In a column recently in the Washington Post, Chris Myers Asch suggests that the nation needs a national college for civilian leadership to fill the coming leadership void left by retiring Baby Boomers. He argues for "a demanding curriculum that would require service-learning, study abroad, and public service internships." He points to the Harvard Kennedy School as a graduate example cited by naysayers, but he argues vehemently for an "undergraduate leadership development campus" and challenges readers to find an undergraduate example.

I take issue with several of Mr. Asch's assumptions, starting with the notion that there is a "leadership void" in the wake of the Baby Boomers. Looking only from the narcissistic perspective of one's own generational viewpoint is an intellectual misstep that ignores the basic tenant, supported by years of cultural evolution, that each generation, even while building upon the work of parents and grandparents, nonetheless creates new and forward-thinking paradigms that propel society forward. That the Baby Boomers can, or should, seek to stop societal development in a timewarp that perpetuates their image is a false premise, not to mention an impossible scenario. Mr. Asch's underlying premise for a civilian leadership academy seems designed to perpetuate the boomers' notion of how society should advance, but the commonality of each new generation of young people is that they see the world as theirs to embrace and shape, and they do not feel confined by either the successes or failures of past generations.

As president of an institution of higher education, and a boomer about to become a grandparent, I cannot fail to observe the recurring pattern of optimistic dreams and plans each fall as a new class enters. And I witness it again each spring as a class graduates. Even a recession cannot temper their notion that the world awaits what they have to offer. I disagree with Mr. Asch's premise that education should be founded around the notion of leadership. I would argue instead, that rather than being the focal point of education, leadership is the natural result of a well-rounded education. Leaders aren't created, they emerge naturally across all disciplines, and, indeed, there are many expressions of leadership. Mr. Asch seems to suggest that through a national academy, we need to create a leadership "class" who can then manage our society. That assumption ignores another commonality of youth, which is that they are consistent in their challenge of "authority" and "the system," and they naturally seek to define their own boundaries. Today's college students are significantly more engaged in helping others, community service and global issues than the boomers even, but they do not see the implementation of their ideals as occurring through proscribed channels or existing systems of the public sector, so like generations before them, we should expect them to reject current structures and create their own—in both the public and private sectors.

While I agree with Mr. Asch's observation that service learning, study abroad and real-life internships are crucial elements of post-secondary education, I disagree with his assumption that universities today are lacking in this commitment. Indeed, some institutions of higher education have been building these elements into their curricula—both graduate and undergraduate—for some time, not as a replacement for the traditional transfer and creation of knowledge in the arts and sciences, but rather as a means of further advancing that creation process by asking students to begin to apply what they are learning to the process of finding solutions for real-world problems long before they graduate. Having been involved with The New American Colleges and Universities since its inception in 1995, I can attest to the commitment within higher education to the notion of preparing leaders across all disciplines through learning experiences that integrate the classroom with the real world. At my own institution, we have revolutionalized our Undergraduate Curriculum with four required learning experiences common to all students: an introductory first-year learning experience, interdisciplinary university seminars, a global connections experience through study abroad or a domestic experience, and a senior capstone project that requires original research or creative work. Internships and service learning also are incorporated across all of our majors. The result is graduates that are already engaged in the world and are eager to be a part of revitalizing and reshaping it.

One of the reasons I was attracted to Arcadia University was its particular emphasis on a global education as a key means of educating the leaders of tomorrow. The young adults of today have a view of the world that is wider than previous generations, in part because information now flows so freely over the Internet. Opportunities to study abroad and engage in the world provide the immersive experience needed to connect real life to the virtual world. These experiences become a global accelerator for students who do not limit their plans for what they will be able to accomplish in a future where careers and civic engagement are likely to combine as they both contribute to and prosper in a global marketplace. And even as the current economic landscape shifts beneath their feet, their dreams and aspirations will lead to the continuing evolution of a nation and a society built by individuals who assume all types of leadership roles in their workplaces, in their communities and in their families. Neither the Baby Boomers nor any perceived lack of academic training will hold the next generations back from advancing society. Leadership is not a taught skill as much as an inherent desire, inspired by experiences, within each individual to make his or her own way in the world. The best we can do as educators is to help provide the beginning knowledge and experiences that open each individual to the possibilities that lie before them and then stand in awe as they engage in solving problems, making discoveries and creating new things.

Passage of the Simon Study Abroad Act yesterday in the U.S. House brings us one step closer to the national goal of 1 million U.S. students from all walks of life studying abroad each year. This is an important benchmark for U.S. leadership and competitiveness in the world economy and in finding new solutions to global issues.

Arcadia is committed to its own goal of expanding study abroad—and of domestic off-campus study in pursuit of global perspectives—for all of its students. According to the Institute for International Education (IIE), we have a higher percentage of our undergraduate students studying abroad than another other college or university in the nation, and our graduate programs are at the forefront of providing global learning and clinical experiences. Our network of more than 100 programs around the world, and we extend these opportunities to students from more than 300 other colleges and universities who transfer credit earned in Arcadia programs back to their own degrees. We believe that students who learn in our programs are distinctively prepared to be the leaders of tomorrow, with the skills they will need to compete in a global marketplace.

At Arcadia, our courses and academic experiences make the connections—across disciplines and cultures, between theory and practical applications, between the classroom and the community—that help students in all disciplines to understand other people and how they work together in the world.

Is Arcadia University taking a leadership role in international education—serving as a model for other colleges and universities and expanding opportunities for our students? Based on a report released this week—"Expanding Study Abroad Capacity at U.S. Colleges and Universities" from the Institute of International Education, which explores "critical challenges and potential strategies" in national efforts to expand the number of U.S. students able to study abroad—I see many ways in which we are setting the pace.

Key findings of the IIE survey: "The most significant challenges to increasing study abroad revolved largely around costs and funding. The most frequently cited challenge was the rising costs for students (89 percent), followed by insufficient endowments or scholarship funding from the home institution (79 percent), rising costs for program operation and administration (73 percent), and not enough federal funding available for students to study abroad (72 percent)."

The strategies suggested include "more study abroad scholarship opportunities (83 percent), more institutional funding for the study abroad office (55 percent), and stronger commitment from faculty (53 percent) and institutional leadership (38 percent)."

At Arcadia, our commitment to providing overseas learning experiences not only dates back to 1948, but we have fully committed to the belief that every student deserves and needs a global perspective—in the classroom and in real-life learning opportunities. Study abroad should no longer be perceived as just for the privileged, but rather as part of a complete education that includes multicultural interaction.

Turning that lofty ideal into reality requires a financial commitment on the part of the University, and a curricular commitment on the part of the faculty. Arcadia has accomplished both—and remains committed. For an Arcadia University student spending a semester studying abroad through any of Arcadia University's more than 100 programs around the world, the cost of tuition and housing will be exactly the same as if he/she were attending Arcadia's Glenside campus that semester. Scholarships, grants and loans also apply to that semester, including Arcadia merit scholarships and other institutional aid. And our faculty are creative, resourceful and entrepreneurial in finding ways to incorporate global perspectives into their classes and in making it possible for students in every major to study abroad. They are currently implementing a new curriculum that includes a Global Connections Experience and Reflection for every student.

This May, half of our seniors graduated with credits earned abroad. That is an amazing number, and I expect it to rise with the advent of our new curricular experiences. More and more of our graduate programs also require or provide for a global learning experience, which makes us quite distinct from most of our peer institutions.

Even during this recession, our Board, our faculty and staff, and our students remain committed to these efforts. We know that our students will need the global perspectives they are learning now in order to prosper in and contribute to the world tomorrow.