Isdell Center for Global Leadership
The term global education sure sounds good when used in conjunction with Pace Academy’s mission: To create prepared, confident citizens of the world. But how does a school actually provide a global education?
We do it through our Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL), a results-oriented program that cultivates global competency and leadership capabilities among students and faculty in our Lower, Middle and Upper Schools.
By exploring an annual global theme—this year Food—and examining it from all angles and at all ages, we build critical-thinking skills that students then apply to other issues. Thinking on this level challenges perceptions, requires curiosity, and develops global mindsets and cultural appreciation.
Pace students have opportunities to connect with other students and experts across the globe through curricular, co-curricular and hands-on activities; community and global partnerships; local field trips; a speaker series; leadership fellowships and internships; community engagement projects at home and abroad; and domestic and international study tours.
Our hope is that our graduates leave Pace as ethical, empathetic, innovative, culturally aware and adaptable individuals.
By the Numbers - Isdell Center for Global Leadership
41
Community partners
10,798
Community engagement hours logged by the Class of 2023
17
ICGL study tours
293
Middle and Upper School students traveling on ICGL study tours this year
ICGL By Division
Pace Academy’s Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) unites Lower, Middle and Upper School students under an umbrella of global leadership and a shared global theme. Students in all divisions have opportunities for intellectual and cultural exploration through age-appropriate curricular, co-curricular and hands-on activities, interactions with visiting scholars and faculty support.
Lower School
The goal of the ICGL in the Lower School is to build awareness of global issues while introducing students to myriad cultures, perspectives and problem-solving skills. Students are encouraged to be resourceful, resilient, empathetic and creative.
Middle School
Building on the knowledge and skills established in the Lower School, the goal of the ICGL in the Middle School is to further broaden students’ understanding while fostering global perspectives and encouraging diverse interests and passions.
Upper School
The goal of the ICGL in the Upper School is to foster engagement with global issues, while helping students solidify and pursue their interests through the program’s five focus areas. Students are encouraged to explore their growing curiosity about the world through as many of the five focus areas as possible.
Study Tours
The ICGL Outcomes (Leadership, Global Mindset, Cultural Awareness and Appreciation, Engaged Citizenship, and International Experience) are integrated into all of our study tours with the goal of creating global leaders who can make a positive difference in the world, both now and in the future. By developing students’ understanding of the world, enlarging their curiosity, and cultivating their practical leadership skills, study tours help Pace students develop awareness of, and sensitivity to, real-life issues.
Global Themes
Over the past 10 years, the Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) has fostered within the Pace community a profound understanding of the intricate connections between local and global issues, as evidenced by students' exploration of annual global themes. In its inaugural year, the ICGL's focus on Water set the stage for a decade-long journey during which the study of subsequent themes has equipped students with the skills to analyze complex topics and explore problems of global importance.