From the Excellence Initiative to Studieren weltweit: Internationalization of German higher education

• In Event: Between global norms and local policies: Comparative perspectives on the internationalization of higher education

Abstract

This presentation shares findings of a study on internationalization of German higher education conducted in spring-summer 2014 for a European Parliament (EP) report, Internationalisation of Higher Education, led by Hans deWit of the Centre for Higher Education Internationalisation and in cooperation with the International Association of Universities (IAU) and the European Association for International Education (EAIE). Germany today is a leading player in the marketplace of global higher education. While its position in continental Europe as a major receiver and sender of students makes the healthy state of its internationalisation readily apparent, the country is also active in many other ways emblematic of an engaged and comprehensive internationalisation process. But what does Germany’s internationalization process look like and how is the activity specific to the German case similar to and different from other countries’ efforts to internationalize? The purpose of this presentation is to illustrate how the EP study sought to uncover “the underlying gist of what internationalisation is and should be aiming for” in Germany at the government, state, and institution levels in a time of change and intense global competition. The theoretical understanding of internationalization as a dynamic and diversely understood combination of different political, economic, social/cultural and academic rationales (De Wit, 2002) challenged the data collection and analysis. The design of the study included the extensive review of government and institutional reports, academic studies, and selected interviews. As part of a panel exploring cross-national perspectives on higher education internationalization today, Germany plays a significant role both within the Bologna process and as a leading presence for incoming and outgoing global mobility.

Author

• Bernhard Streitwieser, The George Washington University