Building a culture of global engagement at ASU

Arizona State University is fast becoming a world-class force for creativity and discovery, as well as economic development. We are reaching out across the world, engaging researchers, faculty and students on the global stage. With the establishment of the Office of the Vice President for Global Engagement (OVPGE) on October 1, 2006, ASU has made a major commitment to:

• Ensure that ASU students obtain a global perspective as an essential component of their educational experiences.
• Employ the University’s strengths and capacities to address challenges facing our communities, our nation, and the world – everything from global sustainability and security to economic competitiveness and a broader appreciation of cultural diversity.
• Give ASU students the essential skills necessary to compete in the global marketplace and contribute as responsible citizens of the planet.
• Enliven faculty scholarship and teaching, expanding research opportunities and providing ASU a pathway to national and international distinction.
• Build bridges of understanding and collaboration.
• Prepare future leaders to operate in the global context.

Through global engagement, ASU will position itself as a highly competitive international research institution, a focus for global understanding, and magnet for global economic development. With the establishment of the Office of the Vice President for Global Engagement, ASU is investing in the infrastructure necessary to plan and manage the university's international relationships, with an emphasis on knowledge acquisition, research and strategic engagement.

We are working to create the most efficient and effective system for student mobility in the country. We are striving to build a global culture that places international knowledge, experience, and relationships at the center of higher education. Our programs are designed to promote a deep student engagement through travel and study abroad, student exchange, and attracting international students to join the ASU community.

We are supporting ASU faculty who are involved in an extraordinary spectrum of research and teaching projects in approximately 120 countries around the world. These diverse projects, ranging from bioinformatics and engineering to social anthropology or creative writing, are critical to the transformation of the university’s global culture.

The core of ASU’s initiative to embed global engagement within the structure of the New American University rests with the creation of robust strategic partnerships with sister institutions that share our commitment to innovation and re-imagining the role of the university in society. These comprehensive areas of collaboration are, therefore, significant priorities for OVPGE.

There are a growing number of transdisciplinary centers and programs within ASU that serve as the foci of our global engagement strategies. These institutions play essential roles in the success of ASU’s global agenda by expanding global programs of study, promoting international student mobility, providing cutting-edge research opportunities for ASU faculty in the international arena, promoting economic ties between Arizona and the world, and serving as central points of contact for our strategic partnerships. OVPGE is the primary vehicle by which the activities of these centers and programs are coordinated and advanced.

Through the establishment of OVPGE, ASU strengthens core student and faculty services, including passport and immigration services, and promotes greater coordination and incentive to existing strategic partnerships and new initiatives. OVPGE incorporates public outreach, visit and protocol services, and general international support to a wide array of other ASU programs.

I am delighted to be leading this component of the ASU experience, helping our students to enter the community and work force with a broad appreciation and understanding of the ever-increasing global dimensions that touch all of our lives.

Anthony F. Rock
Vice President for Global Engagement