The Principal Center for Global Citizenship serves as a forum for exploring the cultural, political, and economic changes that accompany globalization.
The center thus helps to fulfill Drake’s commitment, as embodied in its mission statement, to prepare students for responsible global citizenship. The activities and programs sponsored by the center invite members of the Drake community to reflect and act upon their roles as citizens of particular countries and as citizens of the world.
The Principal Center for Global Citizenship educates students to function effectively in different cultural contexts, and to see their own culture from the perspective of others. The Center also works to ensure that global perspectives and issues are an integral part of the intellectual and cultural experience of all members of the Drake community.
We live in an era of globalization, marked by complex and growing connections across societies. Communications and transportation technology bring the diverse peoples of the world into greater contact. Environmental threats transcend the borders of nation-states. Multinational corporations are fast penetrating to far-reaching corners of the world. The phenomenon of transnational migration is leading to increasing ethnic and cultural diversity in many countries.
Globalization creates both challenges and opportunities. In some respects, globalization has chipped away at the rigidity of international borders and brought increased international cooperation to address problems that cross state boundaries. Yet it has also generated opposition among those who feel threatened by or left out of the globalization process.
On January 18, 2011, Drake President David Maxwell announced a gift in the amount of $2.5 million from Principal in support of the Center for Global Citizenship and other international programs at Drake University. In recognition of this generous donation, the center was renamed The Principal Financial Group Center for Global Citizenship. Beyond the gift itself, Principal and Drake engage in a broad-ranging partnership involving the sharing of expertise and educational experiences among executives and employees from Principal and faculty, staff, and students at Drake.
Principal is a leader in offering businesses, individuals, and institutional clients a wide range of financial products and services, including retirement and investment services, life and health insurance, and banking through its diverse family of financial services companies. A member of the Fortune 500, Principal serves some 18.9 million customers worldwide from offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States.
The CGC is currently being lead by Annique Kiel, Executive Director of Global Engagement.
