(Copyright Jun. 29, 2007 by The Chronicle of Higher Education) Colleges and universities are increasingly spending resources to become more global. For more than 20 years, I have participated in, or served as a consultant to, the internationalization efforts of a broad range of institutions -- research universities, regional state universities, private liberal-arts colleges, and community colleges - - and have witnessed a variety of approaches and outcomes. Some institutions experienced significant, transformative change, while others merely developed documents that were forgotten within months of their unveiling.
What distinguished the efforts with lasting impact from those that fizzled?
At its best, internationalization is a campuswide undertaking that challenges institutions to view their fundamental missions from a new perspective, to rethink what is learned and how, to redefine their boundaries, and to consciously extend their global reach and impact. To do so, colleges and universities should create a learning environment that systematically gives faculty members and students opportunities to translate knowledge into action in the real world. That requires:
Articulating a bold vision. Whether the institution is large, small, public, private, urban, or rural, successful internationalization will flow from its core values and mission. An internationalization plan that resonates with faculty members, administrators, students, alumni, and trustees will be in sync with the past and, at the same time, inspire new visions of the future. It will take the institution's basic identity and project it onto a global stage.
For instance, a land-grant university rooted in agricultural- extension efforts may begin to explore alternative bio-fuels with Brazilian researchers. A community college steeped in work-force development might provide information-technology training for Chinese municipal employees. A liberal-arts institution with a strong program in service learning might develop close relationships with global NGO's throughout the developing world. And a research university on the cutting edge of science and technology might join forces with a university overseas to tackle a pressing environmental issue. Wherever and however a college chooses to engage, articulating a bold vision for internationalization that is firmly rooted in its "soul" is the most effective way to galvanize a campus and attract new financial support.
The University of Pennsylvania, for example, has aligned its global agenda with a mission that has evolved since Benjamin Franklin and other Philadelphia leaders founded it in the mid-18th century. As the architects of a new developing country, they were concerned that their brightest young people were returning to Europe to be educated in leading universities. They envisioned an institution that would educate a new generation of leaders with practical skills that could be applied to building every sector of society, not just the academy and the church. It was within that context that the nation's first modern liberal-arts curriculum was born. More than 250 years later, that tradition of community building has been manifested in Penn's community-development programs in West Philadelphia and is now being extended to the complex challenges facing communities throughout the world: global health, democracy and the rule of law, economic development, and environmental sustainability.
In Built to Last (HarperBusiness, 1994) Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras point out that an "audacious" vision involves a clear, concise, compelling, and daunting challenge that acts as a catalyst to focus and energize the institution. Like President Kennedy's commitment to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade, it needs no explanation and "should require extraordinary effort and perhaps a little luck" to be attained. Bold visions challenge accepted norms of organizing and delivering academic programs and carrying out research agendas. They have the potential to distinguish an institution and to serve as an innovative model for others to emulate.
Investing in the vision. Bold visions are not necessarily expensive, but, as one of my colleagues at the recent Nafsa: Association of International Educators conference aptly observed, "Vision without resources is just hallucination." Institutions will have to reallocate resources already dedicated to student services, campus events, faculty development, and capital projects to enhance their international dimensions.
I've seen firsthand what can be accomplished. In the early 80s when China was just opening up to the West, I led the international efforts at Illinois State University. We were among the first American universities to establish an exchange program in China, but I was having difficulty recruiting the initial group of students. In frustration, I opened the program to faculty members, hoping that the following year they would help generate enough student interest to sustain the program.
The newly reconfigured "faculty-development program" was supported as an exchange with a branch of the Chinese Ministry of Culture, so it was quite cost effective. A full month in China, all expenses included, cost a mere $2,000 per participant. The university's international office contributed $750 per faculty member, the department or college paid another $750, and the faculty member contributed the remaining $500. Twelve professors from a variety of disciplines immediately signed up.
It marked the beginning of a major transformation of the university. The excitement generated by that initial exposure of a faculty team to China reverberated throughout the institution, and for the following eight years, professors in business, the arts, science and technology, and many other fields traveled to China to investigate the context of their disciplines, engage with their professional counterparts, and expand their worldviews.
As a result, enrollments of Chinese students began to soar. Visiting professorships in numerous disciplines were arranged in both countries. The university's curriculum on Asia began to expand across a wide range of academic fields, and many lectures were peppered with anecdotes and examples involving China. Enrollments in new Chinese-language classes grew quickly. In the end, the impact of the annual investment of less than $20,000 was incalculable.
Dedicating financial and human resources is the ultimate barometer of institutional commitment to internationalization. If an institution's new global vision involves transcending disciplinary barriers, then its incentive-and-reward system for faculty members should align with that goal. If new fields of study or academic emphases are a key component of the strategy, faculty-hiring priorities should support that.
Sustaining the vision. Internationalization is by its very nature a complex undertaking. Some objectives will be accomplished quickly, while others will require long-term commitments. Once senior administrators articulate the vision, the substance of internationalization must be carried out in the day-to-day activities of departments, administrative units, and other groups throughout the institution. To change the campus ethos and move ahead, faculty members, staff members, and students must take ownership.
Many plans fizzle at the implementation stage because there is no campus coordination or accountability for outcomes. Good intentions, broad consensus, and intricate plans are insufficient without sustained leadership and periodic formal assessments of progress. In addition to reallocating resources, the plan will have to garner financial support over the long haul -- grants, contracts, endowments, and gifts -- and that will also require an organized effort. An appropriate administrative infrastructure, including perhaps the appointment of a senior official responsible for internationalization, must be put in place to coordinate the effort, communicate relevant information to internal and external constituencies, and foster collaboration.
The University of Minnesota has successfully internationalized courses on its campuses and developed academic programs abroad through a "curriculum integration initiative." The university's Learning Abroad Center offers workshops for faculty members and advisers on global initiatives, trains them in best practices in study abroad, supports visits to study-abroad sites, and works with the Center for Teaching and Learning to help professors create international components to their classes. By providing such assistance across all colleges and departments, as well as by assessing the learning outcomes of its programs, it has embedded an international dimension in the very marrow of the university, the curriculum.
What are the hallmarks of a successful internationalization plan? Like Minnesota, the institution will create faculty-development programs, such as workshops, symposia, international fellowships, travel grants, and reward systems. It will develop interdisciplinary courses and programs focused on global issues. It will create area- studies programs, expand the global dimensions of disciplines, and perhaps create new certificates and degree programs. It will increase the global diversity of faculty members, staff members, and students and fully integrate them into the academic community. It will provide opportunities for all students to study languages and develop true competence in them. It will also offer study abroad for all students, regardless of major, financial status, geographical interest, or language skills. And in many cases, it will set up overseas operations and work with universities abroad to tackle major social issues.
A plan that will ultimately stand the test of time is one that allows some flexibility while remaining true to the mission and global vision of the institution. Changes in leadership, emerging opportunities, unforeseen challenges, the appearance of a major donor, or other unanticipated developments could significantly alter the landscape. Good plans should not only accommodate such changes but take advantage of them -- allowing for timely, carefully considered course corrections without losing sight of the vision.
A successful plan transforms how an institution operates, how it sees itself, and how it is perceived by others. Comprehensive internationalization, when well conceived and well executed, can energize and focus an entire campus toward a common goal, and shape its character and reputation for decades to come.
JoAnn S. McCarthy is assistant provost for international affairs at the University of Pennsylvania.
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