Global Engagement

Global engagement is essentially how you are connected in the world. From the shoes that you’re wearing that were made in India, to the war in Iraq, we are all involved in global engagement to some degree or another, whether you like it or not.

Being more globally engaged can only be good for you. It helps you to appreciate what you have and where you live. It makes you more knowledgeable of your surroundings, and more understanding of other’s perspectives. As Kofi Annan, Secretary-General for the UN, states,"We have to choose between a global market driven only by calculations of short-term profit, and one which has a human face." Gaining real-world experience in global engagement also helps us to make sounds business decisions; better decisions that one could make based out of any book that you might read.
An example of global engagement is sustainability, an

issue that affects us all. Sustainability is the balance of economic growth with environmental safety and social development. The people of earth as a whole, not any individual country, are responsible for the environment and what it will look like for future generations. Will people years from now have to find alternate sources of energy because our generation has used up fossil fuels? Questions like these can only be addressed on a global level, as one country alone can’t make or break the balance between the environment and the global economy.

There are many ways that you can become more globally engaged! For example, you can simply eat at an international restaurant, attend cultural events, or volunteer at an international organization. Another way to get more involved globally engaged at ASU, is to join the study-abroad program. A study abroad program does so much for you in that it presents new opportunities, it’s a great learning experience, and completely immerses you in a different culture.

In conclusion, becoming globally engaged can give you a new view on things, open doors, brighten horizons, and at worst make you more aware of the planet we live on. As Anthony Rock, the VP of Global Engagement at ASU says, “You will want to have the ability to solve problems, whether they are on a local or global scale, and to work effectively with other cultures.”