March 11, 2008
“Adopt the World: Learn About It”
University of Miami’s Master of Arts in International Administration program partners with Miami Dade County Schools To Teach Students About Global Issues
Coral Gables, FL. (March 11, 2008) – The University of Miami’s Master of Arts in International Administration (MAIA) program has partnered with Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) to provide world affairs modules that will teach middle and high schools students about major global issues.
The community outreach program, named “Adopt The World: Learn About It,” will be introduced in select middle and high schools in the fall semester as part of the regular curriculum. MAIA Professors Vendulka Kubálková and David Ellis created the program in conjunction with groups of MAIA graduate students in developing the teaching modules.
“To succeed in the 21st century, it is critical that students know the major global issues and their impact on their and others’ lives,” said Kubalkova. “We are doing this as a community outreach program hoping to help teachers and students to understand the major issues affecting our world.”
As a complement to the classroom work, MAIA will host a series of talks, called “The World at Risk Lecture Series,” which will bring UM experts together with internationally recognized leaders to talk about a comprehensive spectrum of global issues, including terrorism, human rights, the world’s economy, the environment and health. In addition to being open to the UM community, each “World at Risk” lecture will host hundreds of M-DCPS students and their teachers in order to bring the module content to life.
The first lecture will be on Monday, March 17 at 5 p.m. at Storer Auditorium, 5250 University Drive, on the UM Coral Gables campus. Panelists for this inaugural lecture include Ramesh Thakur, former Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations, now Distingushed Fellow, The Centre for International Governance Innovation, Tom Farer, Dean of the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver and Michael Connolly, UM professor of Economics, Otis Brown, Dean of Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Douglas L. McElhaney, MAIA Ambassador in Residence and Sherri L. Porcelain, Director of the Disaster Research Program for Global Public Health.
Dr. Kubálková will serve as moderator and UM Senior Vice Provost William S. Green with the School System Assistant superintendent Millie Fornell representing the superintendant Dr. Crew, will introduce the inaugural lecture. The program is free and open to the public.
Experts agree that U.S. students must have greater awareness and knowledge of world issues, different cultures and the interconnectedness of today’s economy, communications and politics, if they are to be successful in the future.
“Kids do not know much about the world,’’ said Robert C. Brazofsky, supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction in Social Sciences for the Miami Dade County Public Schools. “The Adopt the World curriculum is a terrific tool because it will instruct the teachers about these issues who will, in turn, teach the students.”
The teaching modules, which include topics such as HIV/AIDS in the World, Forms of Terrorism and Democratic Transitions, are designed to work well with curriculum that focuses on prepping the students for the “FCAT” (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test), said Brazofsky.
As the school year progresses, students and teachers involved in the program will be encouraged to participate in multiple educational activities that would culminate in an annual award ceremony to be held at UM where it is certified that the students and schools have “Adopted the World!”
For more information about the program, please call 305-284-8783 or log onto www.maiaprogram.org/index_ATW.html.
# # #
The University of Miami’s mission is to educate and nurture students, to create knowledge, and to provide service to our community and beyond. Committed to excellence and proud of our diversity of our University family, we strive to develop future leaders of our nation and the world. www.miami.edu.
Media Contact:
Barbara Gutierrez
bgutierrez@miami.edu
305-284-5500
