Strategies for Internationalizing the Campus

1
Strategies for Internationalizing the Campus
Wayne Anderson, President Associated Colleges of
the South
ACL WebinarMay 23, 2007
2
Internationalization Defined

• Efforts that transcend a focus on the United
  States a focus on the broader world

3
Purposes of Internationalization

• Broaden students awareness and understanding of
  the world at large -enabling them to see
  themselves in relationship to people from other
  areas, cultures and traditions. (To the extent
  that an institution can build a broad, diverse,
  world community on its campus, it can prepare
  students in particular to deal more effectively
  with that world when they graduate.)

4
Purposes of Internationalization

• Enlarging the world view of faculty and staff
  enabling them to draw similarities and contrasts
  with individuals in other parts of the world
• Stretch and expand the mission of the college or
  university so that it looks beyond its immediate
  campus and surrounding to the world outside (The
  institution would define a place for itself in
  higher education across geographical
  international boundaries, identifying distinctive
  services that it can and should provide.)

5
Barriers to campus internationalization

• Institutional inertia
• Insufficient commitment of time and energy.
  (Many see efforts directed toward global programs
  as a tradeoff in which they have to give up
  current activities and programs.)
• Insufficient funds

6
Barriers to campus internationalization

• The sense that study abroad is a sufficient
  activity (although it does not encompass a
  substantial number of students)
• Insufficient institutional commitment no
  reference to internationalization in the
  institutional mission or very little mention in a
  strategic institutional plan

7
Barriers to campus internationalization

• Lack of incentive for participation for
  students, faculty and/or staff
• Not seeing the international effort as providing
  a competitive edge or a distinguishing
  characteristic for a college or university

8
Barriers to campus internationalization

• Satisfaction that falls short of a comprehensive
  program (i.e., complacency)
• Not recruiting and making use of international
  students on the campus

9
Focus on specific activities and events of an
international nature

• Visiting scholars
• Visiting speakers
• Programs featuring international students on the
  campus
• International honorary degree recipients
• Special international days or weeks
• International theatre activities and film series

10
Focus on specific activities and events of an
international nature

• Musical events from overseas
• International fairs, featuring food from abroad
• Art exhibits and displays
• Events related to specific causes (e.g.,
  earthquake relief)

11
Focus on International Programs for students

• Majors, minors and concentrations in
  international topics (e.g., international
  relations, area studies, language)
• Specific classes and modules with international
  content
• Strong emphasis/requirement for foreign language

12
Focus on International Programs for students

• Language Across the Curriculum programs
• Study abroad with related opportunities for
  field study, collaborative research with faculty
• Study abroad made available for all students
  not merely those with the financial resources
• International internships
• Service learning overseas

13
Focus on International Programs for students

• A requirement or expectation that students study
  abroad
• Global houses on campus and housing with
  international students while overseas

14
Focus on International Programs for students

• Active recruiting of international students to
  create diversity on the campus community, ( e.g.,
  recruiting through the United World Colleges
  link)
• Student exchanges
• Special international efforts in the freshman year

15
Focus on international efforts for other groups

• The recruiting of faculty and staff with
  international backgrounds (we often forget the
  staff)
• Faculty development of an international nature
  on the campus and overseas (such as faculty
  studying Spanish, faculty going abroad for
  projects, research opportunities overseas,
  faculty seminars abroad)

16
Focus on international efforts for other groups

• Staff opportunities for international
  consultancies
• Faculty and staff exchanges
• Benchmarking with institutions abroad
• Local college-community linkages dialogue with
  people of foreign backgrounds living in the local
  community

17
Focus on international efforts for other groups

• Joint projects with international groups in the
  local community
• Use of international alumni on projects, overseas
  opportunities, recruiting and placement
• An active international office on campus
  (carrying out information clearinghouse,
  advisory, program management and other roles)

18
Focus on Other aspects of Internationalization

• Mission of the institution here is an example
  from the University of RichmondThe mission of
  the University of Richmond is to sustain a
  collaborative learning and research community
  that supports the personal development of its
  members and the creation of new knowledge. A
  Richmond education prepares students to live
  lives of purpose, thoughtful inquiry, and
  responsible leadership in a global and
  pluralistic society. This statement was adopted
  by the Board of Trustees in March, 2005.

19
Focus on Other aspects of Internationalization

• An important place for internationalization in
  the institutions strategic plan
• A strategic plan for internationalization
• Trustees, presidents, deans and other key people
  who are models of internationalization who are
  active internationally and who promote
  internationalization

20
Focus on Other aspects of Internationalization

• Institutional linkages to international groups
  whether they are located in local communities or
  overseas
• Institutional partnerships such as Rhodes College
  in Tennessee and Rhodes University in South
  Africa
• Active participation in sister city programs

21
Focus on Other aspects of Internationalization

• Institutional linkages to active international
  groups like the Institute for International
  Education (IIE), and Association for
  International Educators (NAFSA), the Association
  of International Education Administrators (AEIA),
  the Institute for the International Education of
  Students (IES) and others
• Active fundraising for international programs

22
The Cooperative Role How consortia can help

• Underscoring the importance of internationalizatio
  n (a principal reason for the founding of ACS)
• Sharing and disseminating relevant information,
  including best practices

23
The Cooperative Role How consortia can help

• Providing a model of effective internationalizatio
  n in consortial programs i.e., programs of a
  very high level quality
• Identifying and providing experts on various
  facets of internationalization consultants who
  can assist the individual institutions

24
The Cooperative Role How consortia can help

• Developing a manual for internationalization
  including lessons, problems to avoid, resources
  to tap and other items
• Suggesting fundraising sources and raising money
  for joint and individual institutional
  initiatives
• Working with other international consortia to
  maximize the impact of the efforts being made

25
The Cooperative Role How consortia can help

• Addressing and strengthening specific aspects of
  the efforts of individual institutions e.g.,
  improving language study, creating new courses,
  fostering joint courses, organizing traveling
  international speakers, exhibits and events
• Organizing joint international student recruiting
  efforts

26
Lessons

• The international effort needs to be imbedded in
  the institution contained in its mission
  statement as a highly a prized institutional
  value
• The initiative should be featured in the
  institutions strategic plan and consideration
  should be given to a separate strategic plan
  focused on internationalization

27
Lessons

• Support for a comprehensive effort needs to be
  made clear from the top, that is, from the
  presidents, the chief academic officers and
  trustees
• Sufficient and high quality staff is critical for
  success
• An effort ought to be made to evaluate progress
  toward specific goals and objectives, and the
  evaluation should be used in refining and
  improving programs

28
(No Transcript)