Global Peace through the Global University System
(Book Review, August 9, 2006)
Reviewer:
Joanne
K. Kumekawa, MBA
Director, Kingston eHealth
First Light Initiative
1260 21st Street
Washington, DC 20036
202.607.8333
Fax: 240.209.0784
jkumekawa@hotmail.com
Textbook
Details:
Global
Peace through the Global University System
Tapio
Varis, Takeshi Utsumi, and William Klemm
2003,
GUS and Research Centre for Vocational Education
Hameenlinna,
Finland
ISBN
951-44-5695-5
517 Pages
This book is actually a
compendium of speeches and essays that provide a vision and possible Ònext
stepsÓ in creating a Global University System (GUS) whose purpose is to educate
those involved in global peacemaking. GUS has completed the initial stages of researching
the technology, programming, partnership and management models for its global
system.
The online book is divided into
four parts. Part I includes speeches from high-level contributors from the
United Nations and other national leaders who offer an overarching vision for
the future, in which information and communications technology can impact
globalization, education and culture. They broadly paint the shift from an
industrial society to a knowledge-based society that promises life long learning
for the masses without regard to socio-economic status, geographic location as
well as a vision for greater multiculturalism, the new workplace, and broader
access to health, education and training.
Parts II and III focus more
specifically on the mission, structure and function of the Global University
System and elaborates on its vision of peace through global-scale education, by
using technology to interconnect and foster mutual understanding among nations,
cultures, ethnic groups, and religions. Contributors to these sections offer a
wide range of opinions on how technology can change the way people interact and
collaborate with one another, how they think and learn. Some like the UK Open
University offer practical advice based on experience in developing and
expanding its distance-learning program in partnership with 50 other open
universities in a number of different countries.
The GUS concept is unique not
only for its global scale ambition but also for its innovative approach to
peace making. GUS takes the long view to peace making by focusing on
Multicultural Collaboration, Peace Education and a Culture of Peace that is not
limited to negotiation, mediation, education and training or other conventional
approaches. Instead GUS founders and other authors in Part II and III point to
the need for discussions about moral values and the promotion of ÒrightÓ
behavior on a global scale. Thus the ÒGlobal University System (GUS) is
adopting philosophies and principles that emphasize trans-cultural and moral values
rather than ideologiesÓ (Utsumi, et al., 2001).
Shared trans-cultural and moral
values serve in turn as the basis for a Culture of Peace. A number of articles
in Part II discuss this concept from different perspectives. One article
provides ancient historic examples of shifts towards multicultural
collaboration, facilitated by technology in the Middle East. Another highlights
the philosophy of peace education development at the individual, family
community, national and international setting. In an article about learning in
agro-pastoral Africa, the author emphasizes the importance of life long
learning and raises the question about reaching even nomadic indigenous
peoples, using technology.
These articles also suggest that
to foster multicultural collaboration, life long learning and peace education
on a global scale, a global communications network should be created, using
broadband satellite wireless technology, the Internet, and Information and
other Communication Technology (ICT) modalities, which can be deployed on a
wide scale to reach even remote areas or indigenous populations that could
be linked to a network of knowledge centers.
Part III and IV include a number
of articles that describe in greater depth the technology that could be used in
building out a global networked communications system. Articles provide an
introduction to trends in broadband wireless satellite communications, fiber
and wireless terrestrial communications and the advantages of asynchronous
telecommunications in distance education.
Part IV also looks more closely
at some practical applications for such a global networked technology including
academic research, global education, E-University Administration, sustainable
community development and E-health and Telemedicine. The contributors to the
E-Health and Telemedicine articles discuss a range of pilot projects such as
Vi@Salud of Venezuela and Virtual Reality Environments for experiential
learning. Generally speaking Telemedicine is the use of information and communication
technologies (ICTs) to provide clinical care at a distance whereas E-Health is
considered a broader concept and can include informatics, patient and
professional health-related education, public health and health administration
as well Telemedicine.
Vi@Salud is being developed as a
pilot with the School of Medicine in Venezuela, which would initially use a
combination of Print, Television, Internet, and prerecorded programming to
reach health providers. A student would first watch programming on television
and then go to the Web for study guides, tests, and links to virtual medical
libraries etc.
Conclusion
This book presents a challenging
vision of achieving world peace through global peace education and provides a
solid introduction to the Global University System. The book not only
highlights GUSÕ focus on peace education and the importance of shared
trans-cultural and moral values as a way to global peace but also provides
examples of Universities that already offer distance education on a large scale
as well as the technology, the philosophy and the practical applications that
underpin its global peace education system. Given the scope of the book,
contributors to the book are drawn from a wide range of backgrounds, not just
education, and offer an interesting glimpse into new ways of developing and
promoting peace and a culture of peace.
Although several authors discuss
the concept of multicultural collaboration and Òcollaboratories,Ó using
information and communication technology on a global scale, no author discusses
a practical application for telemedicine that might bring people together to
work on issues such as AIDS, SARS and other infectious diseases that are
borderless and require a coordinated effort and cooperation between and among
nations to respond. Especially since these infectious diseases can mutate
rapidly, managing these diseases will require sharing of knowledge and
innovations as well as ongoing training and education for health care
providers. Up-to-date information is critical for epidemiologists and using a
global communications network may be the most efficient and cost effective way
of meeting this health challenge.
Billions may be spent on AIDS,
malaria and other infectious diseases in the coming years but if the money is spent
on different projects that are separate and not connected, there will be fewer
opportunities to collaborate in real time and to learn from each success,
failure and innovation. When there is greater connection, communication and
multicultural collaboration among these so-called silo projects, there is the
possibility that innovation developed by one project can be replicated and
improved upon by another project and then extended exponentially throughout a
network of cooperating projects. Although this reviewer is not familiar with
the current level of cooperation among nations as it relates to tracking
infectious disease, it is interesting to note that even as the United States
and Israel have withdrawn aid to Palestine during the latest conflicts, Israel
continues to support aid to Palestine to control Avian flu.
***********************************************************
Secretariat, Emerging GLOBAL UNIVERSITY SYSTEM (GUS) CONSORTIUM
Chairman: Takeshi Utsumi, Ph.D.; Vice Chairman: Louis Padulo, Ph.D.;
Board Members: David Johnson, Ph.D., Peter Knight, Ph.D., Joseph Pelton,
Ph.D., Tapio Varis, Ph.D.;
Secretary: Ben Haraguchi, J.D.; Treasurer: Hisae Utsumi