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
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