Thompson Rivers University announced today its approval of a new Global Competency distinction that will become part of the official transcript of graduating students. The recognition of Global Competency represents a distinctive advantage for TRU students – one that is designed to formally recognize international skills and experience that students acquire during their time at the university.

Eligible qualifying categories include foreign language study or other course work with a distinct cross-cultural or international focus, as well as participation in student exchange programs, field schools, and international volunteer opportunities. (Read detailed overview here.)

Global competency is best understood as a body of knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes that reflect a capability for global citizenship—that is, a capacity to engage effectively in an international environment. In today’s globalized world, where economies and societies interact with one another on a multitude of levels, this capacity is ever more in demand.

“The opportunity to create their own, unique university experience is attracting students from across Canada and around the world to Thompson Rivers University, and the international aspect has become a very important part of that experience,” reports Josh Keller, TRU’s director of recruitment and school liaison. “The employers of tomorrow want individuals with a global perspective, and TRU’s new Global Competency distinction will give our graduates the advantage of being able to demonstrate this in a meaningful way.”

TRU is a Canadian leader in internationalization in higher education, and the new Global Competency qualification reflects both the university’s commitment to global citizenship and its capacity to establish institution-wide internationalization initiatives. “The working group was drawn from throughout the university,” says Lian Dumouchel, a faculty member in the School of Tourism and chair of the Global Competency Working Group. “Each member consulted extensively with his/her department or faculty. We agreed on some fundamental values early on – student accessibility, affordability and program flexibility – which provided us with a good framework to build the program requirements.”

The Global Competency distinction is available to all students at TRU, regardless of their program or field of study, and those who meet the criteria will have it recorded on their official university transcript.

Vera Wojna, an executive with TRU World—the university’s international division—and the chair of TRU’s Senate International Affairs Committee (SIAC), notes that this institutional perspective is key. “The new Global Competency qualification is made possible by the university’s broad engagement, at the highest levels, with important internationalization issues. TRU’s Strategic Plan, for example, explicitly sets out a number of pan-institutional goals to increase international opportunities for students and faculty, internationalize our curricula, expand services for international students, and expand training for faculty and staff.”

TRU’s history of international engagement dates back over 30 years. International projects and linkages currently extend to more than 45 countries with students from more than 70 nations enrolled at the main campus in Kamloops, British Columbia.