clara Yu, and Geisler conceived of an event that could further "engender a dialogue that contributes to an international curriculum."

The Connect·Ed Conference was opened by keynote speakers Leibowitz, Yu and Scott McNealy, chairman of the Board of Directors at Sun Microsystems, the company responsible for the popular software platform Java. According to Geisler, Leibowitz and Yu spoke of the necessity to place all forms of academic study in an internationally mindful framework.

"How do we migrate around the globe and ensure that communication doesn't break down?" said Geisler. "There are very different expectations about how we learn and teach. Both [Leibowitz and Yu] put [their opening speeches] in that context - the synergy between Middlebury and Monterey. What they could bring, very few other schools could bring. We could use our network of global partners to initiate dialogue."

Kevin Hurley, assistant dean and another Connect·Ed organizer, identified recurring themes of the conference as being: innovation in education, language and culture, educational mobility, international higher education competitiveness, educating the next generation and transnational issues.

According to Lisa Crawford Watson, Monterey Institute's director of Institutional Advancement, the speeches by Leibowitz, Yu and McNealy were "enthusiastically received."

"They were incredibly dynamic speakers that were very engaging, bright and informed," she said. "This has kicked off a very important inaugural event with the level of energy and intelligence we would like it to."

Despite the apparent success of the global education conference and other recent collaborative efforts, it is by no means an indication that a second conference will take place. According to Geisler, the notion is appealing, but also daunting.

"So far, the signs seem to indicate that we have been successful," he said. "But we'll have to see whether we can find external funding and support from foundations to continue in the years to follow."