Internationalization

<< Faculty-led 360: Guide to Successful Study Abroad (back to Excerpt 7)

Faculty-led 360: Guide to Successful Study Abroad by Melanie McCallon and Bill Holmes has been released. Enjoy another excerpt below.

Internationalization

Internationalization is the buzzword of the decade. If your university has not already spent considerable time, energy, and funding on efforts to be more accessible to international students, support study abroad, increase the international mobility of faculty, and infuse international content into the curriculum, then just wait, the day is sure to come. You can either start the wave, ride it, or be knocked down when it hits.

With the current economic climate, universities are being challenged just to maintain, much less increase, enrollments. We are constantly reinventing ourselves with new, global-minded tag lines and strategic goals. As a faculty member, you will be expected to contribute to the global goals of the university in addition to local enrollment. How does your academic department, and university at large, attract high caliber, open-minded students? Prospective students are not looking for the prettiest campus or the newest dormitory, or even the university that offers the best scholarship package. In the past 10 years, conversations with prospective students have evolved from ‘what is study abroad’ to ‘how will this help me in my chosen major.’ Students come to your campus ready to seek out international opportunities. If you cannot deliver, your elite students will be drawn elsewhere. The fact that study abroad has come to be a required component of many Honors programs is no coincidence. Exceptional students are not scared away by study abroad, but instead attracted to a university that promotes international activity. Students of this caliber already know that having international experience on their resume will push them further up the ladder and offer more opportunities for success in their field.

Given the push and pull of universities experiencing budget cuts, furloughs, larger classes, and decreased benefits, how can we stay on track with greater academic and co-curricular goals? Regardless of cost, globalization is what will move your campus forward. Stay the path and continue to offer study abroad programs that excite you, your students, and your faculty colleagues. Then bring those experiences home to contribute to recruitment, service, and publications. Don’t underestimate the fact that one experience can snowball into a varied career path and expanded curriculum vitae that puts you in the middle of internationalization efforts on your campus.

1.6 The Last Word

No matter where you are in your career or where your institution is in its efforts to globalize, study abroad can help your personal, professional, and institutional advancement. Even if there are no resources for a study abroad office, or processes for developing faculty-led programs, you can still lead students abroad. This book will assist you to create the processes for those that come behind you. Yes, it will require some work. Yes, it will be difficult. Yes, you may have to fight to convince others of the need on campus. But remember, the reward will far outweigh the sacrifice, and you will have helped change many lives in the process.

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