Semester in Washington's Sam Potolicchio speaks at AAC&U Annual Meeting
On January 26, Semester in Washington faculty member, Sam Potolicchio presented as a part of a panel discussion "How to Prepare Global Leaders" at the Annual Meeting Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) in Washington, DC. Potolicchio was joined by Ambassador John O'Keefe, Executive Director of the Open World Leadership Center and Garrett M. Graff, MPS Journalism faculty member and editor of Washingtonian Magazine, for the discussion.
The panel discussed how educators need to fundamentally prepare students to become leaders in an increasingly global world and how students can best prepare for the challenges and attain the best skill set. Potolicchio spoke in depth about his international teaching, which has taken him to over 22 countries to teach just this year, and about how educators can foster global leadership skills within their students. He stated, "Students must have maximum exposure to the interconnections of the global world." O'Keefe has also had much experience within the realm of educating future leaders through the Open World Leadership Center and he shared, "It's what you learn when you know it all that counts." O'Keefe then proceeded to provide his formula for a global dialogue that includes a respect for capability, genuine curiosity, and genuine concern with the country specific issues. Graff closed the panel discussion by speaking about how the fundamental shift of expectations of communication because technology has changed the concept of leadership, "Technology encourages two-way dialogue. There has been a fundamental splint in the world between open and closed institutions."
Over the next few months Potolicchio will be continuing this conversation abroad as he has been invited to speak at two upcoming conferences. He will be the keynote lecturer for the European Student Forum in Klaipeda, Lithuania, which will take place in late in late February as well as the keynote lecturer at the Balkan Youth Forum in Kragujevac, Serbia in early April.
Potolicchio is a faculty member at Georgetown University where he teaches American Politics and Public Affairs and Research Methods for the Semester in Washington Program. At Georgetown, Potolicchio has taught courses on Presidential Rhetoric, Religion and Politics, Constitutional Law, and the United States Political System. He is a decorated teacher, winning three "Teacher of the Year" awards at Georgetown and the K. Patricia Cross Award from the American Association of Colleges and Universities as one of the future leaders of American higher education.