An orange cloud formed as a result of a dust storm over the Sahara. It was caught up by air currents and reached the Philippines. The cloud settled there with rain. I understood that we are all sailing in the same boat. Cosmonaut Vladimir Kovalyonok
The Trump administration is moving to cancel visas for foreign students at Harvard, although a judge has temporarily halted this. It is also halting visa processing at American embassies worldwide, except for those with an appointment. We wait until Rubio gives the go-ahead to surveil applicants’ social media messaging. As a result, the United States is retreating from its legacy of global educational exchange.
The US Department of State has issued new guidance for visa applications. This guidance is intended for international students seeking to pursue higher education in the United States. The guidance from the Trump administration has created stress among students wishing to continue their education at a US institution. It also affects graduates who wish to pursue further education and gain work experience in the country. Foreign students may want to attend a university in Memphis. Others dream of universities in Savannah, Detroit, or any other American city. Their hopes are being dashed.
These actions sever the intellectual lifeblood of American higher education. They also betray the spirit of cooperation that once thrived in projects like the Global Thinking Project (GTP).
At a time when global crises—from pandemics to climate change—demand collaboration, we are witnessing a dangerous turn inward. The CDC and the Health and Human Services (HHS) have been targets of the Trump administration. In February 2025, about 1,300 CDC employees, or about 10% of its workforce, were laid off. Health and Human Services (HHS) is expected to reduce its workforce by 20,000. The Trump administration failed miserably during the COVID-19 pandemic. A million Americans died, many because Trump failed to embrace science and make use of America’s scientific prowess. Our country will be less prepared to deal with the next pandemic, given its failure to respond effectively during COVID-19.
The administration must be living on another planet. This planet, the rest of us live on, is hot as hell, and getting hotter by the year. Yet, this administration has scrubbed all documents and websites that have anything to do with climate. Maybe these white men only think of themselves. But when they are gone (and I don’t mean from government), all of the world’s youth will be alive. They will have to deal with a planet that is inhospitable to live on.
American soft power is rendered moot by the actions of the Trump administration. As Professor Keith David Waternpagh wrote during Trump’s Muslim ban, “The closing of America to the world limits its vast potential.” It reduces America’s opportunities. It diminishes the enormous capacity of American soft power.” This capacity is embodied in exchange programs, study abroad, and efforts to rescue scholars and students. These initiatives promote human rights, collective security, and global commerce.
Then and Now: A Legacy of Global Connection
The world is increasingly defined by division. Climate disruption, corruption, dismantling of democratic guardrails by the Trump administration, and rapid technological change are also shaping it. Thus, the need for a globally conscious education system has never been greater.
More than three decades ago, a delegation from the Association for Humanistic Psychology was formed. It comprised psychologists and educators. They set out to meet that challenge. This effort led to the establishment of the Global Thinking Project (GTP). It was a pioneering initiative that imagined environmental education through collaboration, inquiry, and international friendship.
The Global Thinking Project was born during the final years of the Cold War. It is a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when nations choose engagement over isolation. The GTP began in the late 1980s. A coalition of educators, scientists, and technology leaders launched it. Their goal was to link classrooms across the U.S. and the Soviet Union. It was a groundbreaking experiment in diplomacy through environmental education.
It was a radically hopeful idea: that students, not governments, lead the way to mutual understanding. Today, the values that powered the GTP are under assault. But its story has never been more relevant.
A People-to-People Network
The GTP was more than a program—it was a living network of human connections. American and Soviet students collaborated on environmental research using early Internet tools, beginning in 1987. They exchanged letters, data, and eventually visits. They lived in each other’s homes. They learned not only science but also empathy. The first cities in the project were Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yaroslavl, Puschino, Chelyabinsk, Barcelona, Melbourne, and towns and cities in Georgia. Other countries joined the project in the 1990s.
Key figures brought the network to life:
- Gary Lieber, Apple engineer, enabled six Russian schools to connect digitally with American counterparts, years before Zoom or Google Meet. Figure 1. Original GTP Telecommunications Network (1989)
- Dr. Julie Weisberg is a former professor at Agnes Scott College and Associate Dean at Georgia Gwinnett College. She was co-director and co-author of the Global Thinking Project curriculum.
- Dr. Galina Manke, Vadim Zhudov, and Sergei Tolstikov led the Russian side from Moscow School 710. Schools in St. Petersburg, Yaroslavl, Puschino, and Chelyabinsk completed the network of Russian schools in the GTP.
- Dr. Anatoly Zakhlebny, of the Russian Academy of Education, ensured scientific credibility and ecological inquiry.
- Sara Crim from Walker County, Georgia, bridged rural American classrooms with global partners.
- Dr. Jennie Springer coordinated exchanges that brought GTP’s philosophy to life. She also did her doctoral research on the philosophy of global thinking.
- Narcis Vives and Ramon Barlam created the network of more than 20 schools in Spain.
- Anna Pinyero from Barcelona, Phil Gang from Atlanta, and Dr. Roger Cross from Australia contributed to the project’s global expansion.
A Time for Renewal
Today’s withdrawal from global education is more than a policy shift. It’s a crisis of vision. A single virus can cross borders faster than any student. Banning visas does not enhance America’s safety. A single virus can cross borders faster than any student.
Banning visas does not make America safer. Rejecting global engagement also does not make us safer. It makes us smaller. Less curious. Less prepared.
Projects like the Global Thinking Project remind us that we must invest in bridges, not walls. We must build classrooms that span continents, not nationalist fantasies.
The students once measured acid rain in Chelyabinsk. They joined their peers in Georgia, Barcelona, and Melbourne. They also collaborated with peers in cities in Botswana, Japan, Argentina, England, and New Zealand. These students grew up with a unique understanding. They recognized what today’s leaders have forgotten. Solving global problems requires global thinking.
What We Must Do
We must demand a return to open, inclusive international education:
• Restore student visa programs and embassy services.
• Recommit to public funding for global exchanges.
• Support projects that connect youth around science, the environment, and peace.
• Build back stronger collaborations with schools across nations.
The Global Thinking Project once demonstrated to the world how students can lead.
The world needs that leadership again.
Because pandemics don’t carry passports. And neither should education.