The GLOBAL LEARNING Initiative

ABOUT US

  The Northern Arizona University Strategic Plan completed in 2006, set the stage for the institution’s first comprehensive strategic planning process around global education in its history. The University’s Strategic Plan articulated a bold vision for global education in one of its seven goals.

  Convened by the President and Provost in February, 2008, the Task Force for Global Education, representing all six colleges and important constituencies around the campus and the local community, was charged with developing recommendations that would transform the university into a global campus, and that would help to prepare students to be globally competent. There was significant faculty and staff involvement in the Task Force and the subcommittee deliberations. This was particularly true of the Global Learning subcommittee where 40 faculty worked together to develop recommendation regarding how global learning should be reflected in the curriculum. Five subcommittees were created to address significant dimensions of global education. They include student development, faculty development, community engagement, infrastructure/advancement and global learning. All five subcommittees developed recommendations that are designed to institutionalize global learning in the curriculum aimed to prepare students to be globally competent and will strengthen the infrastructure that supports global learning on the campus. The Global Learning Recommendations were adopted by the Faculty Senate in January, 2010. There are 30 departments with over 100 faculty currently represented in the Global Learning Curriculum development project.