Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, January 27, 1995                   TAG: 9501280010
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: BEVERLY HUSTON SGRO
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

COLLEGE'S GOALS WEREN'T CLEARLY DEFINED

As you mentioned, I've lived in Blacksburg since 1967, and have watched and participated in the marvelous growth of the international and telecommunications industries in this region. As the previous dean of students at Virginia Tech, I counseled students who wished to study abroad, and urged them to take courses that would make them competitive in an international market. I also worked to help obtain internships with potential employers in international business.

This past summer, Gov. Allen asked me to participate in the highly successful North American Free Trade Agreement trade mission, which resulted in millions of dollars of contracts for Southwest Virginia and other regions of the commonwealth. I believe I have valid experience regarding the development of a curriculum that prepares students for international experiences.

You state that I indicated that the Radford University College of Global Studies is ``expendable, because there's little international activity in Western Virginia and it's doubtful there ever will be.'' This is a completely false statement, and one that I never made. I did say, in a different context, that if there were a need for such a college, and I don't believe there is, it should be located in an area where internships in international business could be easily obtained.

However, concern for the global-studies program exists because it lacks a well-developed and articulated curriculum. The program is unclear as to its goals and how to achieve them. The academic requirements for a student wishing to obtain a degree in global-studies aren't clearly defined. While many of the proposed courses are beneficial to an international-business degree, we believe that they'll better serve students of Radford by being incorporated into a broader business curriculum.

This administration will not support any curriculum that doesn't prepare our students for productive futures. This state has a very rich history of higher education, and Radford University has played, and will continue to play, a significant role in the ongoing development of our higher-education system.

Clearly, its mission and role must be defined in ways that make sense for our students and this faculty. There must be measures of accountability and, as secretary of education, I have assumed the responsibility for supporting a statewide higher-education system that will be accountable to our students, faculty and students' potential employers. I look forward to working with the outstanding faculty and administrators at Radford University to refine and strengthen its mission as it positions itself for the next millennium.

Beverly Huston Sgro is secretary of education for Virginia.

Editor's note: The editorial was based on a news story that paraphrased an earlier news story. The earlier story quoted Secretary Sgro as saying: "We're not convinced there's a demand for that kind of program at all. If there were one, I wonder why a global studies program with an international focus would be [located in an area] remote from international activity."