At a federal conference a year or so ago, then-President Mote from this campus told officials that (and we think he intended this to be a positive statement at the time) one of the features of our big emphasis on “study abroad” opportunities at UM is so that our students will fare better when they try to relocate to places like China to find technology work. (We understand this point didn’t go over very well.)
We see this issue underscored further by today’s NYT article about how Apple computer has almost entirely switched its manufacturing sourcing to China.
Some places educate their young to demonstrate excellence. Others educate them to expect equality. Guess which of these models is rewarded with success on the world market?
Maryland is increasing the regulatory and tax burden on its remaining companies now, while implementing spend plans – not education plans – so all issue groups get a ‘fair share’ of the education industry pie. Our majors should think about squeezing in some language courses (Mandarin or Portuguese, say) along the way to graduation. It will help when you have to move to where the high tech industries have gone.