Internationalization Efforts on Campus: Progress Toward Aligning Individual Experiences and Institutional Aspirations

• In Event: Internationalization and International Contexts: Implications for Reform, Partnership, and Leadership Efforts

Abstract

Internationalization efforts in colleges entail more than traditional study abroad. Comprehensive internationalization also involves organizational change to create structures supporting international efforts, bolstering faculty involvement, infusing international topics into course curriculum, and establishing international collaborations. Yet, efforts of internationalization in higher education often remain uneven. Many students do not integrate experiences abroad to their college programs, faculty have little institutional support for international work, and institutions, while espousing a desire to internationalize, in practice rarely link efforts to strategic goals. In this case study, we found that intentional efforts to internationalize made a difference, with top-level leadership acting as a key linchpin in the process. Yet, challenges remain in aligning individual faculty efforts, broader institutional goals, and student global competence.

Authors

• Pamela L. Eddy, College of William and Mary

• James Patrick Barber, College of William and Mary

• Leslie L Bohon, College of William and Mary

• Kristen Tarantino, College of William and Mary