Gov. Patrick Visits the Isenberg School to discuss Cultural Education Initiative

October 23, 2009

In an October 21 visit to the Isenberg School, Governor Deval Patrick, found considerable  common ground with his student hosts--members of the Jewish Leaders in Business, Muslim Student Association, and Association of Diversity in Sports.  The students asked  the governor for his support for their proposed program,  the Cultural Education Initiative, devoted to the study of different cultures and pragmatic cooperation among individuals from different cultural backgrounds. The initiative would entail  in-depth study of several cultures, accompanying case work involving decision making and problem solving, and an integrative capstone project.

Business is global; businesspeople who understand how to work with various cultures have an edge, observed Carolyn Ware '11, co-president of the Jewish Leaders in Business and an  Isenberg hospitality major.  Diverse cultural perspectives are essential to innovation and improvement in the work place, noted marketing/journalism major Zamil Akhtar '10.

Governor Patrick and the students both framed diversity--inside and outside the workplace--in global multicultural terms. Recalling the affirmative action debates of the 1980s and 1990s,  the governor observed, "The multicultural reality of globalization has overtaken that debate.  That reality must be faced and seized with 21st century skills--[skills like  teamwork that tap cultural and disciplinary diversity to leverage innovation and competitiveness], he emphasized. "The best schools teach you how to draw out  diverse skills and perspectives. You start at different places but wind up solving problems together. Tell me who to write to on behalf of your proposal and I will write," he promised the students.

After his visit to the Isenberg School, the governor participated in a panel discussion, attended by 600  at the Student Union, that explored how Massachusetts can attract and retain younger workers. See video clip.