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President Eaton Invited to Washington, D.C., Summit on International Education
“Our students are facing an education
and ambition gap,” warned Secretary of Education
Margaret Spellings in an address at the
University Presidents Summit on International
Education January 5–6, 2006, in Washington,
D.C. The summit, co-hosted by Spellings and
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, was a
first-of-its-kind dialogue between academic leaders
and government officials about the future
of U.S. higher education in the global arena.
Seattle Pacific University President Philip
Eaton was among 100 university presidents
from public and private institutions in
all 50 states who participated in the
invitation-only event. Eaton was the
only Council for Christian Colleges
and Universities (CCCU ) member
president in attendance.
“SPU ’s invitation to engage
in this conversation is significant,”
notes David McIntyre Jr. ’86, president
and CEO of TriWest Healthcare
Alliance and an SPU trustee. “It’s a
testament of confidence in President
Eaton’s leadership and in what
Seattle Pacific stands for.”
Engaging the tough issues of
the day is one of the University’s
signature commitments in 2014:
A Blueprint for Excellence — Seattle
Pacific’s guiding document for the
next decade. “We are committed to
knowing and understanding what’s
going on in the world,” says Eaton.
“We want to be part of national conversations,
to be an institution that makes an impact. In a
small, but symbolic, way that was confirmed by
this invitation.”
The summit emphasized the importance of
attracting foreign students and scholars to U.S.
universities, as well as the value of encouraging
American students to study abroad. Although
international student enrollment has declined in
the wake of 9/11, Secretary Rice assured participants, “The United States has never been
more eager to welcome foreign students to our
country.” An equal focus of the summit was the
need to strengthen U.S. education systems so
American students are better equipped to
understand and compete in the global economy.
During the event, President Bush unveiled the
National Security Language Initiative, a proposal
that aims to expand opportunities for U.S. students
to learn nontraditional languages such as
Arabic and Chinese. “Learning a language —
somebody else’s language — is a kind gesture,”
said Bush. “It’s a gesture of interest. It really is a
fundamental way to reach out to somebody and
say, ‘I care about you. I’m interested in not only
how you talk, but how you live.’”
Summit organizers challenged attendees to
assess how well their institutions are preparing
students to live in a global world. How does
Seattle Pacific University measure up? “I am
proud of our commitments at SPU ,” says Eaton.
“We have outstanding programs in science,
math, technology, and teacher education. And
the advantage of a Christian institution is that
we were established to educate and train missionaries.
We have always had a global vision.
Of course, we can do more — we will — and
this summit has given me fresh impetus
to move forward.”
When it comes to the future of this fledgling
partnership between government and higher
education, Eaton says he is hopeful. “I take
people at their word, and I was impressed by the
genuineness of this attempt to bridge the gap
that so often divides us,” he says. “I believe
that there will be follow-through on both sides.”
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