|
CHANGING THE CAMPUS CULTURE: THE GLOBAL CONTEXT OF THE UNIVERSITY MISSION Recently, LSU has recognized that a substantial effort must be made to address the global challenges facing the State of Louisiana and the United States. As a first step, the University reorganized and expanded international programs and services, with the understanding that, in order to better serve the State and the Nation, the University itself must be internationalized. Yet, much work remains to be done, if the University is to transform the current campus culture, which, in numerous ways, reflects a lack of awareness of the international and inter cultural aspects of the University mission. All members of the University community -- administrators, faculty, staff, and students, and alumni -- must come to understand the global context in which the University operates. What makes the situation especially urgent is the rapid pace and complexity of the developments that are fundamentally transforming this global context. These developments, most often summarized as globalization, require a new approach to institutional priorities as well as a different understanding of the context of the student learning experience and the students' needs for their future careers. The pursuit of excellence requires the integration of global perspectives and the promotion of experiences as central to the mission of the university and to campus life. These priorities need to be embodied in policies that promote and reward the initiatives of faculty, students, and staff responsive to the global context. In other words, rather than mere enhancements to research activity and the learning experience, pursued in relatively isolated departments and programs labeled international, global and cross-cultural perspectives must pervade our campus culture -- these perspectives must move form margin to mainstream. That is, international perspectives and competencies are no longer a luxury in preparing our students for their future careers in a society which can no longer be limited to compartmentalized international activity. Globalization requires new approaches to inculcating the skills and competencies students will need in the future, as well as conveying to them, intellectually and emotionally, to complexity of the world they will face in their careers and as citizens of the future. This more open and competitive global environment requires a high level of acquired skills, including the ability to communicate in one or several foreign languages and to interact in multiple cultural environments. Foreign language ability is already an important factor which distinguishes those able to thrive from those suited only to cope in an increasingly internationalized world. The capacity to reshape or learn new skills as circumstances change has also become more important in the globalized environment, and our approach to instructing students in these skills must prepare them for such flexibility. Moreover, students in the global environment face problems that involve the application of multiple competencies not confined to single disciplines, and the ability to interact with specialists in a variety of domains. Their learning should incorporate interdisciplinary perspectives, applied to crosscutting global and transnational cases, to prepare them for high-level performance in their future careers. At the same time, globalization requires new ways of thinking about responsibility as citizens and a heightened commitment to diversity in society. While advancing uniformity through economic and technical interaction, globalization paradoxically also elicits a greater accent on cultural difference in personal and group identity, by fostering closer contact among peoples of diverse values and traditions. Universities play a crucial role in preparing students for global responsibility, based on an understanding and valuing of this diversity of cultures worldwide. In pursuing these goals, universities must foster in the public policies in terms of the broader interest shaped by these contexts. The manner in which universities serve students and their various publics is centrally determined by their campus cultures. The attitudes and expectations that set the norms and standards of our universities, the structures and policies that frame and support these, and the person-to-person experiences of everyday life in both formal and informal settings on our campuses area all vital to a flourishing internationalization of learning, research, and service. These involve not only faculty and students in their academic pursuits, but all elements of the campus community -- student affairs, business offices, advising services, alumni relations, continuing education, campus security, and campus-community relations. The morale and behavior of staff, which interacts with students in multiple daily contexts, is especially important to a flourishing campus culture. Signs of internationalization pervading the university are campus cultures that facilitate person-to-person international understanding and experiences and that enable learning for a global context to thrive, removing institutional barriers that limit the flourishing of international programs and activity. such campus cultures are characterized by an openness to innovation, a capacity for flexibility and responsiveness to change, a valuing of diversity, and the active encouragement of interdisciplinary, student and faculty change, and the sharing of overseas experience in both academic and non academic (such as residential) contexts. Universities committed to internationalization as a way of life are eager to pursue partnerships with institutions abroad, to perceive their research mission in a context of international collaboration and the advancement of an international knowledge system, and to emphasize the global context in their public services, Finally, universities demonstrate, in their promotion, tenure, and rewards system, the extent to which internationalization is a matter of genuine commitment and not mere rhetoric. VISION STATEMENT To serve as the central focus of the University's efforts to instill a global perspective into its mission of research, teaching, and service, while developing a national reputation for excellence in international services and programs. MISSION STATEMENT To ensure that Louisiana State University provides a learning environment for its students, faculty, and staff that is based upon an appreciation of the complex interactions between themselves and the peoples and cultures which compose the global community. GOALS 1. To enhance the quality of services to international students, scholars, and visitors coming to the university. 2. To expand and enhance opportunities for study, internships, and work abroad for LSU students. 3. To develop and implement short-tem (3-5 years) and medium term(5-10 years) plans for expanding and enhancing international programs and services at LSU. 4. To strengthen quality of management and enhance quality of programs and services of the International Cultural Center.  |