Global Competence,  Global Connectedness,  Global Education,  Innovation

Let’s Invent a Global Society – Lee Bollinger on Global Challenges

By The Editors

In the video below, Lee C. Bollinger, President of Columbia University, and Chrystia Freeland, Thomson Reuters Consumer News Editor, discuss how Columbia University tackles the challenges of rapid global changes – the changes we have described in a previous post on the great acceleration, results of the events that define the space age and the information age.

Lee Bollinger’s approach is matter-of-fact acceptance of the global changes we are undergoing – he describes well the uncertainty we’re facing these days and points out how much we don’t know –  and especially how much it is that academic institutions don’t know. The solution is to be open and invent a new society, a global society.

2 Comments

  • J Laurent

    Academic institutions are lagging behind in terms of providing opportunities to develop global competence. The approach based on global centers may be unique to institutions that can afford them, and may be difficult to apply broadly. However, the sense is that students and faculty with creative minds are encouraged to use these global centers for exploring and developing global programs, and having these infrastructures available is a great thing.

    • AnnaJosephine

      About a month ago Bollinger announced the availability of grants for faculty members to leverage and engage Columbia’s Global Center network. That’s a reasonable second step – first step being the creation of the global centers themselves. So, yes, having the infrastructures available and encouraging their use through funding is a great thing.

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