Higher Education’s Role in Addressing Global Crises

Posted by Association of American Colleges and Universities on June 12, 2017

Global Engagement and Social Responsibility

Higher Education’s Role in Addressing Global Crises

October 12–14, 2017
New Orleans, LA

Register for Global Engagement and Social Responsibility Network Conference
Register by September 1, 2017, for lowest rates.

The need for meaningful global engagement and higher levels of social responsibility has never been greater. Political upheavals and global terrorism, migration patterns and refugee movements, climate change, economic instability, and public health crises—all symptoms of persistent inequity, injustice, and misunderstanding—are manifested with increasing complexity in the local and global patterns that govern our daily lives.

What must higher education do to prepare students to understand both local and global issues and to solve problems in ways that make the world a better place for all?

Global Engagement and Social Responsibility: Higher Education’s Role in Addressing Global Crises will highlight how institutions are providing students with opportunities to deeply engage real-world issues, both on and off campus and across disciplines and majors—through classroom experiences, nuanced deliberation and problem solving with community members, peers, and practitioners. Conference sessions will address a full range of topics including:

• developing courses, programs, curricula, and co-curricula that transcend traditional boundaries to put student engagement with real-world issues at the center of the educational experience;
• project-based and signature assignments that advance ethical integrative thinking, teamwork, and community-based research and service;
• assessing global learning, engagement, and social responsibility to ensure that all students are prepared to address the issues of our time with knowledge, sensitivity, and commitment to the well-being of others;
• preparing faculty for their multiple roles—including teacher, facilitator of difficult dialogues, and mentor—and investing in institutional resources to ensure that students, faculty, and staff receive they support they need.

AAC&U invites you to register today and lend your expertise and voice to the conference conversations. We look forward to seeing you in New Orleans.

For more information, call (202) 387-3760, or write to Karen Kalla at network@aacu.org.