I agree wholeheartedly with Dr. Ludwig's article and applaud her efforts to internationalize Extension. For communities dealing with increased immigrant populations, for entrepreneurs struggling to distinguish between foreign competition and new market opportunities, and for a citizenry still reeling from the impact of September 11, Extension is in a unique position to help Americans understand and shape our country's international engagement. Tight budgets are a reality, but too often we've heard funding used as a reason not to bring a global dimension to our Extension programs. The rationale of having to address local priorities first no longer holds the same weight in today's interdependent world - global issues and local needs are overlapping at a rapid pace. Extension should be at the forefront of helping its clientele understand globalization and benefit from the opportunites that it represents. States that ignore the importance of internationalizing their Extension programs will not be equipped to deal with the global society of the 21st century.

 

By Debra Minar Driscoll on Tuesday, April 30, 2002 - 12:14 pm:

As a former member of the Epsilon Sigma Phi national Global Relations committee, I would like to direct those interested in developing international travel experiences to this web page:
http://www.uwyo.edu/ces/esp/espinternational.htm. There you will find a number of agencies that can provide assistance.

 

By Carol Radomski on Friday, May 03, 2002 - 04:58 pm:

Thanks to Dr. Ludwig for this forward-thinking article. Studies have shown that the American public understands that globalization is our future. Contrary to what some may think, there is a high degree of public support for international cooperation and the U.S. "doing its share" to make the world a better place.
(see: http://www.americans-world.org/)
How can the Cooperative Extension be on the "cutting edge" without looking beyond our borders?
Indeed, we should be looking for ways to integrate international perspectives into all of our programs. It is our future.

 

By Tom Gallagher on Monday, May 20, 2002 - 06:47 pm:

I was in the Ukraine when Dr. Ludwig's article was published. When I read it I had to offer my own commentary (sent to JOE this week). It strikes me that Extension, whether it wants to or not, is "going international." No doubt one of the biggest reasons is the tremendous improvement in electronic communication. But the technology would not be important if there was not a strong demand for Extension-type services. I was so overwhelmed by the interest in Extension in the Ukraine that I may be overly optimistic, but....

I look forward to more articles in JOE from authors from other countries, and all of this discussion has me looking at joining AIAEE.

I'm not sure Extension, through its formal offices such as ECOP, really needs to do anything to promote what is already happening. Perhaps we just need to share the value of our overseas experiences and world-wide communications so that we all do our jobs, here, as well as possible.