Rifkin Speaks at Smith on the European Dream

Horatio Alger's "American Dream" has finally met his match. Her name is the "European Dream," and she's here to stay.

At least, that's what Jeremy Rifkin thinks. Rifkin, president of the Foundation on Economic Trends and world-renowned economist, spoke to approximately 120 full-time MBA students on October 12, offering a glimpse of the globalized world he says MBAs will enter after graduation.

Rifkin told students the world has long looked toward the American Dream for guidance in its economic development. But today, the European Union, uniting 27 countries and over 490 million people, offers a rival dream. Its the European Dream, one of sustainable development, quality of life and a work to live attitude.

[Americans are] asleep. Were turning our attention all over the world, but missing an amazing experiment folding before us, says Rifkin. Its the strangest, most bizarre experiment totally counterintuitive. A generation of Europeans finally said were done, well put down the sword forever.

From there, he said, dozens of European countries came together to form transnational, economic and social alliance.

And according to Rifkin, the unity was a good one. There's much that each dream can learn from the other. Its not that the European Dream is all good, or the American Dream is bad, he says. The European Dream should learn American values of hope, optimism, risk-taking and personal accountability. The American Dream could change peoples quality of life, sense of inclusiveness and European sustainability.

He tied the two dreams to the rest of the world, asking Asian students for their input, asking if their home countries were more aligned with the American Dream or the European Dream.

Although the topic is the European Dream, Dr. Rifkin led us beyond the European border to Asia and evoked us to discuss the impacts of Europe and the U.S. on Asian society's tendency as a whole, first-year MBA student Kelly Liu said. This lecture supplements our MBA classes' gap in humanity and culture education, which in my point of view are very important components in being a global business manager.

Rifkin said the European Union and the rising prominence of other countries illustrate that America is not the only success story. And as business leaders, students can learn to adapt their individual and organizational practices.

There are strengths and weaknesses on both sides of the Atlantic, he said in conclusion. Be able to be open to the stories of how other countries develop because of their cultural capital.

Rifkin is a frequent speaker at the Smith School. Read about his last talk at Smith on the energy crisis. To learn more, visit his Web site at: http://foet.org/.

▓ Donna Lin, MBA Candidate Class of 2009, Smith Media Group