Now More Than Ever

In December 2001, Macalester took out a full-page advertisement in the New York Times celebrating United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan ’61, who recently had won the Nobel Peace Prize. In the ad, published during the wave of visa restrictions and anti-immigrant sentiment following the September 11 terrorist attacks, Macalester President Michael McPherson underscored the vital role of colleges and universities in fostering connections across borders, reminding readers that Annan himself had entered the United States through a student visa.

“Education remains the most important vehicle we have for promoting international understanding,” McPherson wrote then. “We should be encouraging American students to learn all they can about the lives and the histories of people around the world. We should encourage young people to study abroad—and not only in the more familiar territory of England and France, but in Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America as well. By the same token, we must keep the doors of American education open to students from all corners of the world. . . . Real education is the enemy both of fanaticism and of complacency.”

McPherson’s reflection—as timely today as it was then—ran under the headline “International Education. Now More Than Ever.”

Nearly twenty-five years after the ad’s publication, I notice the phrase “now more than ever” coming up frequently in conversations about Macalester’s mission and values in the current climate. Is it possible to wear out this language, like the adjective “unprecedented” or the verb “pivot,” both ubiquitous during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic? Is there a point at which “now more than ever” starts to become cliché because the work of promoting global citizenship keeps feeling so urgently relevant?

To me, the phrase “now more than ever” honors the consistent, enduring values that have shaped this community for generations—and will continue to propel us into the future. It evokes the “ever the same” message in our college song, “Dear Old Macalester.” These cherished values provide a strong foundation for our work and guide our response to every chapter of challenge and turmoil we face as an institution. “Now more than ever” recognizes the history of moral leadership that demonstrates Macalester’s commitment to its values, such as President Charles Turck bringing to campus Japanese American students from internment camps during World War II and recruiting international students and faculty during his tenure. It includes President Arthur Flemming creating the Expanded Educational Opportunities program, President McPherson encouraging colleges and universities to lead the way on international engagement rather than withdraw, and President Brian Rosenberg establishing in 2005 the Institute for Global Citizenship, which was named in Annan’s honor in 2018.

In 1998, three years before he won the Nobel Prize, Annan said at a Macalester Commencement that “the challenges of our age are problems without passports; to address them we need blueprints without borders.” Despite the current challenges in working across international borders, I see a keen dedication at Mac to this spirit: Solving the world’s most intractable problems will require extending the hand of friendship to other countries. Accordingly, we’re amplifying our commitment to connecting across national, cultural, and other differences. This year, we are bringing together students from 107 countries to live and learn together, and we are sending our alumni into workplaces, graduate programs, and fellowships around the world. Last month, we hosted Annan’s son, Kojo Annan, at Mac for a conversation about peace-making and cross-cultural understanding. And beyond our physical campus, I see the impact of these experiences firsthand when I represent Macalester in international travel, including this summer, when I met with prospective students, families, and Mac alumni in Eswatini, Namibia, and South Africa.

Macalester is uniquely positioned to produce the leaders our world needs today. And the initiatives taking shape through our strategic plan (a blueprint without borders!), supported by the Brighter campaign, ensure our values are fortified and transmitted to future generations of Mac students. I see this work’s impact in our community and around the world, and how much it matters—yes, now more than ever.

Dr. Suzanne M. Rivera is president of Macalester College.