IMI 9th Annual Conference
Current Issues in Intercultural Relations
A Forum for Business, Education and Training Professionals
"If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can make the world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal."
John F. Kennedy, Commencement Address at the American University June 10, 1963
For more than 30 years, the Intercultural Management Institute has worked towards promoting cultural understanding through innovative and dynamic intercultural communications training. Never before have the effects of international communication been so far-reaching and immediate. The lesson is clear: in our global community, we ignore the importance of intercultural relations at our own peril. To that end, IMI has chosen to focus this year's 9 th Annual Conference on current issues in intercultural relations. The impact of immigration, the growing number of educational opportunities abroad, and the increasing importance of public diplomatic relations highlight how current decision-making impact cultures in multiple ways. In our 9 th Annual Conference, we hope to promote discussion and knowledge of these issues and their significance.
The growing debate on the impact of immigration on both the national and international scale has evoked diverse reactions and policies. According to the Pew Hispanic Center, the number of foreign-born residents in the U.S. has grown from 11.1% to 12.5% from 2000 to 2006. The U.S. federal government continues to struggle in creating a fair, yet secure, immigration policy. The European Union produced the Hague-JHA program, which focuses on creating a common immigration and asylum policy for its 25 member states by the year 2010. But not all institutions see immigration as troublesome. The South Korean government welcomed immigration in 2007, acknowledging its importance in their economic growth. And in a striking move, the title "2007 Texan of the Year" was given to "The Illegal Immigrant" by the Dallas Morning News.
Participation of U.S. students studying abroad is also on the rise. According to the Institute for International Education's (IIE's) report "Open Doors 2007", studying abroad has increased 150% in the past decade. In fact, the growth rate from 2005 to 2006 was a remarkable 8.5%. Since the events of September 11, 2001, higher education institutions and college students are increasingly recognizing the importance of understanding cultures by actively participating in them. 40 U.S. colleges now accredit classes taken abroad, and there has been an increase of 3% in international student enrollment. The impact of such educational opportunities is a highly discussed topic between nation leaders and academics alike.
Immigration policies, as well as international educational opportunities, have aided institutional leaders in realizing the growing importance and changing face of public diplomacy. The general public opinion of Americans, as is reported by the Pew Global Attitudes Project, holds a slightly positive ranking in the 60 th out of 100 th percentile in Great Britain, Germany and France. However, polling of specifically Muslim Europeans shows a significantly lower result, placing the general opinion of Americans by Muslim Britains, Germans, and Frenchmen in the low 40s and high 30s out of 100. With regard to their own immigrant populations, student riots in France and Germany's controversial "Muslim Test" in 2006 are issues which have indicated a need for change in public diplomatic relations "in house". As borders and nationalities seem to be fading while ethnic and regional identities are becoming more polarized, addressing these specific issues is more vital to national and international interests than ever before.
With these three issues in the forefront of intercultural concern today, IMI's 9 th Annual Conference will look at and question the course of the future. This year's conference will explore topics in international education, intercultural exchange, immigration, the challenges and opportunities of multicultural institutions, public diplomacy, equal employment opportunities and workforce diversity, emerging global markets, and the role of public and private institutions in the global arena. We welcome you to join in our effort to foster discussion, and assure that the diverse nature of these presentations will construct an educational and exciting experience for everyone.
By Laura Hash, IMI Intern 2008