WASHINGTON, D.C. – With political landscapes around the world constantly in flux, institutional leaders must focus on how to bring stability and prosperity to their societies, a U.S. state department official said Thursday at a global conference on higher education.
“As nations throughout the world go through political transformation, as the world economy becomes much more global and interconnected, as international society is presented with challenges, whether they be political or environmental, that shapes the way we look at education,” said Adam Ereli, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
“By that I mean what is the impact on education in these phenomena? What decisions do we have to make? … What resources do we need to reallocate to ensure that education is serving the broad purpose of a more stable and prosperous world?”
Ereli made his remarks Thursday at the 2012 International Education Summit on the Occasion of the G8, hosted by the Institute of International Education, or IIE. The theme of the conference was “International Education: A Global Economic Engine.”
The conference drew dozens of higher education leaders from countries as diverse as Qatar and Canada, Malaysia and Australia.
Key questions raised at the conference included how to ensure quality and access as nations and institutions of higher learning seek to collaborate in their respective efforts to prepare more “globally competent” students.
Several speakers stressed the need to make international education about more than just spending a semester studying abroad.
