"The University of Kentucky's statutory mandate of attaining "top 20" status among public universities by the year 2020 is a fairly useful tool, but should never be confused with a goal. The law provides very little guidance as to what "top 20" actually means. The lists of national rankings that do exist are largely subjective. Of course, one can move up a rankings list without effort if those at the top suffer declines in perceived quality. Finally, many of the programs and schools at the university enjoy some form of "top 20" status already. Of course the university will obey the law, but it's satisfying to know that leaders at UK aren't simply announcing where they rank - they're explaining why they're relevant.
Last year, UK's Patterson School of International Diplomacy was named a top-20 master's program in a Foreign Policy Magazine poll of political scientists. The Patterson School is currently run by Ambassador Carey Cavanaugh, who has helped develop solutions to conflicts in some of the most politically charged areas of the world. The school's faculty has served in top positions in government and has won distinguished recognition in academia. The school's students draw upon a wealth of their own experiences, from teaching schoolchildren in South Africa to volunteering in the Peace Corps in St. Kitts.
The Patterson School helps us understand that events transpiring thousands of miles away truly do have an impact in the Bluegrass. The war in Iraq is the most salient example. "Many of Kentucky's sons and daughters are serving abroad, and it's our responsibility to understand why they're away," said Robert Farley, an assistant professor who specializes in military doctrine, transnational politics, and national security.
Global companies, governments, and non-governmental organizations value the Patterson School as a wellspring of talent and ideas. For some reason, however, the school doesn't always get the same reaction locally. "I don't think the local community knows about us that much," said Angie Van Berkel, a Patterson School graduate student. "I tell people what I'm studying, and it's a conversation stopper."
Don't confuse Van Berkel's comments with snobbery - this unassuming former high school teacher was educated right here at UK. She's interested in exploring "historical perspectives on why things are the way they are," and focuses much of her attention on helping people in the poorest places on earth. Van Berkel's global interests must compete in a city where comparisons to Louisville or Knoxville are much more common - and it doesn't matter if the topic is business or basketball.
Of course, the idea of local priorities over global outreach isn't unique to Kentucky. American political sentiment has taken an isolationist turn, as Congress moves to erect physical barriers at our borders and economic barriers in our trade agreements. Popular support for free trade in the United States is considerably lower than in most other countries. A recent survey conducted in 20 countries by Angus Reid Strategies found that two-thirds of worldwide respondents and a majority in 19 of the 20 countries thought removing import restrictions and increasing free trade was the best way to improve their own economies. The only country in which a majority disagreed was the United States.
Foreign Policy Magazine's other rankings illustrate this isolationism further. In a comparison of economic integration through trade agreements of 62 countries, the United States ranked dead last - behind countries like China, Kenya, and Iran. In a separate comparison of 21 rich countries' commitment to ending global poverty through development, the United States ranked a mediocre thirteenth.
The only way these attitudes (and policies) will change is if institutions such as the Patterson School make the case for relevance in their communities and urge people to think of issues in a global context. To this end, Ambassador Cavanaugh makes a fine point: "there isn't a business in Kentucky, large or small, that isn't in some way affected by the global economy."
For example, two of the area's largest employers - Alltech and Lexmark - are global companies with many local vendors and customers. The Kentucky Horse Park just played host in November to a delegation from Mongolia. Even small businesses like "Elegantly Handled" - a woman-owned, local gift-basket business that gets raves from the folks at Commerce Lexington - takes orders via Internet and ships products abroad.
The simple truth is this: businesses that don't take the time to know their customers and give them what they want invariably fail. Ninety-seven percent of the world's customers live beyond our soon-to-be walled-up borders. "Local businesses need people like us who can help them understand foreign cultures," said John Drury, another Patterson School graduate student who has an undergraduate degree at UK and has lived in Kentucky for years. Drury said that one way he and his colleagues can help local companies is to help them understand the informal yet important customs that mean so much to business. For example, he points out that in some cultures, it's deeply offensive to simply sit with your legs crossed and have the sole of your shoe pointed at another person. Such an act can end a business meeting before it starts.
"This kind of information isn't always in textbooks, but it's valuable to businesses everywhere," Drury said. "I think we're an important resource, and we all just want to help."
David Wescott is a Lexington-based senior associate for APCO Worldwide, a global public affairs firm headquartered in Washington, D.C.