Why Support Global Education? One Donor's Perspective
Primary Source is thankful for the support of its many individual donors. Thanks to their generous gifts, educators from Massachusetts and across the country can take advantage of free and low-cost global education opportunities to gain the knowledge and tools they need to prepare students for life and work in the 21st century. Who are these generous individuals, and what compels them to support Primary Source and global education? In this new series, you will meet donors from all walks of life who have chosen to support Primary Source.
"Being exposed to global education at an early age really determined the direction my life would take," says Bill Flemer, former Vice President at Eaton Vance Investment Council and currently a member of the Primary Source Executive Board Committee. "I am so grateful that I had that opportunity." Bill has been a Primary Source supporter for three years.
Bill explains, "A teacher of mine had spent a lot of time overseas and started an Asian studies program in my high school. I became interested in the Middle East as a result." Bill went on to major in Middle East studies in college and studied at the American University in Cairo and Cairo University in Egypt. He lived in the Middle East while on an assignment running an office for the Bank of Boston in Bahrain. Once Bill returned to the United States, he was involved with cross border mergers and acquisitions with European companies investing in the U.S. He remained involved in the investment business.
Bill became involved with Primary Source because he believes that the major challenges facing today's world—whether economic, environmental, or geopolitical—cannot be met in national isolation. "To thrive and effectively solve problems, our children will need a broad and sophisticated world view, and the ability to engage in global partnerships."
Why should people care about and support global education? In a world of urgent situations demanding our immediate attention and resources, Bill sees global education as a long-term investment. "It is critical that we equip the next generation with the tools needed to sustain, lead, and succeed in the decades ahead."
This is why Bill supports Primary Source and says that he will continue to do so. "Primary Source has been addressing these needs for over twenty years," he says. "By providing teachers with the resources to bring global education into their classrooms, thousands of students have learned about the world beyond our borders—over the next twenty years, thousands more. We will all benefit from what they have learned."
