Nicholas Allen | June 5, 2020
Pitt is increasing its global capacity by ensuring that our faculty and staff are given the opportunities to engage in programs such as UNC World View that focus on the important increasing globalization aspect of our society. We are intent on preparing our students for the world of work that relies on a workforce that is globally and culturally competent.
Dr. Lawrence Rouse is the president of Pitt Community College in Winterville, North Carolina. Dr. Rouse has more than 36 years of experience in administration and was named North Carolina Community College System’s President of the Year in 2016 when he was the president of James Sprunt Community College. Pitt is the sixth largest community college in the North Carolina Community College system. Serving over 24,000 students a year, Pitt offers standard collegiate curriculum as well as continuing education and workforce development programs. The student body comprises diverse backgrounds: 44% White, 39% Black, 7% Hispanic, 6% unknown, 1% Asian, 1% International and 1% American Indian/Alaska Native. Student body gender skews slightly towards female, who make up 61% of their students, while 39% are males.
Dr. Rouse has attended a number of UNC World View programs, including the inaugural Global Education Leaders Program Abroad Ireland 2020, the Latin America and North Carolina Global Education Seminar, The Global Economy: The Future of Work Community College Symposium, and East Asia: The Past in the Present Seminar. Additionally, Pitt Community College hosted the first ever Global is Local workshop in 2019. Rouse emphasized the importance of maintaining a global perspective at his school. “I have served at two institutions as president and World View has played a significant role in shaping how I lead my campus. I advocate for internationalizing curricula as well as bringing experiences to students to broaden their understanding of the global society that we live in.” Moreover, he acknowledged the responsibility of institutes of higher education to educate students on the global nature of our world. Indeed, without knowledge about the world that contextualizes them, technical skills and specialized knowledge wouldn’t be complete.
When it comes to global focus, Dr. Rouse isn’t taking a passive stance. He noted, “As a president, I support study abroad and visits to other countries to allow students and faculty to bring back their experiences to share with the campus.” This isn’t rhetoric either, at the inaugural Global is Local program, N.C. Scholar of Global Distinction students from Pitt gave a presentation that outlines global influences of life in Greenville, a strong testament to a campus culture of global exchange. Dr. Rouse is promoting global mindsets on his campus, but he’s also embracing global experiences for himself.
Visiting Ireland through UNC World View’s Global Education Leaders Program Abroad was an important trip for him. “Ireland was an incredible experience for me as we viewed the country through many lenses,” he said, “As a professional, the visit renewed my understanding and support of global education as a part of educating and empowering people for success.” The cohort of educational leaders from North Carolina got to witness education in Ireland firsthand across the grade levels and into college and connect with local educators about global topics. “The Ireland visit was without a doubt the best professional development experience I have had in my higher education career and as a campus leader,” Rouse noted. Global experiences like his are just one log on a global education fire that is already burning on Pitt’s campus:
Pitt is increasing its global capacity by ensuring that our faculty and staff are given the opportunities to engage in programs such as UNC World View that focus on the important increasing globalization aspect of our society. We are intent on preparing our students for the world of work that relies on a workforce that is globally and culturally competent.
Dr. Rouse’s goal-focused global intentions speak to a campus mindset that is fundamentally global, not merely an afterthought.
Adversity in the face of progress, however, is universal, and Dr. Rouse understands the complications that coronavirus poses for global education. “COVID-19 has affected my thinking regarding global and global education both negatively and positively,” he explained, “The negative is the rapid spread of a new virus that has no defense against it and the lives that are lost because we were not prepared has set globalization and global education back.” Study abroad programs across the world have been put indefinitely on hold, and Pitt is no exception. Isolation from the individual to the national level is an important safety measure right now, and Dr. Rouse believes that we can make something good out of it. “The positive is that we will learn how to respond and prevent global pandemics by communicating across cultural boundaries. That communication will foster better understanding and cooperation around the world,” he expounded, “In my opinion, we will learn to work together to be stronger as a global society and part of that working together begins with global education.” That sort of optimism about the future is exactly what we need now, and with Dr. Rouse at the helm, the future of Pitt Community College looks brighter than ever.
We are proud of the partnership between Pitt Community College and UNC World View and grateful for all that Dr. Lawrence Rouse does to expand the reach of global education in North Carolina.