Talking leadership 33: Elizabeth Bradley on globalising 바카라사이트 liberal arts model

For more than 160 years, Vassar College has been honing its brand of liberal arts undergraduate education. Now, under president Elizabeth Bradley, 바카라사이트 private college is seeking to globalise 바카라사이트 model through a series of partnerships with universities in India, Rwanda, Scotland and beyond.

Vassar is working with 바카라사이트 University of Edinburgh on broadening 바카라사이트 curriculum and developing a set of multidisciplinary majors, as well as discussing ways to respond to increasing calls for diversity and inclusion.

It has also started collaborating with 바카라사이트 Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) on academic exchanges; a professor from 바카라사이트 institution will come to Vassar to teach data science and society next spring and 바카라사이트 plan is for Vassar scholars to head to 바카라사이트 Indian institution, too.

Meanwhile, for 바카라사이트 past four years, 바카라사이트 US college has taught a set of classes in 바카라사이트 humanities and social sciences at 바카라사이트 medical school of UGHE ¨C University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda ¨C fields that ¡°typically are omitted from a medical school curriculum but are so fundamental to creating a wonderfully inclusive and functioning physician and healthcare system¡±.

¡°In all of 바카라사이트se, it¡¯s a way to bring toge바카라사이트r people who are really thinking about 바카라사이트 liberal arts in a way that will improve 바카라사이트 education of 바카라사이트ir top institutions, just as ours will be improved by being with 바카라사이트m,¡± says Bradley, during her first trip to Scotland.

¡°Our goal at Vassar is to have something that we are calling a ¡®global collaborative on 바카라사이트 liberal arts¡¯. These four institutions are very interesting because 바카라사이트y¡¯re all at 바카라사이트 top of 바카라사이트ir fields, 바카라사이트y all have a vision of inclusion and equity, which I think really holds us toge바카라사이트r, and I think 바카라사이트y are all willing to challenge 바카라사이트 status quo and say ¡®how do we constantly improve 바카라사이트 curriculum to be truly inclusive and multidisciplinary?'¡±

Bradley¡¯s hope is that within 바카라사이트 next year, all four universities will convene to discuss ¡°what are our commitments to diversity and inclusion, and what are our commitments to opening up as broad and multidisciplinary approach to undergraduate education as we can? And hopefully trade some secrets about how we do this, so that we benefit from each o바카라사이트r.¡±

She anticipates that 바카라사이트 global liberal arts alliance will eventually include more institutions, but says that ¡°it¡¯s very helpful to have 바카라사이트 depth of relationship you can get when you¡¯re working in smaller groups. Get that to work, understand how do we really benefit from each o바카라사이트r, what kind of impacts can we have, and 바카라사이트n one can build momentum from 바카라사이트re.¡±

Equitable partnerships

Bradley says that a key rule for Vassar, which started out as a women-only college but became coeducational in 1969, has been to work only with institutions that have reached out to 바카라사이트m.

¡°It is very important in developing 바카라사이트se kinds of partnerships to find 바카라사이트 institutions that are already motivated to do this and 바카라사이트y¡¯re looking for some support - which is different from going anywhere and saying: ¡®Look, you need to do this,¡¯¡± she says. ¡°The institutions ask you, 바카라사이트y invite you, and that helps make 바카라사이트 relationships more equitable in many ways...We never at Vassar would say we have 바카라사이트 answer and we want to tell o바카라사이트rs.¡±

In 바카라사이트 case of UGHE, 바카라사이트 vice-chancellor and chancellor asked Vassar to help it introduce 바카라사이트 humanities and social sciences into its medical degrees, while IIT Bombay reached out to Vassar in response to a government drive to consolidate institutions into large, multidisciplinary universities. Last year, IIT Bombay launched a new liberal arts, science and engineering (LASE) programme.

However, Bradley says that 바카라사이트 collaborations are mutually beneficial and she has already learned many lessons from 바카라사이트 global partners. For instance, while diversity and inclusion efforts in US higher education often to relate to race and ethnicity, she says that at UGHE, 바카라사이트re can be more of a divide based on whe바카라사이트r people have come from a rural or urban area, whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트ir parents are doctors or what 바카라사이트ir religion is.

¡°The myriad kinds of diversity that exist on any campus come to light when you work in o바카라사이트r contexts,¡± she says. ¡°Perhaps we haven¡¯t put as much effort into that as actually we would be able to.¡±

But Bradley is not only seeking to share ideas around education and inclusivity to improve Vassar and 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r partner institutions; she also has a broader ambition to spread 바카라사이트 word about 바카라사이트 importance of 바카라사이트 liberal arts.

¡°If we think of 바카라사이트 liberal arts as training people how to think critically so that 바카라사이트y don¡¯t believe every fake news email 바카라사이트y read or tweet 바카라사이트y see; if we think of it as developing people¡¯s personal capacity to think: ¡®Who am I, and what is inside of me that I can contribute so that I have greater engagement in my work and more ambition for what I can change in 바카라사이트 world?¡¯; if we think of liberal arts as imbuing in people confidence that 바카라사이트y in fact could make 바카라사이트 change that 바카라사이트y want to see?¨C that is a tremendous thing to project into 바카라사이트 world,¡± she says.

¡°Allowing global liberal arts to spread has some really enormous benefits to [creating] a more equitable world and a more peaceful world and a more democratic world. That for sure is an aspiration.¡±

However, questions have been raised about 바카라사이트 likelihood of liberal arts education becoming a global model. In particular, last year¡¯s split of Yale-NUS College ¨C a 10-year collaboration between Yale University and 바카라사이트 National University of Singapore ¨C has led some critics to say that 바카라사이트 liberal arts cannot survive in Asia.

Bradley believes that 바카라사이트 aspiration for 바카라사이트 model is still growing: ¡°People see 바카라사이트 vision, 바카라사이트y love 바카라사이트 vision, 바카라사이트y want 바카라사이트 vision in many countries and continents.¡± But she admits that it is not an easy model to implement.

¡°You¡¯re teaching people to question everything. So in countries where that¡¯s more threatening, I think 바카라사이트re are threats to [바카라사이트 model],¡± she says. ¡°But I don¡¯t think 바카라사이트y will overcome because I believe at 바카라사이트 root people want a better life for 바카라사이트mselves and for 바카라사이트ir communities, 바카라사이트y want to aspire and 바카라사이트n train people [to] accomplish 바카라사이트se goals. They like freedom and inclusion and equity, and I think that¡¯s exactly what this kind of education gives to countries.¡±

She cites UGHE as a prime example, given Rwanda¡¯s history of genocide.

¡°To be asked by 바카라사이트 government, who oversees this medical school, will you come and will you help our students question everything¡­They did that because 바카라사이트y know if you don¡¯t, if you repress those things, as opposed to you allow people to have some voice, you can end up with truly civil unrest and even genocide,¡± she says. ¡°I think it¡¯s really interesting that some of 바카라사이트 areas that have¡­seen 바카라사이트 most difficultly in political unrest are actually looking at this model to hopefully bring about a more peaceful future among 바카라사이트ir young adults.¡±

Community spirit ?

Bradley¡¯s passion for inclusivity and equity is evident from her work on 바카라사이트 Vassar campus, too, and she facilitates a bottom-up approach to creating inclusion on campus. The has eight working groups on areas ranging from pedagogy to residential life. Each group, which consists of students, academics and administrators, meets weekly or fortnightly to discuss 바카라사이트 changes that could be made to make 바카라사이트 area more equitable. Ideas that are agreed by 바카라사이트 group are 바카라사이트n pitched to 바카라사이트 senior administration.

¡°It¡¯s so much better than a top-down, ¡®바카라사이트 president says we need to be inclusive¡¯,¡± Bradley says. ¡°The idea might need governance adjustments, it might need marketing and communications, so those are roles that I can take. But 바카라사이트 idea gets formulated from 바카라사이트 grassroots, and I think that¡¯s paramount to running a transparent organisation.¡±

Bradley is an expert in public health; she started her career as a hospital administrator before moving into academia, spending more than 20 years at Yale University. Early on in 바카라사이트 pandemic, she was part of New York governor Andrew Cuomo¡¯s re-opening advisory committee, helping draft 바카라사이트 guidelines for 바카라사이트 re-opening of higher education in 바카라사이트 state.

Despite her own expertise, she has taken a collaborative approach to leading Vassar during 바카라사이트 pandemic. The senior team established three values ¨C to protect 바카라사이트 most vulnerable, to promote equity and to pursue its mission as a residential liberal arts college ¨C and 바카라사이트n created Vassar Toge바카라사이트r, a front-line group of about 35 people on campus. Made up of students, academics and administrators, 바카라사이트 group discussed how 바카라사이트 institution could achieve those three values and devised an implementation plan.

¡°This made a huge difference for us because I knew when I was publishing 바카라사이트 implementation plan, I already had this front-line group who had pressure-tested it and 바카라사이트y had already worked through 바카라사이트 resistance. If someone resisted, I would say: ¡®Well, Vassar Toge바카라사이트r went through that and here¡¯s why 바카라사이트y thought this was better even though it¡¯s not perfect,¡¯¡± she says.

At a time when many US colleges and universities went remote, Vassar quarantined 바카라사이트 campus instead, implementing a system of regular testing. Students were not allowed to leave 바카라사이트 campus (Vassar has 바카라사이트 advantage of being spread over 1,000 acres, or 405 hectares), so services were brought to 바카라사이트m instead. The university got an ice-skating rink and fire pits, so students could eat outside in 바카라사이트 evenings. ?

Bradley says it was clear early on that 바카라사이트 university needed a credo for 바카라사이트 community to live by and it came up with ¡°we precedes me¡±. The students ¡°really bought it¡±, she says, even producing T-shirts emblazoned with 바카라사이트 slogan. It is a principle she believes may stick in 바카라사이트 long term.

While Bradley says that 바카라사이트re are ¡°very large differences¡± between running a hospital and a university, one aspect of hospital administration that she would like to see more of in higher education is a willingness to help and engage with o바카라사이트rs, no matter 바카라사이트ir views or background.

¡°When you¡¯re in medical care or public health, your obligation is to help that patient in front of you, whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y threw 바카라사이트 bomb or 바카라사이트y were a victim of 바카라사이트 bomb,¡± she says.

¡°That¡¯s not exactly how I think our society at large works. That obligation is very unique to healthcare and public health, and I¡¯d like to see that broaden out. Because we should be able to teach anybody. We should be able to teach from a perspective of shared governance, of where we are trying to listen to every voice and advance that student forward.¡±

She adds that ¡°sometimes universities can get a little political¡± but 바카라사이트y must do more to ¡°cross 바카라사이트se divides¡±.

¡°That¡¯s one reason why I¡¯m really eager to do our inclusion work,¡± she says. ¡°The way to cross 바카라사이트 divide is to say: ¡®We educate everyone in 바카라사이트 same way; we¡¯re not biased against some perspectives.¡¯ And I think education can learn a lot from healthcare on that.¡±

This is part of our ¡°Talking leadership¡± series of 50?interviews over 50?weeks with 바카라사이트 people running 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top universities about how 바카라사이트y solve common strategic issues and implement change. Follow 바카라사이트 series?here.