International Civic Engagement

Park Student Wins First Place in Corpus Christi International Competition

By Toni Cardarella

Park University music student Behzod Abduraimov recently won first place in the piano division of the Corpus Christi International Competition for Piano and Strings.

The Corpus Christi International Competition for Piano and Strings, held Feb. 15-17, is a widely recognized competition open to students under the age of 26. The contest is limited to 40 performers, 20 in the strings competition and 20 in the piano competition. The Young Artist Awards are $5,000 each.

Abduraimov, 17 and originally from Uzbekistan, is a student of Stanislav Ioudenitch, artistic director of the International Center for Music at Park and the 2001 Van Cliburn gold medalist.

Among the competitors at the Corpus Christi International Competition for Piano and Strings were students from such prestigious schools as the Cleveland Institute of Music, Moscow State University, Oberlin Conservatory of Music, The Curtis Institute, Peabody Conservatory and The Julliard School.

Earlier this year, Abduraimov won first place in the piano division of the 2008 Lennox International Young Artists Competition, sponsored by the Richardson (Texas) Symphony. That top prize meant $2,500 and the opportunity for Abduraimov to perform with the Richardson Symphony Orchestra in a concert this Saturday conducted by music director Anshel Brusilow.

For more information about Abduraimov or the International Center for Music at Park University, contact Ioudenitch at (913) 710-4332 or istas@park.edu, or ICM Director Robert Pevitts, (816) 584-6550 or robert.pevitts@park.edu.

In Spite of Global Uncertainties, Student Interest in Study Abroad and International Learning Ranks High

From the American Council on Education:

Despite global terrorism and other tumultuous international events, college-bound high school students' interest in study abroad and other international learning experiences while in college is strong, according to a recent study conducted by the American Council on Education (ACE), Art & Science Group, and the College Board. 

Today, 55 percent of college-bound students say they are certain or fairly certain they will participate in study abroad. Moreover, the study reveals that many students come to college with more internationally diverse backgrounds and experiences. Not surprisingly, a high proportion want the college they attend to offer a wide range of international experiences and opportunities from internships and study abroad programs to courses on international topics and opportunities to interact with students from other countries.

The findings published in a Special Edition of studentPOLL, College-Bound Students' Interests in Study Abroad and Other International Learning Activities, are based on a national survey of 1,500 high school seniors. The findings provide strong evidence that interest in international learning for these students is high.

Among the study's key findings:

• Thirty-five percent of college-bound high school students in 2007 intend to seek an internship abroad. Moreover, students plan to intern in many places around the globe including Asia, Africa and Australia.
• Thirty-seven percent said they were very interested in gaining work experience in another country.
• Among students planning to study abroad, more than 70 percent plan to either become proficient in a second language or at least learn enough of the language to converse comfortably with others in that country.   
• While a semester is the preferred duration for study abroad, nearly a fifth of students were interested in a yearlong study abroad program.
• Reflecting students' internationally diverse backgrounds and experiences, 61 percent have traveled in another country with their families; 31 percent of students today have an immediate family member who moved from another country to the United States; and 26 percent say the primary language spoken in their home is not English.

“The findings of this study have tremendous implications for the internationalization of higher education, ranging from the scope and nature of language offerings to the barriers to study abroad that many institutions have often unintentionally created,” said Madeleine F. Green, vice president, International Initiatives at ACE. “Colleges must do more to encourage and support international learning, particularly in light of the findings of this study.”

The study suggests that institutions that do not encourage and expand international learning experiences may find themselves at an increasing disadvantage in enrolling the current generation of students and satisfying their strong desires for a truly global college education.

“The reality, unfortunately, is that while a majority of students enroll in college with the expectation of studying abroad, less than 5 percent actually do during their college years,” said Richard Hesel, a principal at Art & Science Group. “It is critical for colleges and universities to carefully examine their own international study practices, policies, and programs to minimize the financial, academic, or other barriers that undermine students' ability to study abroad.”

"In the newly globalized economic environment, it is essential that students have a greater understanding of other nations and cultures. Through their desire to study in other countries, our students are showing us that they understand this need,” added Michael Bartini, senior vice president for enrollment at the College Board. “The College Board encourages all institutions of higher education to provide opportunities for U.S. students to have a truly international experience as part of their undergraduate education."

Half of Global Population Will Live in Cities by End of This Year, Predicts UN

[Courtesy of the UN News Service]

By the end of this year, half of the world’s 6.7 billion people will live in urban areas, according to a report unveiled yesterday by the United Nations, which also predicts that future growth of the world’s urban population will be concentrated in Asia and Africa.

The 2007 Revision of World Urbanization Prospects provides the official UN estimates and projections of the urban, rural and city populations of all countries in the world up to 2050.

The latest data contained in the report confirms that “urbanization is growing everywhere,” said Hania Zlotnik, Director of the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), which prepared the report.

Presenting the findings at a press briefing in New York, Ms. Zlotnik added that perhaps the most important message of the report is that not all the regions of the world are equally urbanized.

“Although Asia and Africa are the least urbanized areas, they account for most of the urban population of the world,” she stated, adding that the growth of the urban population in the years to come is going to be highly concentrated in these two regions.

Currently there are 1.6 billion people living in Asia’s urban areas. That number is expected to rise by another 1.8 billion people in the next four decades, more than doubling the urban population, Ms. Zlotnik pointed out.

China, which is now 40 per cent urban, is expected to become more than 70 per cent urban by 2050. Its urban population is expected to number about 1 billion by that year.

In comparison, only 30 per cent of India’s population today is living in urban areas – slightly more than 300 million people. By 2050, 55 per cent of India’s population will be living in urban areas, amounting to 900 million people. “India is expected to urbanize much less than China and, therefore, it is expected to remain the country with the largest rural population during most of the future decades,” said Ms. Zlotnik.

Turning to Africa, she noted that the urban population is “likely to triple over the next 40 years,” passing from 340 million to over 900 million.

Meanwhile, the urban population will grow a little bit in Latin America, while not very much in the developed world, she said, adding that “more or less what we have today is what they’re going to face.”

The report does note that the projections will only be realized if fertility rates in the developing world continue to decline. If fertility rates continue at current levels and urbanization occurs at the predicted pace, the world urban population will increase to 8.1 billion by 2050 instead of the 6.4 billion projected.

Ms. Zlotnik pointed out that there are three components of growth – natural increase, transfer of the rural population to urban areas through migration, and reclassification of rural localities to urban centres. “In most of the countries of the developing world, estimates show that about 60 per cent of urban growth is now attributable to natural increase.

“The exception is China, where only 30 per cent of urban growth is due to natural increase and 70 per cent is attributable to changes in the number of areas considered urban and also to migration,” she stated.

She added that while megacities – those with more than 10 million inhabitants – attract a lot of attention, that is not where most of the population growth will be found. With 36 million people, Tokyo is the world’s largest megacity and it is not expected to change in size until 2025.

The fastest growth rates will be found in the cities of Africa, such as Lagos and Kinshasa that are not yet megacities but will be in the future, and the cities of Pakistan and Bangladesh, such as Lahore, Karachi and Dhaka.

Agencies Urged to Avoid Generational Stereotypes

From GovExec.com:

By Alyssa Rosenberg arosenberg@govexec.com February 26, 2008

As agencies hire a new crop of federal employees, they need to understand generational differences and avoid stereotyping younger co-workers, said speakers Monday at the 2008 Government Performance Summit in Arlington, Va.

"Don't fall prey to stereotypes," Ed Powell, director of business development for Monster Government Solutions, said. "We're all reading a lot of stuff about the millennials right now, and there's a tendency to paint them with the same brush, saying they're all selfish, they all got trophies for seventh place. They can be very different.... It's all about going out and finding people who are a good job fit, a cultural fit and a lifestyle fit."

Wendy Stoner, who runs the financial management specialist program in the General Services Administration's Office of the Chief Financial Officer, says she interviews candidates for the two-year internship by asking about experiences and problem-solving approaches, rather than looking for generational characteristics.

"I listen to the experiences they've had; I have them tell me about an experience that didn't go well," Stoner says. "I want to know, do they blame others for the outcome, or do they take ownership? Do they give me strategies for what they would have done if they had to do it again? I don't want the person who blames someone else," she says. "All of my questions are behavioral-based."

Treating interns like professionals have yielded impressive results for GSA, Stoner says. Since the program launched in 1999, 58 percent of the interns have stayed on at GSA, 63 percent of those who remained and are eligible for promotion beyond the GS-12 level have been promoted, and one is now in the Senior Executive Service.

"The people I rotate these folks to call and say 'Can you send me more? I can't get enough of [them],'" Stoner said. "They share their experience and technological knowhow. For Gen-X and Gen-Y [millennials], they are not into this tenure thing, because if they can see a path where they can excel and advance in their generation, they can be exactly what we're looking for."
Agencies should allow younger hires to be catalysts for change, said Mark Charnock, vice president and general manager of MonsterTRAK, Monster.com's portal for young workers. "I know it's hard, but they will become change agents for you because they'll change the way their peers behave and how other generations behave," said Charnock. "That's where I see the light."

He acknowledged that the media and human resources community have paid too much attention to the 12 percent of the population he described as "The Clueless," young people who don't identify strongly with work and depend financially on their parents. But he said that employers need to take more responsibility for teaching young people what work entails and convincing them to remain in jobs for a reasonable amount of time, rather than hop around to other opportunities.

"There's little understanding [among millennials] of what work requires. This is our fault, not their fault," Charnock said. "We have an opportunity to define what the workplace is going to be at the interview, and we need to change that as we move forward."

The Game of Life

My high school classmate Lawler Kang publishes a monthly e-newsletter, which always includes some pearls of wisdom.  I received the February issue on Friday:

The Game of Life

Remember The Game of Life, by Milton Bradley?  Originally conceived in 1860, and marketed heavily since 1960, it has undergone numerous content updates over the decades to stay current. 

Somehow, my precocious seven year old daughter became aware of it, and after courageously opening her way through the entire right flank of the holiday present cache, arrived at the easily crushable, rectangular box.  Being only slightly competitive, we played it eight times in three weeks. 

Whoever is the product manager for this diversion has some real issues to deal with; from my perspective the only (and unfortunate) overlap with reality is the fact my daughter sues at least two other players  (usually me) for $100k per match. This observed, there are some basic presumptions that simply do not support our present state of affairs. 

After choosing whether or not you go to college (but no grad school), you quickly get married (presumably in your mid-20s judging from where the square sits in the overall path of life) and can immediately afford to buy a free standing house or a swank, skyscraped condo.  Much to my daughter’s delight (bless her selfish genes!), kids quickly follow.  There is another opportunity to go back to school but after that, it is predominantly a race of wealth accumulation before you reach your desired end, The Millionaire Estates Retirement Community. 

There is no mention of divorce, insolvency and bankruptcy due to credit cards, career burnout, failed IVFs or the fact that presently over 50% of women in California over the age of 50 are single.  Nor is the projection that the average American worker will embark on four completely different careers by the time they retire and the blatant fallacy that the vast majority of Gen Y and younger generations will be able to purchase a domicile by the age of 30. 

What is most troubling though is the intense focus on financial accretion as THE metric of success.  Forget happiness, joy, spending time with those you love, and the heart attacks on Saturday at the office in your 50s.  When the game is over, she with the most money wins.

OK, I will admit to being a little sore at losing the majority of our contests.  And to resoundingly ricochet a caveat off the folds of your mind – making money, and a lot of it – is not necessarily a bad thing (so long as you do it with passion!).  But using money as the sole source of comparing your success with those around you (presuming you want to play the Joneses game) won’t make you happy; there will always be someone who has more. 

Yes, it is only a game and I haven’t the faintest clue the degree of impact it can have on our kid’s psyches.  What I have observed though, from gladiators to Van Gogh to game boys, is that entertainment throughout the ages reflects the social mores of its time.  Life is not a game to be won or lost; Life is to be lived.

Stay in trouble out there!

My best, L

H-Citizenship List Debuts

ANNOUNCING: H-Citizenship: H-Net Network on Citizenship Studies http://www.h-net.org/~citizen/ Member of: H-Net: Humanities and Social Sciences Online http://www.h-net.org

Following the very successful recent launches of H-Memory, H-Southern-Lit, H-Human-Rights, and H-FedHist H-Net proudly announces its newest addition to its family of over over 180 discussion networks -- H-Citizenship -- a new network promoting interdisciplinary research and intellectual exchange about citizenship within a global community of scholars, students, political, community and business leaders; and the general public.

H-Citizenship promotes interdisciplinary research and intellectual exchange about citizenship within a global community. In particular, H-Citizenship encourages analysis of the relationship between citizens and the political, social, economic, and cultural communities of which they are a part. Toward these ends, H-Citizenship will foster the study of citizenship as an interdisciplinary academic field and establish a forum to stimulate and shape public discourse about citizenship; sponsored by the Center for the Study of Citizenship, http://www.clas.wayne.edu/unit-inner.asp?WebPageID=1202

Check out the resources list at:
http://www.h-net.org/~citizen/resources.html
Suggestions for additions are welcome--please email the editors.

The goals of H-Net lists are to enable scholars to easily communicate current research and teaching interests; to discuss new approaches, methods and tools of analysis; to share information on online resources; and to test new ideas and share comments on the literature in their fields, and publish quality reviews in many fields and support acadee through publication of the JobGuide.
All network messages are permanently archived and searchable.

Like all H-Net lists, H-Citizenship is moderated to edit out material that, in the editors' opinion, is not germane to the list, involves technical matters (such as subscription management requests), is inflammatory, or violates the evolving, yet common, standards of Internet etiquette. H-Net's procedure for resolving disputes over list editorial practices is Article II, Section 2.20 of our bylaws, located at: http://www.h-net.org/about/by-laws.php

Logs and more information can also be located at:
http://www.h-net.org/~citizen/

Editor: Matthew Davis, Assistant Professor of English, University of Wisconsin, Steven's Point
Editor: Aaron Retish, Assistant Professor of History, Wayne State University

Advisory Board: Marc Kruman, Director, Center for the Study of Citizenship, Wayne State University (also Professor of History and Chair) Advisory Board: Joan W. Scott, Professor of Social Science, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ Advisory Board: Grant Farred, Associate Professor Literature, Duke University

To join H-Citizenship, please send a message from the account where you wish to receive mail, to:
listserv@h-net.msu.edu
(with no signatures or styled text, word wrap off for long lines) and only this text:
sub H-Citizenship firstname lastname, institution

Omaha World-Herald Editorial on CPM Program

The Omaha World-Herald praised the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Certified Public Manager Program in a Feb. 25 editorial:

One indicator of a forward-thinking university is its eagerness to embrace new initiatives and recognize the potential benefits. The University of Nebraska at Omaha’s inaugural Nebraska Certified Public Manager Program serves as a commendable example.

A nationally recognized certification program, CPM provides unique training opportunities for ambitious professionals working in government or nonprofit organizations. The goal is to provide skills-based knowledge for participants to become stronger leaders, managers and supervisors. This program thus benefits not only the individuals involved but the state of Nebraska as well.

Of the 32 CPM programs nationwide, Nebraska’s is among the newest. Yet the program, which was launched by UNO’s School of Public Administration in January, already has produced immediate results.

“We already have some specific examples of how people have taken what we taught back to the workplace and used it,” program director Mary R. Hamilton told The World-Herald. “The first class dealt with knowing and managing yourself as a leader. We talked about ways they can work with staff to put the accent on the positive things about an organization.

“Many times, when people try to change, they start with what is wrong. Appreciative inquiry focuses on putting the emphasis on the positive aspects of organization. It helps people feel like they have some positive things to contribute to the change and makes people less likely to shy away from change.”

The one-year program’s 15-member class represents a sampling of professionals from many different levels of government and nonprofit work: City administrators. Clerks and treasurers. A corrections sergeant. A special projects officer at the Federal Aviation Administration. A community outreach specialist. An executive director of a health center. A board member with Omaha Public Schools.

Notes Hamilton: “We couldn’t have asked for a more interesting, diverse group with great experience in a variety of areas.”

In encouraging innovative and new approaches to problem-solving, CPM courses use a variety of presenters and interactive exercises. The goal is to provide tools immediately applicable to the workplace.

One of the program’s strengths is its flexibility. Those unable to devote the time to an intensive course could choose to complete the program over three years. Otherwise, the yearlong initiative combines oncampus sessions with online courses.

Another key ingredient, Hamilton said, has been the can-do mentality behind the program.

“UNO has really supported this program. The people at UNO have been incredibly entrepreneurial,” she said. “We’ve heard nothing but ‘How can we help you?’ Nobody is saying, ‘We’ve never done that before.’ ” This program and its encouraging potential for even more statewide success typify the type of vision needed for a metropolitan university to grow and move forward.

Well done.

Bloomberg Ties Globalization to New York City's Success

From the World Bank:

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg told World Bank Group employees in Washington Thursday that "the free, global movement of labor, capital, and ideas" was essential to his city's growth over the past 30 years and its comeback from 9/11, and an object lesson for cities everywhere.

Bloomberg praised the impact of immigrants on his city, where 3 million residents - 37 percent of the population - are foreign-born.

"Their ambition, hard work, and entrepreneurial drive continue to bring dynamic new life to our economy and a fresh new spirit to our city," Bloomberg said. "New Yorkers understand that. Even after 9/11, when it would have been understandable for us to become fearful about the rest of the world, we have continued to welcome immigrants at a history-making pace. And they have more than repaid us."

He said that other cities can reach toward New York's success by adopting what he called its four values: "harnessing the forces of immigration and globalization; tapping the power of innovation, instituting rigorous and accountable governance; and having the independence to take on entrenched interests when they stand in the way of progress."

New York, he said, is using innovative conditional cash credits (CCT) to help some of its poorest citizens climb out of poverty. CCTs, first introduced in Latin America with World Bank support, have become a global phenomenon. Under CCT's, the poor get direct cash if they meet certain education and health benchmarks.

The mayor said New York, along with more than 700 American cities, was taking an innovative approach to slow climate change by pledging to meet the carbon-reduction standards of the Kyoto protocol - in contrast to the U.S. government, which is the only major developed nation not to sign the document.

"Increasingly we're working in concert with one another, and adopting one another's best practices in areas ranging from 'greening' our streets to cleaning our air," Bloomberg said about New York's collaboration with other cities on climate change.

The Mayor, who was introduced by Bank President Robert Zoellick via a TV satellite link from London, where Zoellick is in meetings.

Praising Bloomberg for his "commitment to public service," Zoellick recalled that the Bank has had a relationship with him going back to 1986, when its Treasury purchased Bloomberg Terminals, the computers with which Bloomberg built his financial media business before being elected Mayor of New York City.

"They contributed tremendously to market efficiency, breaking the near monopoly that the dealers had - not only in information but analytics," Zoellick said.

After Bloomberg spoke and answered questions from the audience, Katherine Sierra, Vice President of Sustainable Development at the Bank, and Graeme Wheeler, Managing Director at the Bank, presented Bloomberg with a framed certificate attesting that the World Bank had purchased one ton of CO2 through the Scolel Té Project in Chiapas, Mexico, to offset the Mayor's trip to Washington.

Public Trust in Government Bleak, Survey Finds

From GovExec.com:

U.S. taxpayers overwhelmingly believe the federal government has failed to explain how it generates and spends money, creating a growing expectations gap that is eroding the public's trust in its leaders, according to a new survey released Wednesday.

The survey, Public Attitudes to Government Accountability and Transparency 2008, measured how 1,652 adults felt about federal, state and local governments' financial management and accountability to taxpayers.

The results paint a grim picture of the public's unhappiness with both the availability of financial information and the way it is delivered to citizens, said Relmond Van Daniker, executive director of the Association of Government Accountants, which commissioned the study. The poll was conducted by Harris Interactive, a market research firm based in Rochester, N.Y.

Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39336&dcn=e_gvet

Upcoming Conferences and Summer Schools

From Fabio Sabatini of Social Capital Gateway:

Dear All,
this is to let you know about some interesting upcoming events:

- The summer school "Social enterprises, third sector, social economy, solidarity-based economy. Empirical realities and theoretical debates", will take place in Corte, Corsica (France), on July 3-7, 2008. The application deadline is April 10, 2008. Please follow the link for the programme and further information:

http://www.socialcapitalgateway.org/eng-corte2008.html

- The summer school "Sociology and the quality of life" will take place in Rethymo, Crete (Greece), on July 14-18, 2008. The application deadline is February 29, 2008. Please follow the link for further details:

http://www.socialcapitalgateway.org/eng-crete2008.html

- The international conference on "Europeanization" will take place in Tallin, Estonia, on April 25, 2008. The deadline for paper submission is April 1, 2008:

http://www.socialcapitalgateway.org/eng-tallin2008.html

- The international workshop on "Empowerment and e-participation in civil society: local, national and international implications" will take place in Orebro, Sweden, on May 9-10, 2008. The deadline for submitting a paper is March 31, 2008:

http://www.socialcapitalgateway.org/eng-orebro2008.html

- I also remind you that the "NEP-Soc Report on Social Norms & Social Capital" has been activated within the RePEc project, in co-operation with the EconLit database. Subscribers will receive a weekly notification reporting new papers on social capital related topics. Please click on the link below for free subscription:

http://lists.repec.org/mailman/listinfo/nep-soc

Thank you for your attention and best regards,
Fabio Sabatini