WASHINGTON POST columnist David Ignatius recently dubbed America a "Higher-Ed Superpower." In his column last week he cited the "education power" America possesses and has gained from the efforts of universities to internationalize. He envisions American higher education as an imperialistic beacon of world domination. But should our goal be to educate the world or to learn from it? Will we grasp a firm understanding of anti-Americanism abroad if we fail to appreciate the cultural constructs in which it is fomented? As long as we view our education system as superior to others we perpetuate a 19th century paradigm and will never discover the merits the rest of the world offers.
We are now faced with the opportunity to change that paradigm of higher education at the University. An exciting and infamous effort whose name has evolved throughout the past year comes to mind. Curriculum De-Westernization: an appellation that evoked fear into the hearts and souls of many. Curriculum Globalization: catchy, but not semantically correct. Curriculum Internationalization? Not so sexy, but it works.
For a while now people have been asking me, "Why did you stand up in front of Student Council like a crazy man and call for curriculum de-westernization when your plan didn't entail anything akin to de-westernizing?" There was, in fact, a method to my madness.
The lack of debate on issues important to students at the University is not a reflection of our lack of insight and interest. It is a reflection of our lack of time. As such, Council-initiated plans often fall by the wayside, and no plan this year has gotten as much publicity or student feedback as internationalization. That's just how it was planned. If the plan had not been given such a controversial label, it would have been just another resolution rubber stamped by Council without gauging student input.
The perfect example of this concept came this last month when Council passed a resolution in support of the survey on curriculum internationalization. The story was relegated to page A2. This gets to the heart of my point: Ryan bites dog is news. "Council encourages students to take survey" is not.
In all seriousness, your input on the pages of The Cavalier Daily, at Student Council meetings and in my email box helped formulate this survey along with the ad-hoc committee that was established back in September. The outpouring of student opinion shows the extent to which each of you care about the curriculum at the University. During the past five months, the committee has spent countless hours debating the ways in which our curriculum at the University can become a model for the rest of the country. I'm thrilled that in a matter of months we will be presenting the findings from our survey to the administration. Then we can at last begin to lobby for concrete changes.
Three-thousand of you are now being randomly called upon to complete the survey, prepared by the committee in cooperation with the Office of Institutional Assessment and Studies. The survey will give the administration insight into our collective view of the University curriculum and environment in the areas of: 1. Internationalization, 2. Regional Studies, 3. Language Instruction, and 4. International and Transnational Programs. It will also address study abroad, the possibility of adding a Certification of International Proficiency to the the University Diploma, a program to prepare students for foreign service, and credit for the International Baccalaureate program.
It is no accident that the theme of John T. Casteen III's oratorical masterpiece on Feb. 7, also known as the State of the University Address, was internationalization. He emphasized that we must be as "bold and revolutionary in our thinking and actions" as our founder. Similarly, the Council resolution sponsored by Graduate Rep. Tom Bryan states, "The University of Virginia was founded by Thomas Jefferson to promote 'the illimitable freedom of the human mind' and to educate the citizens of the Republic in subjects vital to an informed, participatory democracy." It is, after all, our job as students to pioneer a better future for the students who will walk in our footsteps. We can do so by relying on the foresight of our founding father while trusting ourselves to better the community. And luckily, the administration is ready to listen.
When it comes to seemingly wild plans, I urge you to take a risk and judge them by their name. It just might spur you to act up and transform the American paradigm of higher education.
Ryan McElveen is a third-year student in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is the Co-Chair of the Student Council Diversity Initiatives Committee.
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