Learning Locally, but Acting Globally:  Developing A Global Mindset in the First-Year Experience

A critical mission of higher education is to produce productive global citizens that are dedicated to developing a just, equitable and sustainable society. How can we introduce to our first-year seminar students the best practices for developing a global mindset in preparation for their future leadership roles?

Dr. Vladimir Pucik, Professor of International Human Resources and Strategy at the International Institute for Management Development, Lausanne Switzerland, provides a definition of global mindset, which includes respect for cultural diversity and human diversity, that is based on the principle of “learning locally, but act globally” (Chowdhury, et.al. 2003.Organization 21 C: Someday All Organizations Will Lead This Way. Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. p.50). His definition implies honoring shared ways of thinking, using a global knowledge base combined with a local learning base to produce a rich resource for making the best societal decisions possible. 

The Kennesaw State University best practices for developing a global mindset in the first-year seminar are shared in this innovative session, which include, incorporating human diversity issues, framing volunteer/service-learning projects for connecting local and global issues, creation of reflective student e-portfolios, which connect cultural background, educational goals, and global leadership aspirations, and media analysis strategies for understanding local and global perspectives of a just, equitable, and sustainable society.