New Paradigms for U.S. Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century

Abstract: Our present and future economic security depends on our ability as a nation to communicate effectively with potential business partners, customers, and competitors around the world. Our success in the global marketplace is directly related to our ability to understand, appreciate, value, and within foreign cultures, differing sets of social customs, diverse economic contexts, and varied political systems. The colleges and universities that prosper in the future are those that will, among other things, focus foreign language curricula on the needs of students specializing in business and other professions, while modifying their business and professional courses and programs to include foreign languages, international perspectives, and cross-cultural content. This article describes the fundamental changes in U.S. society and the world that are dictating modifications in the rules and assumptions for U.S. higher education, in general, and for instruction in foreign languages, foreign cultures, and professional preparation, in particular.