February 26, 2009 UNC Global News

While many of his fellow classmates headed into the workforce or continued on to graduate school, 2008 alumnus Mike Tarrant’s post-graduation pursuits have included Mandarin lessons, weekend trips to Thailand and an internship with one of the top ranked universities in the world.

Chosen from a competitive applicant pool of 103 candidates from 67 colleges and universities nationwide, Tarrant was selected in spring 2008 for the distinguished Luce Scholars Program. As one of 18 recipients, Tarrant has spent the past six months living and working in Singapore.

With its primary focus on providing young leaders with an experiential rather than strictly academic education, the Luce Scholars Program places recipients in 11-month internships that will help further their skills and knowledge in their chosen field. With future aspirations that include a career in higher education, Tarrant has been interning in the Office of the Vice President at the National University of Singapore.

Having been taught how to say ‘Ni Hao’ or hello in Mandarin by his father at age eight, Tarrant has been interested in visiting this region for years. And with the chance to gain hands-on experience while immersing himself in all that Asian culture has to offer, this 23-year-old Raleigh native truly could not have asked for a more unique place to spend the year following graduation.

“Singapore has an international reputation for investing heavily in higher education, really believing that, because it is such a small island with no natural resources, they must rely on human capital,” said Tarrant, in an interview conducted over the online communications tool, Skype. “This mentality permeates our office and the University in general. We are always searching for the next big thing and so it is really exciting to know that you’re possibly on the brink of something new. It’s been a really great experience so far."

Journeying to Singapore with the Luce Scholars Program

The Luce Scholars Program is sponsored by the Henry Luce Foundation, which was established in 1936 by Henry R. Luce. The co-founder and editor-in-chief of Time Inc., Luce founded the program to honor his parents who were missionary educators in China.

Launched in 1974, The Luce Scholars Program provides a small number of highly qualified young Americans across a variety of professional disciplines the chance to spend a year living and working in an Asian country of their choice.

What makes the program unique among other similar American-Asian exchanges is its requirement that Scholars have no prior experience in Asia. This is meant to allow those who might not otherwise have the opportunity to visit Asia to come to know all that this emerging and diverse culture has to offer.

“The Luce Scholarship Program feels that it is important for Americans to be exposed to Asia and Asian culture, so that when they continue in their professional pursuits, they will have these unique experiences to draw upon,” said Tarrant. “Everything was new to me…and that encouraged me to get out and learn more, ask questions and really just soak up everything that I can.”

With placements running from September to July, the internship, which includes a monthly stipend and language study, is designed to cater to the individual scholars’ personal interests. The Luce Scholars Program emphasizes that “each scholar’s placement provides a professional venue and perspective, but the assignments themselves must be viewed as a mechanism through which to gain a broader understanding and appreciation of the culture in which one is living.”

UNC has an impressive history of producing Luce Scholars, with a total of 27 students and alumni having won the prestigious award since 1974. Including the addition of Tarrant this past spring, UNC ranks second only to Harvard, which has had 28 scholars.

With a rigorous six-month application process, which requires a formal nomination from the applicant’s university, the Luce Scholar Program chooses young leaders who not only have a record of high academic achievement, but display exceptional leadership ability and have clearly defined career goals as well.

With a resume which includes academic honors spanning from the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship to membership in three honorary societies, this former student body vice president did not have any difficulty fitting the criteria for this competitive program.

Furthermore, Tarrant had the unique opportunity to intern for UNC System President, Erskine Bowles, in the UNC General Administration’s federal relations office. The position, which began in the summer after his sophomore year, evolved into a part-time job for the next two years.

It was in this position where this political science, communications double major was first introduced to the world of higher education administration and the experience greatly influenced his decision to pursue an internship in Singapore.

“When I was working for President Bowles, he used to always mention how impressive the Singapore education system was. Hearing this on numerous occasions kind of implanted in my head that Singapore might be a good place for me to learn more about global education and how different universities function around the world,” said Tarrant.

NUS and the Internship Itself

With a driving dedication to globalization and growing its partnerships abroad, UNC has been developing its relationship with the globally acclaimed National University of Singapore over the past few years. In early 2007, the two universities launched a one-of-a-kind program, the UNC NUS Joint Undergraduate Degree Program.

Open to both UNC and NUS students, the program is designed for undergraduates majoring in economics, English literature, geography, history and political science. Considered to be the first of its kind among UNC’s American peers, the Office of International Affairs asserts that this distinctive alliance combines the “strengths of both universities’ curricula, as well as allows students the opportunity to fully integrate an international experience into their education.”

With an academic system that is consistently ranked one of the best in the world and an already established connection with his alma mater, the National University of Singapore seemed like a perfect match for Tarrant when considering his internship options. He was able to secure a position working under Professor Lily Kong, Vice President (University and Global Relations) and Director of the Asia Research Institute at NUS.

“I was really drawn to NUS because of UNC’s connection with the university. It’s a very strong relationship that is still growing,” said Tarrant. “And while I can’t speak for either university…I would say that they see each other as one of their strongest partners. That relationship encouraged me to see this as a really interesting place for me to work.”

Immersing himself in a number of key projects, one of Tarrant’s primary responsibilities at NUS has been to help develop the university’s internationalization plan. He has spent the majority of his time studying the communication strategies of top universities around the world, including how these institutions convey their international engagement both internally to students and staff as well as externally, to public and private sector audiences around the world .

“As globalization becomes an increasingly dominant force in everything from the financial markets to political systems, institutions of higher education are seeking to establish truly global reputations,” said Tarrant. “And globalization of higher education can be seen in more than just joint-degrees and increased opportunities for international student and faculty exchange. Whether in Asia or even the Middle East, universities in the U.S. and beyond have begun to expand their reach around the world.”

Focusing more locally, Tarrant is also working on a feasibility study to determine whether a liberal arts college, a common academic feature in the United States, would be able to survive and thrive in Singapore.

Having been an intern at NUS for the better part of six months, the young alum has begun to make a number of interesting observations about life in Singapore, with the most prevalent being the emphasis on work. Singaporeans take their jobs very seriously and are known for working long hours, often holding their professions pursuits on par with their personal lives. Tarrant notes that this attitude is not unlike what he experienced while working for the UNC system.

“This appreciation for and emphasis on higher education are similar in Singapore to what I experienced in North Carolina. Both have a strong belief in the investment in higher education as a means to ensuring a better future,” said Tarrant.

And beyond sharing a similar robust work ethic, both NUS and UNC have provided Tarrant with the opportunity to observe high-ranking administrators in action. When asked what has been one of his favorite memories while in Singapore, the Scholar recalls being invited to sit in on a meeting with a distinguished group of NUS vice presidents and provosts. For a 23-year-old hoping to pursue a career in higher education, this was a truly exceptional experience.

“It has been very encouraging that people here are willing to let me have a seat at the table and are interested in hearing my input. It is exciting to know that not only does that happen back home in North Carolina, but that it can also happen here in an Asian society, which we often see as being so drastically different,” said Tarrant.

Going Global in the Future

Though Tarrant still has more than five months left in Singapore, he is already beginning to reflect back upon his experiences in this thriving island country and what it will mean for his future. With its diverse population of Chinese, Malay and Indian residents, Tarrant believes he will leave Singapore with a new awareness and appreciation for the multifaceted Asian culture.

The Luce Scholar is also much more comfortable living abroad and has gained a sense of confidence that he believes will be immeasurably beneficial in his future endeavors, whatever and wherever those may be.

And while his imminent plans upon completing his internship include nothing more than continued travel through Asia, Tarrant is now sure, more than ever, that his future lies in the world of higher education.

“I genuinely believe in the mission of higher education and of universities to educate and provide for the future. I think this opportunity has confirmed that working at a university is the place for me,” said Tarrant. “You’re helping to create a better future by making sure that you are providing a solid education for your students. I think the fact that you’re working for something much larger than yourself is refreshing and energizing. It really gets me going in the morning and I don’t know if I could get that anywhere else.”

- Story by Robyn Mitchell ‘09