Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Global Issues Gateway (http://www.gig.org), an educational Web site providing learning resources and in-depth analysis of global topics, will debut next month.

The site will feature original content from the FDU community and selected articles and features from a wide range of sources.

“The ultimate goal is to promote global learning,” said Jason Scorza, philosophy/political science (Metro), who is the general editor of the site. “FDU’s mission is to offer a global education, and this site represents an opportunity to take another step forward and provide global learning for a broader audience.”

The Web site will be divided into subsections on culture, economics, ethics, politics and science. FDU faculty will edit the various areas. Walter Cummins, English, emeritus (Flor), and Nandita Ghosh, English (Flor), will oversee the cultural explorations. Sorin Tuluca, economics/finance (Flor), will manage the economics material. Odysseus Makridis, philosophy (Flor), will edit the ethics subsection. Scorza will head the area devoted to politics and Christopher Devine, chemistry/philosophy (Metro), and Marion McClary, biology (Metro), will direct the science pages.

The editors will regularly pull articles and features relating to their fields of expertise from various sources and post or link to them on the site. With the content management system in place, each editor will be able to easily update and create pages from anywhere.

Scorza explains that the goal is not to be a comprehensive outlet for information and news, but rather a very selective digest that focuses exclusively on “issues that truly transcend boundaries and cultures in a meaningful way.”

Scorza adds that a central focus is the emphasis on showcasing FDU’s unique endeavors and publishing original material. “We’re going to draw special attention to our rich resources and programs in global education.”

In addition to editing the site’s content, FDU faculty will offer original materials such as reviews and commentary. Global Virtual Faculty™ will serve as guest editors or Global Scholars in Residence (GSR) and will offer writings and dispatches from their corners of the globe as well as host discussions. The first GSR is Kumar Ketkar, a journalist and editor from India. FDU forums and global education events also will be highlighted. A special section will be devoted to FDU’s United Nations Pathways program, and all U.N. lectures and videoconferences will be available via streaming media.

Another section of the site will focus on global education for K–12 teachers. “We want to promote the integration of global education at university and K–12 levels by producing and/or maintaining links to lesson plans and other educational materials related to global affairs for primary and secondary school teachers,” Scorza said.

The site will be continually evolving, and future plans include, among other things, the offering of short online courses.

The Web site, which is being published by the Office of Global Learning, has been under intense development for the past year.

Scorza paid tribute to the team responsible for the site’s creation. “It’s been a collective effort, and I want to thank the many faculty and staff who have created the site and who will guide its development and ensure its success.”

March 2004

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Flor =
College at Florham, Madison, N.J.

Metro =
Metropolitan Campus, Teaneck, N.J.

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