Internationalization Efforts on Campus

• In Event: 49.046 - Internationalization Efforts Around the World

Abstract

Recent attention on developing global competencies in college graduates has pressed colleges and universities to “internationalize” their campuses. A case study of the College of William and Mary and of the University of Padua determined faculty perceptions to campus efforts to internationalize. Data collection included a faculty survey and faculty focus groups at William and Mary and faculty interviews at Padua. We found that even though internationalization is recognized as important, there is a lack of shared understanding of what this means on campus, a lack of universal inclusion within the curriculum, and a lack of means to integrate student study abroad into their general college learning experiences. Differences emerged based on faculty disciplinary areas and the institutional context. Pointedly, internationalization looks different in the US case site compared to the European case locale.

The recognition of the need to create global competencies in students and the breaking down of barriers around the world demands a heightened sense of worldliness for current college students (Knight, 2009). As more universities are including international dimensions in their mission statements and core values, emphasizing global citizenship, intercultural competence, and an international presence, an ongoing discussion emerges to define, explain, and measure the internationalization of higher education institutions. Historic patterns of myopic views of the United States having the monopoly on high quality post-secondary education are fading. Notably, the Bologna Process (1999) and Lisbon Strategy (2000) serve to focus European higher education squarely on the knowledge economy and to break down traditional barriers for students moving among institutions of higher education in various countries. The attention on global rankings (Hazelkorn, 2011) has meant an infusion of funding to build up post-secondary education in other countries, at the same time that funding for public higher education in America is on a sharp decline. U.S. institutions are facing a different environment in which they must compete for students and in which students must be prepared to work with upon graduation. This study found that context matters in terms of how internationalization is viewed. At William and Mary there was a lack of shared understanding of what intranationalization means on campus, a lack of university wide codification within the curriculum, and a lack of means to integrate student study abroad experiences into their general college learning experiences. At the University of Padua there was institutional commitment to crossing borders, but students were more reluctant to want to leave home. The faculty, on the other hand, draw from an international research base for their work and the ease of travel on the continent results in more international experiences for faculty members. On both campuses, change to date was first order and incremental versus deep change to the campus culture about internationalization efforts. Yet, campus members were engaged, working in international arenas, and gaining personal knowledge and experience.

Author

• Pamela L. Eddy, College of William and Mary