HORIZONS6 7

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

50

45

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

00

8

13 14 15 1618 19

23

47

MLSMULTICULTURAL LEARNING SOLUTIONS GROWS

Reducing ethnocentricity and assisting learners to become more internationally and globally minded, as well as multiculturally competent, is not only Udo Fluck’s

daily motivation, it’s what he has done for the last decade at the University of Montana. He was, and still is, the driving force behind the development and continuing growth of Multicultural Learning Solutions (MLS), which has provided professional global competence seminars, trainings and presentations at UM since 2004.

MLS, a unique, interactive and award-winning instructional approach to multicultural learning, is utilized to train students, faculty and staff at UM. Unlike professional skill building in many other areas, cultural and global competence is not limited in its application to a specific region, academic area, profession, or age group. “If the essence of MLS would be available “over-the-counter” the label would likely suggest “For Diverse Leaners from 5 to 105”, Fluck says.

“Looking at the world today, developing cultural and global awareness and empathy can’t start early enough”, according to Fluck, naming specifically the popularity of his community outreach activities in the 2012 COMPASS Kids Conference at Jefferson School and his involvement at the Montana International Children’s Film Festival, as indicators for the importance to work with young learners. In addition, the fact that curiosity for cultural and global competence should never stop is evidenced by the most recent successful expansion of a class offered by the Montana Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (MOLLI) at UM during winter term 2013.

Since the 1990’s, global education and international competitiveness have been a focus for Fluck, who was born, raised and received his primary education in Germany. He holds a Ph.D. and two master degrees from UM. Furthermore, he has worked as a curriculum developer and department head at an international business school in Germany for several years. In addition to Fluck’s formal academic training and his executive background, he also has experience as a researcher and faculty member, teaching abroad and at UM.

Fluck has offered cultural and global competence courses in the Departments of Geography and Anthropology, the Davidson Honors College, in the Teaching With Film Institute, and in the School of Business Administration at UM, during the past decade. While his courses range from intro-level to graduate seminars, they all uniquely focus on applied cultural and global competence development. “The ability to communicate and collaborate effectively and efficiently with culturally diverse individuals around the world was, unfortunately, widely seen as a less important “soft skill” until most recently,” states Fluck.

However, “soft skills” are identified to be among the most critical skills in the current global job market. “Fact is that any hard skill acquired in an academic field will be significantly reduced in its effectiveness when the person is inept in interacting successfully and proficiently with persons outside their own cultural setting,” cautions Fluck.

When MLS was integrated into International Programs in the fall of 2011, Fluck had no idea that 2012 would be the most successful year yet, doubling its offerings from 23 tailored trainings in 2011, to 47 customized seminars last year (see chart below)

“The integration of MLS into the Office of International Programs was a perfect opportunity for further integration and visibility on campus. The word has spread, and students, faculty and staff naturally look in OIP for cross-cultural trainings,” says Fluck. He is excited at the opportunity to further implement and expand MLS in the International Center, supporting UM’s strategic plan and contributing to “building a University for the global century”.

For more information on cross-cultural training opportunities, please visit the MLS website at www.umt.edu/ip/mls

Active participation during a MLS seminar

Number of MLS Seminars