New strategic plan: Progress made for global citizenship goal (Part 6)

RELEASED: March 19, 2009

DANVILLE, KY—As the current unsettled environment makes all too clear, countries across the globe have become inseparably linked. Part One of Centre College’s nine-point strategic plan, adopted in 2008, aims to prepare students to be successful citizens of the world.

In August, the College established the Center for Global Citizenship, headed by Dr. Milton Reigelman, Cowan Professor of English and longtime international programs director, to coordinate and administer Centre’s increasing array of international options. The center is located in Old Carnegie, where students can now watch current newscasts in French, Spanish, German and Chinese.

In addition, President John Roush has appointed a Global Citizenship Committee, whose recommendations include establishing five new minors. Three would be part of existing programs: global commerce (part of the economics program), global law and governance (government program), and global environment and sustainability (a track within the environmental studies minor). Two more, area studies in Latin America and the Far East, would be interdisciplinary programs that would mainly use existing faculty and resources.

While each recommendation will need to be approved by the respective programs and the curricular committee, the hope is that at least some of the five will be available by the fall of 2010.

 Longer-range suggestions from the committee include establishing tenure-track positions in both Chinese culture and Mandarin and Japanese culture and language.

“We are very conscious of managing resources in the current financial situation,” acknowledges Clarence Wyatt ’78, Pottinger Professor of History and chief planning officer. “But it’s important to look at ways to strengthen the College at a time when others are hunkering down. If we don’t at least think about and plan for doing it when resources do allow, we’re just that much farther behind.”

He notes that the College's Norton Center for the Arts—built at the urging of then-board chair Chauncey Newlin ’25—opened in 1973, as economic storm clouds were massing. “Most people probably thought Chan Newlin was crazy to dream of a world-class arts center at a school of 750 students, especially then,” he says. “But now it’s obvious that the Norton Center and our study abroad programs are what set us apart.”

Over the next few weeks, additional Web stories will address other goals and initiatives of the strategic plan.

Centre's Board approves new strategic plan click here for goals.

Click to read Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, and Part 6 of the series "Centre's Board approves new strategic plan."

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.