Remarks from the Founders Day Convocation
Founders Day is the day when we look back to our roots. Established as a Union of all faiths, we recognized from 1795 that exposure to peoples of different beliefs was important in an academic setting. Hence, the establishment of Union as America's first nondenominational college.
We also recognized from the start that exposure to different languages was important. An obvious form of this exposure-a form to which we pay tribute today-is through our exchanges and terms abroad. We have had a long tradition of sending students to study in other
lands and that tradition is growing annually.
Twenty years ago, twenty percent of Union students studied abroad; five years ago, forty percent did so; today, the percentage is fifty-five. Given the fact that less than one-half of one percent of the twelve million students in America study abroad, our numbers-which I expect to continue to grow-are truly impressive.
Equally important, we have broadened the range of opportunities available to our students. In 1975, students could study in ten countries; in 1990, they did so in seventeen lands; today, they have twenty-six programs to choose from. And, whereas the overwhelming number of programs were in western European countries until 1990, we have added Barbados, Brazil, Costa Rica, Kenya, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Korea and are examining a range of additional possibilities.
We believe in international education, and we are doing what we can to make it possible for all of our students to have an international experience. Until this year, engineering students were largely stymied in their efforts to go abroad; now, thanks to the dean and the faculty in the engineering division, the opportunity that all should have will be readily available to all.
We can even create innovative alternatives for students to be directly involved with their peers at foreign universities without having to travel farther than their personal computer. One such idea has been suggested by Professor Bruce Reynolds of the Economics Department, who proposed the creation of a “virtual term abroad” during which Union students could, in the context of an interdisciplinary course, interact via e-mail with peers at partner institutions overseas, exploring different cultures and critiquing papers and research projects.
As a nation, the United States has been a world leader almost from its inception. From arts to arms, from education to exploration, from industry to inquiry, Americans have taken the lead. Imagination and innovation are clearly not indigenous to American soil, but they have been part and parcel of the American character. And that character, blended together in a melting pot/mixing bowl with ingredients from throughout the world, has forged a strength that has been made the United States a remarkable force.
Yet, ironically, one element of the American character may have the potential of undermining the U.S. role on the world stage-our unwillingness to learn to speak languages other then English and to make an effort to understand other people. Perhaps it is because
we have tried for so long to blend various nationalities that we have
assumed that English should be spoken by all; perhaps it is because, having dealt with people from around the world on our own shores, we have believed that everyone would always want to speak English and to be an American.
Whatever the reason, our unwillingness to learn other languages and understand other cultures can seriously affect the U.S. role on the world stage. Take, for instance, the cases of the lands from which those we honor today come-China, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
For China, its position in the world is, in part, attributable to the ability of its people to understand others and, increasingly, to speak other languages, including, of course, English-and our disagreements with China are partially attributable to our failure to understand Chinese culture and history.
As for Japan, although we are quick to place the blame for our trade imbalances on barriers erected by the Japanese (and there are barriers), we are kidding ourselves when we conclude that barriers are the only reason for a constantly-growing deficit between out two countries. A far more logical explanation is the fact that, while there are tens of thousands of Japanese in the United States speaking English, we have tens of thousands of Americans in Japan speaking English almost exclusively.
As for the United Kingdom, long the dominant world power, its decline can be attributed in part to the same linguistic and cultural chauvinism that the United States is displaying today.
If we are to find success in a wide variety of areas against competitors from around the world, we have to understand other people better, and we have to begin to speak their languages. And we in the academic world must assume the lead in attacking this difficult problem.
In the past, colleges like Union used to require a year or two of a language, but they gave up the useless exercise during the 1960s and 1970s when students were saying “no” to all requirements; today, many colleges are once again bringing back the same foolish requirements. Why “foolish?” Because telling an eighteen- to twenty-two-year-old that he or she
must take a year or two of a language often results in nothing more than the grudging memorization of a few nouns and the conjugation of a few more verbs. If we cannot get children to start learning language as toddlers-the way people around the world do-we should develop fresh approaches and new programs in college. New programs-not the discarded programs of the past.
Experimental language techniques, intensive language efforts, and the use of technology are some of the things that we might well look into. Perhaps more important, though, we continuously need to expose students to other cultures and people, knowing full well that by sending students abroad we will be exposing them to the joy of speaking other languages and encouraging them to become more linguistically adept.
It is up to us to insure that our students are truly at home in the world, through, for example, programs such
as our five-year BA/MBA, which requires our
students to select a double major in a modern language and social science and to participate in a term abroad and an international internship.
We have much to feel proud of today as we celebrate our 201 st birthday. At the same time, we all recognize that there is still so very much to do. In this particular area, as we honor the heads of three institutions from around the globe with whom we have had long-standing relationships, we should strive to make our students citizens of the world in every sense of the word.
ROGER H. HULL