Last weekend I was invited to attend a meeting at Duke University. It was an especially enriching opportunity to meet some truly exciting scholars and academics who reminded me rather dramatically what my work in advancement is all about. In this time of extreme political polarization there are indeed some truly smart people around us who really do know how to make the world a better place.
Those attending met Dan Ariely, Professor of Behavioral Economics, who not only made behavioral research exciting, but made it relevant to everyday human problem-solving. We met Michael Merson, Director of the Duke Global Health Institute, who demonstrated how creative interdisciplinary projects can mobilize virtually all academic disciplines to focus on solving major global problems. Cathy Davidson, Professor of English and Interdisplinary Studies, explained how the new media world is bringing left and right brain together to change how a whole generation is thinking about everything. And we met many more people at Duke who are just as exciting and relevant to today’s pressing issues.
With the roles of governments changing and big budget cuts a reality the work of supporting these scholars, and the many like them everywhere, is becoming more and more essential every year.
Indeed, this kind of interdisciplinary global education is actually public diplomacy of the first order, and the mobilization of our best talent to address our biggest problems will be critical to saving the planet.
When politicians insist on always going to the extemes of ideology which plunge us into constant conflict, the global challenge of educational and nonprofit institutions will be to bring people together to find real solutions.
I certainly came away from Duke last weekend more energized than ever about my work.
Larry D. Lauer 
Dear Larry:
I’m impressed by your posts and web site. As I may have mentionbed in Durham, I’m on the board of the American College of Greece in Athens and so am particularly attuned to the international issues you raise. awc
As someone who also participated in the Duke weekend, it was particularly gratifying to listen to the two students who presented as part of the Global Health Institute. They were a great reminder of the academic “partnerships” that exist since they had both been dual-enrollment students at a community college thus jump-starting their college careers before heading to the Ivy League. Partnerships are so essential to both business and higher education. We need to find a way to advance these partnerships. With only 17% of the students in higher education in the US being traditional students (HS graduation, 4 years of college, job), the Institutional Advancement arena certainly presents a great opportunity to emphasize the partnerships that exist and how critical they are to helping the US reclaim its #1 — instead of #10 — place in world education.
These kinds of events are exactly why I love working in higher education. AND – why I continue to be passionate about higher education’s role in developing countries. It’s about making the world a better place.
Well said, Larry!