Global Competence Lecture held at GZIC

On October 10, the 2024-2025 GZIC Global Competence Scheme inaugurated with a lecture by Dr. Sandra Reineke, Director of the University Honors Program and Associate Professor of political science at the University of Idaho.

During the opening of the Scheme, Vice President Li Weiqing delivered an opening speech.  Dr. Li advised students to read expansively, leverage the campus's resources to study world history, economics, and societal development, while embracing cultural diversity. She highlighted crucial life skills beyond the classroom-competencies that would serve students for a lifetime. Her closing call—Learn at SCUT, Aspire for the World—resonated powerfully with the attendees.  

The lecture, titled with Why Global Competency Matters to You, delves into the critical role of global competency in today’s society and workplace, helping students understand how to enhance their cross-cultural adaptability and communication skills. Dr. Reineke deconstructed key concepts of global, globalism, globalization through case studies, identifying three core competencies: Exploratory ability, Strategic problem-solving, Effective communication. She also engaged the audience with interactive discussions, advising students to: 

participate in international exchanges and global conferences/competitions, develop critical thinking to navigate globalization's complexities, and utilize campus resources to build decision-making agility.  

Since its launch in November 2021, GZIC Global Competence Scheme has integrated high-quality international resources both inside and outside the university, offering a variety of thematic modules including lectures on global hot topics, interdisciplinary academic reports, cross-cultural communication training, English language proficiency enhancement, academic writing and integrity guidance, and overseas study planning. This has significantly enriched students' extracurricular activities, fostered a positive international atmosphere and broadened global perspective. To date, 30 renowned global experts lectures and thematic events have been hosted with over 4000 faculty and students participating in the scheme.

(Source from SCUT News, translated by XU Cenlin, final review by WU Zhaosheng, posted by LEI Pengpeng, Office of Global Affairs)