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Columns::November 12, 2001
Board of regents, UGA will not appeal admissions decision
U.S. ambassador will speak at fall Commencement
AJC editorial page editor will deliver McGill Lecture
Noted scientist presents fall Charter Lecture
Teaching teachers
Textiles professor researches ways that particles are transmitted through fabrics
Two campus-wide forums examine ideas for proposed campus memorial
UGA reiterates its freedom-of-expression policy
Information technology units merge to form Enterprise IT Services
Retirees
Newsmakers
Role models
Alternative Spring Break Fair
Silver service donated
Campus News
Forum essay
What kind of world do we want in 2020?
By Gary K. Bertsch and Betty Jean Craige
The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the events that have followed have made some Americans want to reduce the number of visas authorized for international students. According to this well-intentioned strategy, if we close our borders we will keep terrorists out and make ourselves safer. But will locking our doors make us safe at home if the rest of the world remains torn by conflict? And for how long do we keep our doors locked?
Some Americans also feel that the current situation is too dangerous to allow our students to travel and study abroad. Aware of the vulnerability of American students to terrorist actions outside our borders, concerned parents and university administrators may be tempted to cut back on our international educational exchange programs or direct our students to “safe” destinations exclusively.
Before we begin keeping our students at home and blocking the entry of international students into our country, however, we should try to think about the long term and the big picture. What kind of world do we want to have in the 21st century?
It will be a global society, of course, for there is no stopping globalization--the transnational flow of goods, money, labor, people and information. Let us ponder two scenarios for the year 2020.
1) The world of 2020 could be a highly segregated global society, in which nations protect their citizenry by keeping out suspicious “foreigners.”
This would be an uncomfortable world for Americans to inhabit for many reasons. Not only would travel beyond our borders be hazardous but also interaction with family, friends, business associates, and professional colleagues in other countries would be inhibited. And since global television would continue to inform the world of the economic disparities between the United States and other countries, making immigration here ever more attractive, desegregation would be inevitable.
2) Or the world of 2020 could be a well-integrated global society, in which nations are much more culturally heterogeneous than they are now and individuals are free to travel wherever they like. This integrated global society would be safer than our world is today if human beings from different cultures understood one another and respected their differences.
A well-integrated global society is probably globalization’s natural long-range consequence. We can either resist such integration--and postpone the effects of desegregation--or facilitate it by promoting programs that advance intercultural interaction and mutual understanding.
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| Gary Bertsch |
Betty Jean Craige |
The many programs the University of Georgia has in place to bring international students here and to send American students abroad will accelerate the evolution towards peaceful interaction. Individuals with significant experience in other countries will be better citizens and wiser political leaders for our global society of 2020.
We are fast realizing that if we are to make the world safe for Americans we must make the world safe for good citizens of all countries. The University of Georgia recently established a Delta Prize for Global Understanding, endowed by Delta Air Lines, to honor citizens of the world who have significantly advanced mutual understanding among peoples.
It was awarded to President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter in 1999, to Archbishop Desmond Tutu in 2000, and to President Mikhail Gorbachev in 2001. Through this and other programs, the University of Georgia can engage our students and our broader academic community in the promotion of international understanding.
As members of the University of Georgia faculty, we are doing all we can to keep our doors open to students from around the world who wish to study with us. Our world cries out for greater understanding. Young people coming to and from American universities can help provide it.
Gary K. Bertsch is University Professor of Political Science and director of the Center for International Trade and Security. Betty Jean Craige is University Professor of Comparative Literature and director of the Center for Humanities and Arts. Together they are co-directors of the Delta Prize for Global Understanding.
FORUM GUIDELINES
To encourage discussion on issues affecting the university and higher education in general, the Forum section appears periodically in Columns. Faculty, staff, administrators and researchers associated with the university are invited to submit essays and respond to previous essays.
A committee appointed by University Council and Staff Council reviews submissions to determine which are of greatest interest to the university community. Faculty members of the Forum review committee for 2000-2001 are Jonathan Evans (English), Mary Frasier (education) and J. Scott Shaw (physics and astronomy). The staff representative is Melanie Andrews (legal affairs).
Opinions expressed on these pages do not necessarily reflect the views of the administration of the University of Georgia or the review committee. Articles will be edited to conform with the Associated Press stylebook.
Guidelines for submissions
• Topics should be related to issues in higher education.
• Essays should have broad appeal in the university community.
• Essays should be no longer than 700 words.
• Send essays to Beth Roberts (columns@uga.edu; News Service, A-205 Stegeman Coliseum). |
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