American Councils' President, Dr. Dan E. Davidson, was recently invited to participate in an ongoing video series of interviews with leaders in the nonprofit community called INSIGHT. The series, hosted by media personality Mark Oppenheim, seeks to offer "insights" for its audiences on a broad range of social issues confronting Americans today.
Dr. Davidson's interview focused on the growing importance of international education and cultural immersion for Americans looking to succeed in an increasingly interconnected world. Dr. Davidson commented, "If the goal of overseas engagement for Americans is building trust, reaching agreement, establishing rapport with people, and understanding not only how we see the world, but how the rest of the world views us - then it's very important that we [as Americans] learn how to look at the world in other ways."
It is hard to imagine any part of the world or any area of industry that does not have a global economic mandate, whether business, government, health, science, education, or the elimination of disease and poverty. Dr. Davidson posed the significant question, "In the coming years, there will be an enormous and increasingly rapid exchange of ideas and new technologies. So, how do Americans plan to engage in this globalized world?"
Dr. Davidson views international education as the primary vehicle for empowering Americans to move beyond their traditional roles as consumers of international products and services, and instead to compete in these globally relevant areas and to maintain our innovative edge in the 21st century. However, Dr. Davidson emphasized the necessary change in mindset requiring Americans to learn new languages AND to explore and understand new cultures and traditions, beyond those of the English-speaking nations.
In addition to bringing thousands of international students to the US each year, American Councils also sends more than 1500 American students and teachers to actively engage with people in over 60 countries around the world including those that have endured political strife, economic struggle and conflict areas like the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa and China. Dr. Davidson stresses, "Learning a culture and language gives individuals the ability to communicate in depth, and effective communication gives communities the ability to collaborate and bring about positive change."
Click here to watch the video.