By DAN DELLENBACH
As technological and political developments shrink our world down to size, globalists suggest American students enrich their bacon and eggs education with an international flavor. They say our jobs might depend on it.
“I would be hard pressed to find a career that won’t be affected by international relations,” said Cory W. Leonard, director of Student Programs in the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies.
Leonard was referring to a trend often called “globalization,” a seemingly smaller world with softer borders and a greater international mix.
Leonard illustrated his point with an example of a computer programmer. “He can’t just sit in his office and hack away, thinking the rest of the world doesn’t matter,” he said.
Lee H. Radebaugh, director of the Marriott School of Management Center for International Business Education and Research, used a similar computer analogy.
Radebaugh said, “For example, an Iomega programmer here in Utah could lose his job if his company decided to move to Indonesia.” Both Leonard and Radebaugh said the hypothetical programmer should be pro-active about understanding how the global economy will affect his job.
Leonard said the industries most affected by globalization are “government, business and especially the media industry.”
He said, “The time, space, distance barrier is shrinking … telecommunications and the Internet have done what jet travel did in the ’50s.”
Eric Kocher, author of , wrote in his book, “Increasing ease and speed of communications and transportation have made it not only easier, but more necessary for countries to work together.”
BYU and LDS Church leaders are also pushing global awareness.
“We now exist as a world village in which a comment or an action on one side of the globe has ripple effects in almost every country and every nation of our world community,” according to “The World is our Campus,” a booklet produced by the Kennedy Center.
The next sentence reads, “Central to its mission as a church university, BYU keeps the concept of oneness foremost in mind when introducing its students to their neighbors in all corners of the world.”
Former BYU President Jeffrey R. Holland said at the 1983 David M. Kennedy Center inauguration, “There is a great need in our world for the examination and understanding of cultures, societies, languages, and peoples other than one’s own, including the religious, moral, and aesthetic aspects of life. We need in these troubled times, on a smaller and smaller globe, to understand others as they are.”
Professor Radebaugh said students at BYU should strive to develop three levels of international awareness.
At the first level, “We all need to understand what is going on in the world just to be a citizen … we’re part of a growing church that is growing more abroad than it is here. We have to make decisions accordingly,” he said.
A strong relationship binds the U.S. economy to the world economy and most national decisions depend heavily on international forces, Radebaugh said.
He said the second level of awareness deals with your personal career. A marketing specialist, for instance, ought to understand how her company is influenced by international business, “so she won’t end up like the computer programmer.”
U.S and international customers are becoming more picky about their purchases; therefore, two big issues are quality and cost competitiveness. Because U.S. citizens are committed to an open economy, they have to observe foreign competitors closely and be ready to make quick adjustments, Radebaugh said.
“Very few people will have the same job in 10 years,” he said.
The third level of awareness is for global experts, those who actively pursue international careers, Radebaugh said.
BYU has many resources to enrich the international awareness of students, ranging from those who like to read the world news to the multilingual island-hoppers.
“The country’s highest density of foreign-language skills is not in Cambridge or Berkeley, but in Provo, Utah, on the BYU campus,” wrote James Fallows in a 1988 U.S. News and World Report article.
“BYU’s intellectual interests tend naturally toward the global perspective. Its researchers and its teachers know that ideas recognize no national boundaries; hence, BYU looks abroad to enlarge itself, as well as to share its values and insights with the world,” according to “The World is Our Campus.”
The same publication said the average faculty member has, in the past five-year period, been abroad for an average of two and a half months and that almost one-third of the student body speaks a foreign language. It added, “Over 30 percent of the student body has lived abroad for 18-24 months, with 18 percent traveling to Asia and the Pacific, 25 percent to Latin America, 24 percent to Europe, and 33 percent in North America.”
Despite the many resources students are exposed to, professors Leonard and Radebaugh say students should actively seek out more opportunities to learn global and multicultural concepts, as well as learn specific skills which will make them stand out in the job market.
A foreign mission experience is not enough, Radebaugh said.
He said, “Specifically, students should develop a better understanding of information technology, even if you’re an English major. We should always strengthen our foreign language skills.”
“Get a minor in your mission language,” he said. He added foreign language majors are more suited to those who want a career in teaching or translation, unless those students are prepared to push for a graduate business-related degree.
Radebaugh said most double majors are a waste of time.
According to “International Opportunities,” produced by the Kennedy Center, students should prepare for globalization by (1) learning to communicate well verbally and in writing, (2) by studying a second or third language, and (3) by going beyond the traditional life of the student — looking for extracurricular learning activities in workshops and seminars, for example.
Leonard said, “Internships need to be pounded into our heads.” He said BYU international relations students participating in national and international internships rank with those of the best schools.
But he added, “Other schools are sending out their sophomores and juniors whereas many BYU students who do go (out on internships) often wait until their senior year.” He said BYU students should plan on doing at least one, if not multiple internships during their college experience — “especially liberal arts and social science majors.”
He said considering the number of BYU alumni and LDS contacts all over the world, BYU students are missing many networking opportunities.
Bren D. White is the author of the book “Worldclass Training,” which argues those who would be leaders must improve their global understanding.
White wrote, “To be successful beyond the ’90s, virtually all companies will have to think globally and act locally. My strong belief is that the top priority of corporations, schools, and other organizations should be to develop world class leaders.”
White listed several skills these “world class leaders” should develop. In addition to the typical leadership skills, White added, (1) the ability to see “the possibilities” globally — to be a visionary, (2) the ability to speak several languages fluently, (3) an understanding of international markets and global finance, (4) the ability to inspire followers with diverse backgrounds, and (5) a deep understanding of cross-cultural issues.
Though opinions differ on exactly how students should prepare themselves for globalization, the experts agree on one thing. Whether they’re selling Quaker Oats in Pakistan, teaching CPR to a visiting Bulgarian police squad, or coordinating refugee housing, American students will likely need more international skills for their future success.
The Kennedy Career Center has more information on teaching, science, government, business, nonprofit organizations, and other international careers in addition to literature describing the local impact of globalization.
