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Higher Education: The Need for an International Perspective

Hamid Y. Eydgahi, Ph.D., Vice President of Academic Affairs Pine Technical College

Introduction The continuing demand for availability of engineering graduates with global viewpoint is strategically important to the economic welfare of today’s businesses and industries. This unparalleled need is essentially provoked by swift changes in advanced technologies and an evermore-global competitive environment. The success of this workforce will then depend on the availability of an educational system capable of responding to these new requirements. In other words, the public debate and trust which is fading away, is that the educational system as a whole is disconnected from the professional ethics, students and society’s needs and equally important the perspective of international issues.

Institutions of higher education, for most part and until recently, have been non-profit organizations with classroom settings, and educational policies based on input. However, the 21st century, with a promise of access at anytime, anywhere, and anyhow, it is necessary to evaluate the success of these policies on output. By and large, institutions are too slow, and perhaps too old fashioned, to respond to change in a timely manner.

Wenk1 asserts, “If engineering is to be practiced as a profession, and not just a technical craft, engineers must learn to harmonize natural sciences with human values and social organizations.” Thus, such issues as HIV; environmental threats (i.e. global warming); social justice, inequality and changes; labor issues and illiteracy; or the growing gaps between the rich and poor; are important issues for engineering graduates. As a result, the communities of the global village need to understand each other’s culture and language to advance the cooperation of overcoming these and other vital challenges.

According to American Council of Higher Education, U.S. could play a greater role in setting international education policy; and in their preliminary status report 2000 on internationalism of U.S. higher education, the ACE has called for U.S. higher education to do far more than ever before in order to educate students to perform productively and effectively in the global marketplace (ACE 2 & 3 ).

Engineering education principles, and higher education in general, require the use of knowledge for improving human welfare. Author, in this paper, presents critical statistics to illustrate the essential needs and values of global awareness, including: · The importance of international education, · The number of foreign students studying in the U.S., · The decline in U.S. international education programs, · The need for increased participation by U.S. higher education system, and · Conclusion.

“Proceedings of the 2002 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2002, American Society for Engineering Education”

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Eydgahi, H. (2002, June), Higher Education: The Need For An International Perspective Paper presented at 2002 Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada. 10.18260/1-2--10998