The University of the Virgin Islands Summer Institute for Future Global Leaders was recently featured at an international workshop titled “Capacity Building for Global Competitiveness in Developing Economies: The Nexus of Technology Development and Transfer, Education and Culture” held in Accra, Ghana.
UVI business professor Dr. Solomon Kabuka who represented the V.I. was part of a panel of international experts who discussed the best approaches to developing effective leaders in a global economy. The UVI Institute is regarded as one of the most successful models in producing such leaders. He said that while the traditional approach to providing international education to students has been either internationalizing the curriculum by adding international courses, or internationalizing faculty by adding foreign instructors, or internationalizing students by providing them study abroad experiences, UVI has designed a model that combines all three approaches. Its curriculum equips the students with the building blocks for acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in a global environment. It focuses on the dynamic and multi-facetted business environment, culture and communication, and leadership. According to Kabuka, these form the foundation for successful performance in a global environment.
The professor observed that as boundaries which defined societies by traditional landmarks such as national economies, social and cultural identity gradually become obscured, they are replaced by the reality of citizenship in a global village. This new environment, a product of the technological explosion, information revolution and other forces of change, are propelling the human race to new frontiers of human interaction and existence. In turn, this new reality challenges societies to produce globally competitive citizens who possess the skills and capacity to function effectively in a global environment.
UVI was recognized as having been among the first institutions of higher learning to develop a capacity building model for global competitiveness. In 1995, UVI launched the Summer Institute for Future Global Leaders in the Caribbean. Over time, the institute has expanded to include universities in the United States, Canada and Europe. To date, over 500 participating students have represented diverse political, cultural and economic environments from practically every continent.
Kabuka explained that each summer, scores of youths from largely across the Caribbean and the U.S mainland embark on a mission to develop into global leaders. They are immersed in an intensive two-week training designed to equip them with a broad knowledge and functional skills necessary to assume leadership roles in an environment that is constantly being shaped by global forces of technology, commerce and communication. In addition to business and leadership, students study behavior and communication necessary to optimally function in communities that are increasingly becoming part of the global marketplace. They are exposed to the contributions of the world’s peoples and cultures, including languages such as Japanese, Chinese, French, Spanish, Arabic, Dutch, English and Creole.
He credited UVI’s past president Dr. Orville Kean for his visionary leadership and commitment, which resulted in the summer institute. Noting that other universities have emulated the UVI Institute, he predicted that, “based on the enthusiasm it garnered at the international workshop, I expect the number of universities adapting some version of UVI Institute to keep growing.” Kabuka has served as the director of the institute for 15 years.
The Third Biennial International workshop brought together some 200 practitioners in international development, policy-making, academics and entrepreneurship. They shared information, ideas, perspectives, experiences and initiatives on how to develop global competitiveness. They developed recommendations for implementation in a number of areas including the role of the hospitality industry in economic development; disaster mitigation/crisis management and environmental sustainability; food security and food self-sufficiency; the use of information communication technology to enhance socio-economic development; and the role of higher education institutions in economic development.
The conference was organized by several universities led by the University of Maryland Eastern Shores and supported by international institutions for world development.