UAE Talk #2
Business Roundtable
April 24, 2007
Robert A. Kennedy, President, University of Maine
Abstract
The University of Maine's William S. Cohen Center for International
Policy and Commerce and the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and
Research are cooperating on a conference being delivered this week in
Abu Dhabi. The focus of the conference, "Globalization in the 21st
Century: How Interconnected is the World?" deals with a variety of
topics certain to be on the agenda of global corporations, major
domestic firms, governments and various societal sectors for some time
to come. Much of the discussion on globalization deals with economics
and competition--little addresses higher education and what it needs to
do to prepare citizens for this interconnectedness. This conference is
an example of the impact that public institutions and research centers
can engage in to advance the dialogue and offer fresh ideas, and propose
new models for moving forward. In my remarks, I wish to address how
education must become more global and more interconnected to prepare our
students to become global citizens. I will offer examples from the
University of Maine and other institutions as we attempt to bridge the
gap between 20th-century education and theory and the 21st-century need
for applications and practice that bridge continents and national
boundaries.
Remarks
• I appreciate very much the opportunity and the invitation to be here
with you today. I especially want to thank Kim Childs and Glen Dixon for
their help and working with the University of Maine's Cohen Center
Director, Prof. Baktiari, and the Director of our School of Policy and
International Affairs, John Mahon. We are in this wonderful country this
week to learn and to explore collaborative opportunities in higher
education.
• The theme of globalization has countless facets, and according to a
recent survey, is becoming one of the most important topics in American
higher education. Frankly, the term and concept of globalization is
becoming increasingly widespread in the U.S. and much of that is a
result of the growing awareness of the importance of global climate
change in the last year, even in the last six months. Those implications
are being felt dramatically in business, in education, and in virtually
every aspect of societies around the globe.
• Our university—and all other colleges and universities for that
matter—is very interested in the ways in which higher education can
prepare students in new and different ways so those students can succeed
in the modern world—a global world—and so that businesses will have
access to the well-educated employees who will have an immediate and
positive impact.
• Not only is UMaine interested in international business and affairs,
but so too is my family. My wife, Mary Rumpho, is a professor of
biochemistry and molecular biology at UMaine and she has accompanied me
here this week. She has been enjoying the same extraordinary hospitality
I have, and together—and in so many ways—we have been awed by this
country. In addition, our son Curran, a University of Connecticut
student majoring in sociology and international public health who is
currently participating in a study abroad program in South Africa, also
joined us. Just in our family's experiences and visit to UAE, we see and
can attest to globalization, and the vital need for expanded integration
of all sectors of our economies and societies. Higher education can be –
I would say it must be – the catalyst to bring this integration about.
• In the context of a discussion about globalization, especially as we
discuss business aspects, I am struck by the rich history that goes with
this region, having – for at least 10 centuries – based much of its
commerce and trade on having been "global," in the context of the times.
• As eloquently stated by His Highness Sheikh Nahyan at the recent
conference on multiculturalism in the UAE, "when it comes to
multiculturalism and cultural engagement, the diversity and pluralism of
the UAE population provide the necessary foundation for the concept of
global community and peaceful co-living in the context of different
cultures and traditions."
• As a newcomer to this country, you can't help but be struck—at least
we have been—by the cultural diversity and the seamlessness that exists
on so many levels in the UAE. There are so many things to be learned and
profited from it, at least as I reflect and compare it to many aspects
in the U.S.
• American universities are becoming, in the words of Yale University
President Richard Levin, "more self-consciously global." I regard this
as an extremely positive development, and I believe it is changing U.S.
higher education, and making it stronger.
• The Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR)
graciously invited the University of Maine's William S. Cohen Center for
International Policy and Commerce to co-host this week's conference
here, titled "Globalization in the 21st Century: How Interconnected is
the World?" We are grateful for this opportunity to HIS Royal Highness
the Crown Prince, and Dr. Jamal Suwaidi, director-general of the Center.
This is especially true since I understand that the University of Maine
is the first American university to co-host a conference with the
Center.
• The Honorable William S. Cohen, from Maine, gave the keynote address
to start the conference yesterday morning.
• Just to summarize some of the highlights of his talk, at least from my
perspective:
- Secretary Cohen provided his interesting perspectives on the
importance of finding new ways to model and analyze global markets and
the forces that affect them. Essentially, he advocated for extending
some of our national approaches to global models.
- I, and the rest of the audience, was also intrigued by Secretary
Cohen's analysis of Tom Friedman's book, The World is Flat. Mr. Cohen
talked about expanding Friedman's perspectives by adding more weight to
the concomitant political factors, including the growth of huge
economies in places like India and China.
- He concluded his remarks by encouraging leaders to embrace inevitable
globalization, and using the related forces to address many critical
concerns in new and more effective ways.
• These remarks were well-received—and, as always, he is a wonderful
speaker. Secretary Cohen is an extraordinary international leader, and
we are very fortunate for the close connections between him and the
University of Maine.
• Ten years ago, he honored our university by donating the papers from
his career to our library, and by joining us in developing the William
S. Cohen Center for International Policy and Commerce.
• Other partnerships, like the one between the Cohen Center and the
ECSSR, are good for all involved. That is globalization in itself. And
where is it more important than in education and research?
• Tomorrow, I will have the opportunity at the conference to participate
in a roundtable discussion about globalization and education. Some of
what I plan to share in that discussion is also relevant to today's
topic, and I would like to take a couple of minutes to speak about the
evolving role of higher education, especially U.S. higher education, in
the 21st century.
• The international education landscape is, of course, changing. Both
Carnegie Mellon and Georgetown have campuses in the neighboring country
of Qatar. Dubai's Knowledge Village is attracting universities from
Britain and the U.S.
• Temple University has a presence in Japan. MIT is one of several
universities with programs in Singapore. It was just announced that the
London School of Economics is also planning to offer degrees here in Abu
Dhabi. According to Newsweek International, in the past six years, the
number of U.S. universities with campuses abroad has doubled to about
80, and new ventures continue to arise, especially in Asia, where the
thirst for higher education seems unquenchable.
• The increasing international role of American universities was the
focus of an excellent article in the prestigious Foreign Affairs
journal.
• William Brody, President of Johns Hopkins University, correctly stated
that U.S. universities—"by right of their acknowledged achievements,
outstanding reputations, and considerable advantages in size and
wealth--are predestined to take on the world in the way that Boeing,
IBM, Intel, and Microsoft have done within their respective industries."
• Higher education is a market ripe for even more globalization than has
occurred to date. The field has been subject to forces of change from
the economy, demographic shifts, federal and state policies, public
opinion, and most recently and dramatically, the environment. The
Internet increases accessibility and it creates new ways of teaching,
learning and researching. It also means an explosion of new
opportunities—and it brings with it some interesting and important
problems, like a marked increase in things like student plagiarism.
• If the universities of the 1800s were shaped by nationalism,
universities of today are being shaped by globalism. The World Bank
estimates worldwide spending on higher education at $300 billion per
year. There are more than 80 million students around the world, and 3.5
million people employed in higher education.
• One report predicts that the number of higher education students will
probably reach 120 million by 2010 – just three short years away. As
much as we hope that people take advantage of higher education in
developed countries, the need and benefits of higher education are even
more critical in developing nations. One of the surprising recent trends
in higher education in the U.S. is the participation—you might even call
it a "surge"—by older adults. There are perhaps many reasons for this,
but the benefits in the U.S. are many.
• From small community colleges to the largest research universities,
the push to internationalize their curricula and activities is shaking
up American higher education. A 2004 national report stated:
"Internationalization is not the latest academic fad, nor is it a simple
add-on to existing practice."
• The knowledge economy is growing rapidly worldwide, and in most
advanced nations, national wealth now depends more on education and
creativity than on natural resources.~ Consequently, the value of, and
demand for, higher education is increasing worldwide.
• At UMaine, which is a mid-sized university, we have students from 47
states and 76 countries. International students and faculty members add
a vital aspect to our curriculum and our community. The corporations
that hire our graduates have themselves become globalized.~ Surprisingly
perhaps, Maine is one of the top six states for foreign owned
businesses. Those corporations expect that our graduates will be capable
of working in Tom Friedman's flattened world, which means that our
graduates need new skills and increased exposure to multiple cultures.~
• Changing technology has quickly and dramatically increased the
opportunities to globalize. Modern communication techniques,
particularly the Internet, have changed the way we teach and do
business. Because of geography, the Middle East is especially reliant on
communication technology, particularly in business.
• In the UAE alone, Internet accounts are projected to double by 2009
and Internet users are approaching the 3 million threshold. The same is
true of Maine, where we are somewhat isolated, in the northeastern
corner of the U.S. For many years, Maine was one of the Northern tier
states losing population. But in the last 2-3 years, Maine has gained
population—in fact, it is gaining population at one of the fastest rates
outside of the sunbelt.
• In a recent Brookings Institute report, it is the 30-40 year old age
group that is moving into Maine at the fastest rate. That is exactly the
group you would like to be moving into your state.
• But why that age group? The answer is because the "quality of place"
(where they live) is increasingly important to people, and due to the
Internet, they can live and do business most anywhere they want to.
• In this context, it is important to recognize and understand the ways
in which universities and businesses interact. As I mentioned at the
outset, this relationship is evolving quickly and dramatically in the
U.S.
• Led by development in states like North Carolina, Texas, California
and Massachusetts, American policy makers have become keenly aware that
universities can have a real and dramatic impact on economic
development. It's the Research Triangle in NC, Route 128 in Boston,
Semitech in Austin and the Silicon Valley in California.
• I've been heavily involved in research administration for the past 20
years—as a VP for research in the U. of MD System and as VP for research
at Texas A&M. University, research and the higher education culture
breed entrepreneurism, creating jobs – good jobs – and new businesses
that can have a meaningful, lasting impact on a state or regional
economy. As a society, we grow by developing new technologies.
• Studies have shown that approx. 80% of all patents are based on
principles or ideas developed at Universities. Virtually every state is
now pursuing some model of this kind—that is, R&D leading to economic
development—and that includes the state of Maine. Government leaders
like to see quick, quantifiable return on public investment, and
Research and Development expenditures have been shown to generate among
the highest rate of returns.
• As an aside, and we see this clearly in our state, many leaders –
especially at the state and local level – hold fast to the idea that R&D
leads to growth. Yet, unfortunately in my view, national-level research
funding is not growing quickly enough to enable us to be certain of
holding onto our leadership role in science and engineering. At the same
time – and all of you are more expert on this than I am – the trend in
the business sector in the last decade has been to cut back on corporate
or industrial research at the same time that federal support for
research is also declining.
• Fortunately, there is a trend where many states and/or businesses are
stepping into this gap to fund research efforts at the state and
university level.
• The most dramatic example in the last month is in the area of
renewable fuels research, namely cellulosic ethanol research. British
Petroleum and the University of California-Berkeley (my alma mater) have
just announced a $500 million 10-year partnership. Conoco-Phillips and
Iowa State University have also just announced a similar arrangement, at
$22.5 million. I'll be very surprised if we don't see more such
agreements in this area of research in the next few months.
• UMaine also participates in this new area of research; we have been
awarded two federal grants – totaling $14 million to study the
production of ethanol and other compounds from wood waste. $10m of that
is from the Nat'l Science Fdtn. for basic research and $4m of that is
for partnering with industry on practical application—research and
technology transfer—just as it should be.
• The promotion of exchange programs for students – just as our son is
now benefiting from in South Africa—is a cornerstone of many
universities, and I daresay we all attach great value to such programs.
To quote Yale president Richard Levin again: "In America and elsewhere,
few instruments of foreign policy are as effective in promoting peace
and stability as welcoming international university students."
• In these areas, a traditional university – a learning community in the
truest sense – has a real advantage. Because our institutions are based
on long traditions of liberal arts-based education, we know how to teach
people to think critically, to communicate effectively, and to
contribute to society as educated, thinking people.
• In many cases, businesses are actively involved in partnerships with
universities, from product development and testing, to establishing more
effective processes or strategies, or in providing internships. These
activities occur on a small-scale, on an occasional basis, or on a much
larger scale when, for example, large corporations help create and
sustain full-scale academic and research programs related to their
enterprise, like the BP or Conoco-Phillips ethanol research programs.
• Businesses can easily see and recognize the potential value in tapping
university-based faculty expertise, which is paired in a university
setting with a built-in desire, among faculty and students, to find new
and better ways to do things. Academics are curious by nature, and we
build our careers around learning, and teaching. When we can apply those
skills and attributes to improving a business' operation, we have
contributed meaningfully to social and economic development. The growing
mutual appreciation between those involved in higher education
(particularly research) and business is an interesting aspect of the way
the U.S. economy is evolving.
• And, as we move toward a model that more fully integrates these
processes on a global scale, learning to collaborate to a greater extent
around the world, we exponentially increase the possibilities for good
outcomes. As you all know – better than most of the people in the world
– international borders now mean less and less in the business arena. As
higher education catches up with that thinking, we have great mutual
opportunities.
• My own new and recent experience here illustrates this. I have gained
new perspectives which I will carry with me forever. I'm awed really by
what I've seen in a short time. But, because I have been here, I can
more fully appreciate this place and its wonderful people, and that kind
of understanding will be invaluable to me moving forward.
• While the theme might be globalization—and I'm here to talk about
higher education's role in that—the most rapid and surely the best and
most secure route to a global existence—is for education, business,
government, and cultural sectors to move forward together, evidenced so
well by the very kind of thing that the ABG does and promotes so well.
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