On Monday morning, NYU Africa House presented a silk Ferragamo tie to deputy president of South Africa Kgalema Motlanthe as a welcoming gift courtesy of the university's Florence study abroad campus. In addition to being a testament to good taste, the tie symbolized a broader idea of globalization, one that NYU has increasingly embraced in the last 10 years.
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The deputy president emphasized the importance of a "mutually beneficial partnership" between South Africa and the United States. He noted the "deep and shared history" between the two countries and expressed the need to "continue that admirable tradition."
Erich Dietrich, associate dean for global and academic affairs at Steinhardt, stressed the importance of international cooperation, mentioning NYU's strong connections with South African universities.
"NYU has, in the last 10 years, transformed itself into a global university," Dietrich said, noting the recent opening of NYU's Shanghai campus.
The deputy president outlined South Africa's progressive programs as well as the challenges it faces. He addressed some of the difficulties surrounding globalization.
"Within this globalized economy, while the world has become increasingly interconnected, it has also become increasingly unequal," he said.
Motlanthe counted extreme poverty, inequalities between the rich and poor, climate change, sustainable development and poor access to quality education among the country's most pressing concerns.
NYU Steinhardt professor of applied psychology and public policy Lawrence Aber expressed enthusiasm toward study abroad programs in South Africa.
"In an increasingly interdependent world, the opportunity to learn together across the global north and global south is more important than ever," he said.
To much applause, Yaw Nyarko, NYU economics professor and director of the Africa House, said it was his "personal ambition" to make a South Africa study abroad site as strong as NYU in Florence.
In March 2010, NYU administrators mentioned that South Africa is at the top of their list for an African study abroad site.
"We would like to do some very large, big things with South Africa," Nyarko said.
