The Chronicle of Higher Education – Karin Fischer
“Employers say that international experience matters in hiring decisions. Chief executives fret that today’s graduates lack the skills to succeed in a global economy. Even the U.S. secretary of education, Arne Duncan, in recorded remarks to the annual conference here this week of Nafsa: Association of International Educators, called global education a must-have. “In the 21st century,” Mr. Duncan said, “a quality education is an international education.” For all the talk, you might be tempted to think that every American graduates from college with a diploma and a well-stamped passport. The reality is far different…And a 2012 report by the American Council on Education said that American colleges have actually taken a step backward in certain key areas of campus internationalization: Fewer colleges today require students to take courses that emphasize global perspectives as part of their general education, and the number with mandatory study of a foreign language continues to plummet…Colleges may sometimes make the mistake of thinking that there is a single solution to improving diversity and inclusiveness in study abroad…In reality, the problem is complex and so too must be the response.”(more)