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4.1 Adopt a village
An ambitious and dramatic way for BCIT to contribute to the new globalization is to adopt a village in Africa. This idea might seem outlandish at first glance, but on examination it is not only feasible, but practical, and would give BCIT on-going opportunities for providing leadership, getting media attention and public relations coups, and offering superlative educational opportunities for our students.
I regret to say that I cannot claim this as my original idea. No less a personage than Milton Wong, current chancellor of Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C., suggested this during an interview for an article for the Vancouver Sun. Mr. Wong was helping Daniel Igali, Canada's 2000 Olympic wrestling champion, raise funds for Daniel's new school in Nigeria:
What Igali is doing meshes with what Wong has been thinking about for years about the role Canadian universities should play in the world. He'd like all Canadian universities to adopt villages in Third-World countries and provide the expertise people there need and want. . . . He believes Canadian universities are in a unique position to [help] . . . . (Bramham, 2006, August 5)
This is a brilliant idea and offers nearly unlimited potential for reaping the benefits described in Section 3.0 of this report.
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