Mission Statement
Our mission is to promote campus internationalization and prepare students for a successful professional life in today's integrated and interdependent world.
It will achieve its mission by:
- promoting the value of global education among faculty, staff and students in conjunction with student life and residential life
- developing and maintaining effective cooperation and exchange partnerships with selected institutions worldwide
- making available to students the benefits of cross-cultural and international experience through study abroad programs, experiential education and international internships
- encouraging curriculum internationalization
- offering development, exchange and overseas teaching opportunities to faculty and administrators
So, you may be wondering: After expending so much effort to carefully assemble a student body that represents the best and the brightest, why would TU want to send me away?
The answer is simple. We believe that going abroad, to study, work or volunteer, is an integral part of your TU experience, and we are committed to making international opportunities available to all TU students. That’s the reason that the Board of Trustees and the TU senior administration include broadening and deepening TU’s international focus as part of the university’s strategic plan. That’s the reason that TU permits students to apply their financial aid, including presidential scholarships, to studying abroad, so that a semester at a foreign university won’t substantially exceed the costs of a semester on campus. That’s the reason that we identify programs that make it possible for students with any major, from languages to engineering, to go abroad without delaying graduation.
International education is so important, in fact, that the US Senate passed a resolution declaring 2006 to be the “Year of Study Abroad,” citing the importance of global knowledge and cultural understanding. You’ve probably heard the term “globalization.” It’s not just a buzzword. It captures the extent to which business, governments, technologies, and other systems are so interrelated that what happens in one country directly impacts another. A 2003 Rand Corporation report on educating students for the global economy concluded that the new job market required that students understand other cultures, and that “multicultural sensitivity cannot readily be gained through academic institutions alone.” The researchers emphasized that the study of foreign language and culture on campus “is not a substitute for real-world experience.” In a related study, “What Makes a Successful Career Professional in an International Organization,” hiring managers ranked cross-cultural competence (defined as an ability to work well in different cultures and with people of different origins), interpersonal and relationship skills, a tolerance for ambiguity, and flexibility among the most desirable qualities in new employees. All of these are competencies that you develop when going abroad.
But going abroad isn’t just about the needs of a global job market. It’s also about the experience itself. Read about your fellow TU classmates’ experiences in Tales from Abroad. Check out the winning photos from the first annual Study Abroad Photo Contest. Talk with the CGE Peer Advisors (who are all study abroad returnees) about their time abroad. You’ll learn that going abroad is a life changing experience. And that it is very feasible.
Throughout this site you find useful information about how to participate in an international education program, ranging from study to work abroad programs. Going abroad does take planning, and we ask that you begin working with the CGE at least a semester before you plan to be gone. But you’ll find that the staff is knowledgeable, friendly, experienced travelers, realistic, and committed to helping you find the right international opportunity.
Bon voyage!
