UCLA Today: International Institute creates new initiatives

		Geoff Garrett, vice provost of the UCLA International Institute announced its new agenda to 50 supporters at a roundtable hosted Nov. 21 at the home of Irena and Mike Medavoy, chairman of Phoenix Pictures Inc. Among the panelists discussing the nation and its place in the world were former President Bill Clinton and former Secretrary of State Warren Christopher.

		BY HARLAN LEBO UCLA Today The UCLA International Institute (formerly ISOP) has launched a series of new initiatives under the broad theme of “educating global citizens,” created to bring a new dimension to the changing world of international studies. According to Geoff Garrett, vice provost of the institute, the new initiatives are designed to help students, the UCLA community and policymakers navigate today’s uncertain, complex and rapidly changing world. “Our primary objective is to educate global citizens who understand the complexities of the contemporary world and are equipped to shape our collective futures,” Garrett said. “We must educate students who are wise enough to know that an open mind is the passport to understanding, and courageous enough to devote their energies to building a better future for the world.” Housed within the College of Letters and Science, the International Institute administers a wide array of research and teaching that serves all of UCLA: 15 research centers and programs; eight interdisciplinary degree programs; active community and K-12 educational outreach programs that support the UCLA in LA initiative; flagship language studies programs; and the Education Abroad Program that annually sends hundreds of students overseas to study. “Our area studies centers have been and remain the foundations of international studies at UCLA,” said Garrett, adding, “The institute will work to weave between these pillars of knowledge new themes that simultaneously affect many areas of the globe — such as changing forms of governance, security concerns beyond interstate conflict, the causes and consequences of globalization, and transnational cultures, multiple identities and resistance to these trends. I believe the two complementary dimensions of this structure will make international studies at UCLA even stronger.” The Educating Global Citizens initiative is comprised of four central programs: Global impact research: Beginning in January 2003, the institute will support several innovative interdisciplinary research programs created by UCLA faculty, students and experts from around the world that will result in both curricular innovations and the public dissemination of research findings. Global Fellows Program: Beginning in September 2003, the institute will bring outstanding younger scholars (within seven years of receiving their Ph.D.s) from around the world to UCLA to pursue research projects and teach a research seminar for undergraduates. Global studies major: A faculty committee is currently preparing a proposal to create a global studies major for undergraduates who want to gain a multidisciplinary perspective on the contemporary world. The institute is also exploring ways to expand opportunities for global studies students to study abroad and to participate in internship programs in other countries. Burkle Forum: The institute’s Ronald W. Burkle Center of International Relations will host prominent leaders from business, government, education and the community to offer unique perspectives on the most pressing policy issues facing the world today. “The global challenges we face are immense, and the task of charting a new course to worldwide peace, prosperity and freedom could not be more pressing,” said Garrett. “These challenges also provide a crucial opportunity for the institute to educate tomorrow’s leaders who will shape the world for generations to come — at a time when we need it the most.”