Lukas said it.  Justin tweeted it.  We all felt it (perhaps also the audience at the Swiss Embassy).  The 2012 Global Perspectives Program (GPP) has come to “the end but the global perspectives process continues”.

The global seminar on “access to and within higher education” at the Embassy of Switzerland on June 15, 2012 officially ended the GPP’12 program.  The well attended event featured a keynote presentation by Karin Fischer, Senior Reporter for the Chronicle of Higher Education on the topic of access to higher education.  The GPP’12 participants from Virginia Tech, University of Basel and the University of Lund shared their reflections on access to and within through panel presentations and discussion with the audience.  Key highlights of conference are available via twitter.

During my drive back to Blacksburg, I took time to reflect upon GPP’12 and take note of the many and varied aspects of the program, the interactions with each of the participants, and the ways in which the program has once again changed our lives.  As seen through my lens, the program was indeed very successful! Thanks to all who participated, organized and contributed to the program’s success (UniBasel, Embassy of Switzerland, University of Lund, VT).  I am grateful to each person because I know that one’s active engagement with the Global Perspectives program truly is making a difference and contributing to the overall success of the program.   And of course, to the process of preparing global citizens through global conversations.  Keep up the good work and let the conversations continue!

In July, I will lead a group of U.S. Graduate Deans on a similar global experience.  Thus, the program expands and the process continues.

For more information about the Global Perspectives program, please follow this blog, the Global Perspectives blog, twitter, and Face Book –GPP UniBasel.