Mission

Western Michigan University will attain premier global status as a university when it regularly and continually generates and disseminates knowledge of the world outside the United States such that all of its graduates are competent and empathetic participants in the world, wherever they may find themselves while students and for the remainder of their lives. The Diether H. Haenicke Institute for Global Education will provide leadership as well as academic, professional, managerial and, when appropriate, financial support to the University—its faculty, staff and students—toward the attainment of this goal.  Through collaborative engagement with the global community, the Haenicke Institute seeks to advance mutual respect within and across cultures and to promote human well-being throughout the world.

Within this comprehensive vision, the Haenicke Institute will:

1. Create at WMU a global community of scholars by striving to internationalize each member of the Western Michigan University faculty, recognizing this as the only effective strategy to ensure every student will acquire the knowledge and perspectives requisite for responsible global citizenship.

2. Enrich that global community of scholars by hosting students and scholars from around the world and encouraging them to participate widely in appropriate courses of study, research or other collaboration with the faculty and students of Western Michigan University.

3. Support and encourage students, who (a) undertake the global studies major or minor, (b) participate in study abroad or work abroad programs, (c) express interest in global and international studies through clubs and extracurricular activities, or (d) otherwise make known their interest in and commitment to global understanding. Help these students to excel in their studies and explorations of the world as our future generation of global leaders.

4. Seek means to inform the campus community, the community at large, the state of Michigan, and the greater University community throughout the United States.