In a recent blog, I wrote about our individual pathways and the Tour de Academe. On Sunday, July 22nd our individual pathways converged in Paris and our collective journey started. And now, the week-long Graduate Deans Global Perspectives program ’12 (GPGradDeans) has come to an end. Our last meeting was a joint gathering with GPP Switzerland alumni from Virginia Tech and University of Basel at VT’s Center for European Studies and Architecture (CESA). Rich discussions were held and insights gathered.
During the program, the Graduate Deans visited University of Pierre and Marie Curie (UPMC) and the historic Sorbonne University, the University of Strasbourg, the University of Basel, and the University of Zurich. We discussed graduate education and the future of higher education with Presidents (Rectors) from three universities. We learned about their versions of graduate schools (e.g., doctoral college, graduate campus). We met with administrators and faculty. And our program began with dialogue with colleagues from the European University Association (EUA). For details of our visit, see itinerary and read associated links.
This visit was nestled between the end of the Tour de France In Paris and the Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 Olympic Games. The weather was perfect throughout the week (Paris, Strasbourg, Basel, Zurich, Lugano) – a little hot at times but virtually no rain. Our visits required the use of three languages beyond English: French, German (more precisely Swiss German) and Italian. The cuisine spanned countries and cultures. We traveled by plane, bus, tram, metro, train, and quite often by foot – sometimes up hill and sometimes with luggage. Lakes, mountains, rivers, plains, and terraced hills (e.g., vines) surrounded us daily. A collective journey of shared experiences and individual reflections….we have taken photos, blogged, and tweeted. We had readers following our blogs and “followers” on twitter (@kpdepauw, @GPPVT and more). We had families traveling with us who shared in our experiences on a daily basis.
The Global Perspectives program has touched many lives across many universities, many countries and across many years. As a result, I believe that the Graduate Deans and GPP alumni now share in the responsibility to expand the reach and enrich the global experiences and perspectives of others. It has been my great pleasure to share personal and professional experiences with my graduate dean colleagues. Thank you for joining me on this adventure toward greater global understanding and enhanced global graduate education.
