A partnership of study and service with Pacific Lutheran University, Norway's Hedmark University College, and the University of Namibia. The three institutions have formally agreed to study peace, democracy and development together, drawing on their respective faculties and students. Cooperative activities began in 2001.
Purpose: To enable students to become world citizens, aware of global problems and committed to
creating constructive responses to these problems in the spirit of democracy and peace.
Philosophy: The Norway/Namibia project is faith in action. The emphasis is on serving others and making a difference in the world; to become world citizens, aware of global problems and committed to
creating constructive responses to these problems in the spirit of democracy and peace.
Goals:
Activities:
Why Pacific Lutheran University?
Pacific Lutheran's mission is to educate students for lives of thoughtful inquiry, service, leadership, and care.
International education has a long history at the university, which was founded by Norwegians in 1890. The university always offered instruction in Norwegian; since 1977, students have majored in Scandinavian Areas Studies. Annually, a high number of students from Norway and Sweden enroll at PLU. Other international programs include Global Studies, Chinese Studies, the Americas, International Business, and Environmental Studies. The Wang Center was established in 2002 to advance the university's international programs and profile.
Pacific Lutheran integrates the liberal arts and professional studies and places high value on close interaction between students and teacher-scholars. It is thus ideally suited to fostering excellence in student-faculty research and to involving students from diverse fields like education, nursing and the sciences in international study.
Why examine the Scandinavian approaches to building a more peaceful world?
The Scandinavian countries are recognized leaders in peace and justice advocacy. They see the standard for economic assistance to the developing world and have evolved aide strategies focusing on actual situations that employ the ideas and partnership of the people directly affected.
Norwegian aid is channeled through both multilateral organizations and a host of non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Studying these approaches and charting their results will advance the capacity of future generations to deal constructively with issues such as interethnic conflict and global poverty. How are partnerships established and sustained? What are the effects of long-term engagement with a partner country? Where have there been successes and where have desired outcomes not been realized and why?
Why Namibia?
Namibia is one of Norway's partner countries in southern Africa. One of the last African countries to gain independence, Namibia is a republic struggling with the legacy of apartheid and the need for sustainable development.
The Namibian Association of Norway has been engaged with projects in the region since 1890; their current focus is on education. The headquarters of the Namibia Association of Norway are located in Elverum, Norway, and Hedmark University College has established ties with that organization and with the University of Namibia, itself a young and evolving institution of higher learning.
The Norway/Namibia project builds upon existing partnerships to maximum the benefits to the local population as well as to the student and faculty participants. More can be accomplished quickly in this way.
What are the benefits of the Norway/Namibia project?
Program participants equip themselves to become effective global leaders to make a difference in the world.
Overseas study offers valuable understanding of issues and responses from the "inside." Service and research activities in the field aim to improve the quality of life for people, while generating learning. As research findings are compiled and disseminated, enhanced school curricula and public policy initiatives will evolve, leading to improvements in how work with developing countries is structured and sustained.
This unique program highlights the foreign aid and development practices of the Scandinavian countries, in partnership with private, church-related higher education in the United States. As such, it offers an unprecedented opportunity for cross-cultural understanding and productive advocacy for democracy and peace.
Contact information
For program information and to discuss opportunities in the project, contact Neal Sobania, PhD, Executive Director, Wang Center for International Programs. Email: sobania@plu.edu