Whenever I am asked how a campus should begin to internationalize, I recommend a short, inexpensive report titled Educating Americans for a World in Flux, published by the American Council on Education (ACE). This report focuses on the task of educating all U.S. students to be global citizens.

"The nation must commit itself now to providing all students with the kinds of knowledge it once provided only to a few - a powerful, deep rooted understanding of other languages, diverse cultures, and global issues," the report urges. "This kind of competence needs to be provided not as something extra in the curriculum, but as an integral part of the educational experience."

The need to recognize the value of international education and begin the task of changing priorities is no less important for historically Black colleges and universities (HCBUs) and minority-serving institutions (MSIs) than for majority-serving institutions. In fact, one could argue that it is even more urgent for the former institutions.

While there are a number of ways an institution demonstrates its commitment to international education, one generally recognized by international educators is the number of undergraduate students who study abroad for academic credit each year. According to Open Doors 1995/96, a yearly publication of the New York-based Institute of International Education - which reports on the number of U.S. students who study abroad and foreign students studying in the U.S. - of the 85,000 undergraduates who studied abroad during the 1995-96 academic year, 10,571 were students of color. The precise ethnic composition was 4,146 (4.9 percent) Asian American; 3,827 (4.5 percent) Hispanic; 2,348 African American (2.8 percent); and 250 (0.03 percent) Native American.

Only sixteen HBCUs reported to Open Doors. Collectively, these institutions sent 150 students abroad (most of whom are assumed to be Black), out of a total HBCU population of 280,000. It is possible that there were more students from HBCUs who studied abroad in the 1995-96 academic year, but they were not reported to Open Doors.

The 85,000 undergraduates who did study abroad in the 1995-96 academic year represent fewer than 1 percent of the 12.2 million U.S. undergraduates that year. If these statistics are any indication, then the task of internationalizing campuses is enormous for all of the nation's institutions of higher education.

Visionary leaders at HBCUs and MSIs have an exciting opportunity to chart new territory and provide successful models for replication and adaptation by other institutions. Models of international campuses that reach low-income, minority, and nontraditional students are much needed in higher education - and these are the very populations with which HBCUs and MSIs have demonstrated success.

The reason I like to recommend Educating Americans for a World in Flux is because it offers some easily adopted recommendations for developing an international campus. Among them are:

* establishing language competency requirements for all graduates;

* requiring an understanding of other cultures;

* developing curricula that demonstrate international understanding;

* developing study abroad and international internships for all students;

* developing consortia to enhance capabilities;

* developing opportunities to cooperate with institutions abroad; and

* providing support to local schools and community organizations.

While none of the recommendations are more important than others, institutions that send a clear signal to faculty that their active role in the internationalization process is valued - and has tangible rewards in the tenure and promotion process - are likely to change more rapidly and in a deeper, more meaningful way than those institutions that fail to do so.

Faculty from all disciplines who contribute to an international campus program should be encouraged and rewarded if they speak other languages, have presented at international conferences, are engaging in international research projects, host international scholars, advise international students, take sabbaticals abroad, receive international grants or fellowships, go on short-term international study programs, or advise international student clubs. The possibilities are endless.

Developing an international campus may seem overwhelming, but an inexpensive and important first step is to undertake an assessment of the international strengths of a campus. An initial assessment might include identifying faculty, administrators, and others who speak foreign languages; taking inventory of courses that have an international focus or component, or offer comparative international content; and identify faculty who have presented at international conferences, are engaged in international research, have received international fellowships and grants, or have attended educational programs abroad.

With a bit of detective work and minimal expenditure, a campus that develops such a catalog of international achievements is likely to find that it has the start of an international program, no matter how modest. An international assessment. starts the internationalization process by highlighting the global activities of the campus that can then be used to initiate a comprehensive strategy.

Making a campus international in mission, deed, and outreach involves everyone: faculty, administrators, support personnel, students, and the community. With limited resources, the challenge may seem daunting. But the rewards are unlimited for every person on a campus entrusted with the education, safety, and well-being of future citizens.

KAREN JENKINS, Vice President, Institutional Advancement; Editor-in-chief Journal of Studies in International Education; Council on International Educational Exchange