Make global education top priority, President Marshall urges in MSNBC article

Americans need to make global education a top priority from elementary school through college, according to an article by Wheaton President Dale Rogers Marshall published by MSNBC.com. The article was written to draw attention to an issue that has faded from public view in the year since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

''In today's world, made ever smaller by modern transportation and information technology, it is even more dangerous for us to remain apart from the rest of the globe,'' Marshall writes. ''We all need to see the big picture -- to understand how our world is connected and to appreciate its diversity and complexity.

''The need for global and intercultural knowledge has never been more urgent. It is time for parents, educators and policy makers to demand that global awareness be made an American educational priority.''

Led by President Marshall, Wheaton is doing its part. This fall, the college established the Center for Global Education to coordinate these efforts and lead the development of new opportunities for Wheaton students. The center brings together Wheaton's current international programs, including Junior Year Abroad, and will work with faculty to develop and add programs that will enhance the global perspectives of all Wheaton students.

The college already offers a broad array of dynamic global programs, including the Davis International Fellows program, which provides students with funding to pursue advanced study abroad, and Worldfest at Wheaton, an ongoing series of performances, art exhibitions and special events that highlight countries and cultures from around the world.

Wheaton students conduct scholarship and perform service work in countries around the globe. This summer, faculty and students served as tutors at the Vela school in South Africa, for example. Also, the college sends students each year to serve as counselors at the Robert College English language summer camp in Turkey. Many other students pursue international study opportunities designed especially for them, such as working in a Peruvian orphanage.

The Center for Global Education is located in Wheaton's Davis International House on Howard Street, and is made possible through the generous gifts from members of Wheaton's Board of Trustees.