Opportunities for Global Engagement Shape the Leaders of Tomorrow

The world is more connected than it has ever been, from the people we interact with, how we conduct our business and whom we have the opportunity to serve. As a result, college graduates today will join an increasingly global workforce—and their ability to step into service through global engagement cannot be left to chance.

Cultivating Global Citizenship in Students

At Taylor University in Indiana, the Christian university where I serve as dean of global engagement, we take responsibility to participate in greater global citizenship in response to God’s call to bless and serve all nations. But every higher ed institution, no matter its religious affiliation, have an important role to play.

Developing a global mindset in students is essential not only to preparing them to step into their vocation after college but also for shaping them into leaders who can serve a world in need. In a day and age when colleges around the nation are cutting global study programs as a means of institutional belt-tightening, I urge American institutions to find other ways to meet expense reductions.

Too often, global engagement is simply limited to one-off abroad programs or short-term international trips. Studying abroad should not be an opportunity for tourism that is open only to wealthy students. These opportunities should instead be seen as the catalyst for a lifelong pursuit of cross-cultural learning experiences and global service.”

American higher education is the global gold standard for good reason, and a key element of our nation’s strength has come from deeper and broader global engagement for generations of college students. Global engagement can—and should—be a holistic component of the university experience for every student, through study abroad opportunities and by bringing the world to campus.

After all, none of us can reach a world that we do not understand. Too often, global engagement is simply limited to one-off abroad programs or short-term international trips. Studying abroad should not be an opportunity for tourism that is open only to wealthy students. These opportunities should instead be seen as the catalyst for a lifelong pursuit of cross-cultural learning experiences and global service.

Expanding Access to Study Abroad

I have witnessed firsthand how demand is growing among students for international engagement opportunities. Across the country, I am pleased that study abroad programs are finally on the rebound after the pandemic. This trend is reflected in our own institution, as we send one-fourth of our student body to study internationally each year, including through a monthlong program each January, during spring and summer breaks, and on semester-long programs. This past academic year, Taylor students traveled to 25 countries and areas of the world, and we are always scouting out new places for our students to engage.

Students return from these study abroad or international mission trips with greater empathy and cultural intelligence and a more global perspective. For example, during a trip to Ecuador this summer, one student was captivated by the chance to visit historical islands, swim through pitch-black caves and hike mountains reaching 10,000 feet. However, her most profound experience came from the relationships she built with the people of Cuenca and her fellow students, along with the insights she gained about God and the world through Ecuadorean culture.

Additionally, 84 percent of students who studied abroad report feeling more equipped to enter the workforce—along with the 80 percent who reported that studying abroad increased their ability to adapt to diverse work environments. Making global engagement a central part of students’ experience benefits not only them but also the future of the workplaces they will join.

However, the unfortunate reality at the national level is that a gap exists between students’ desire to study abroad and their ability to pursue these opportunities. Though 72 percent of students are interested in studying abroad, only 10 percent do so before they graduate. And even more concerningly, the number of colleges that list international education as one of their top five priorities has dropped nearly 20 percent since 2012.

Enhancing On-Campus Cross-Cultural Learning

We cannot allow students—or the importance of global engagement—to fall into the gaps. While all students may not have the opportunity to study abroad, they should all have opportunities to engage in cross-cultural learning on campus.

For example, at Taylor University, we bring the world to campus through events like Mosaic Night, which highlights the diverse cultures represented in our student body. Making intercultural learning opportunities accessible to all students is the first step toward creating a strong foundation for the future for global engagement—both within our campuses and beyond.

By fostering an environment where global engagement is not just encouraged but integrated into the fabric of our educational system, we prepare students to thrive in an interconnected world.

Making Global Engagement Accessible to All Students

Here are three actions higher ed institutions should consider.

1. Identify a variety of flexible opportunities for international study for students beyond just the traditional semester-abroad experiences. One example of this is Taylor University’s three- to four-week January term. During this term, a student at Taylor can receive a Bible class credit for following the footsteps of Paul in Greece, a business credit in South Korea or Kenya, or an environmental sustainability and public health credit in Africa.
2. Create opportunities for students to immerse themselves in other cultures through events that bring the world to campus. At Taylor University’s Mosaic Night, students share cuisines reflecting their home countries and perform songs, dances and spoken word poems that represent their unique cultures and languages.
3. Expose students to international perspectives in the classroom. Universities can enrich classroom experiences with more global voices, from the choice of textbooks and the nature of assignments to creating a conducive atmosphere for international students to be fully engaged in class discussions.

Today, higher education has the opportunity to lead the way in prioritizing and reimagining global engagement. The problems facing our world only continue to grow more and more complex—and it will be the next generation of globally minded leaders that will rise up to provide solutions. Ensuring that they know the world they are serving empowers them to address these challenges with boldness and conviction, armed with the love that our world so desperately needs.