Mission & Objectives

Mission

The Kozmetsky Center of Excellence aims to enrich the intellectual life of St. Edward's University and to serve as a resource for informing the broader public on critical global issues. We seek to deepen understanding of the complex challenges of an increasingly integrated world. The Kozmetsky Center facilitates interdisciplinary international exchanges among experts, students, faculty, the policy community, private sector, and the broader public in a variety of forums. Our events have featured the contributions of senior-level international policymakers, diplomats, university scholars, subject area experts from the business and non-profit communities addressing contemporary global issues and suggesting strategies for finding common approaches to managing security and economic challenges. We also periodically host short-term resident visiting scholars and practitioners from the United States and around the world to share their expertise and diverse perspectives with the St. Edward’s University community.

Our programs and activities are directed toward advancing sustained productive international partnerships throughout the world and among the dynamic local Austin community. The Kozmetsky Center contributes to advancing the mission of St. Edward’s University to educate students and prepare graduates with the tools needed to contribute to a more just world. We support the university's Global Initiative providing students with international opportunities and experiences on multiple levels and equipping students for working effectively in an interdependent and culturally diverse world community.

Objectives

The Kozmetsky Center contributes to academic programs and the learning experience of students at St. Edward’s University on several levels. The core objectives for our programs and activities in support of the St. Edward’s academic community include:

  • Introducing a diversity of regional and global perspectives;
  • Offering the contributions of leading academic experts and practitioners across disciplines and professional areas of expertise;
  • Contributing to the development of sustained productive international exchanges and partnerships throughout the world;
  • Providing resources to enhance the university course learning experience through guest lectures, seminar discussions and professional networking opportunities for SEU students with our visiting program participants;
  • Supporting the utilization of new communication technology to integrate global perspectives in learning and understanding issues;
  • Supporting university student experiential learning objectives by offering the Kozmetsky Center Senior Internship Program and utilizing the Kozmetsky Center's extensive local, national and global networks to provide professional internship and service-learning opportunities for SEU students;
  • Advancing understanding of potential public-private sector collaboration in pursuing opportunities and addressing challenges;
  • Exploring the application of theory/academic expertise to supporting real-world issue problem solving and cooperative efforts in policy and community service.