The project faces a number of potential obstacles. Students, particularly in science majors that often take more than four years to complete, may be reluctant to add the language and culture requirements to the list of classes they need to graduate. Second, the program is expensive for the UW in view of the small number of students it will serve. Administrators also are applying for federal grants. But UW Worldwide will have to grow if it is to become more than a boutique degree in the huge university.
Business is one potential supporter.
Partners in the pilot program include the state Office of Trade and Economic Development, the Washington State China Relations Council and the Northwest Environmental Business Council. Additional projects already are in the works. This fall, a UW course on international contracts will include collaborative projects between students here and those at the University of Tokyo. Another project, still in the early planning stages, would bring students in the arts and sciences into UW Worldwide. The idea is to join with a university in South Africa and center the program on the concept of biographies.