Internationalizing the Campus: Selection Criteria

Each selection jury seeks institutions that can demonstrate some or all of these characteristics:

The campus has been widely internationalized across schools, divisions, departments, and disciplines.

What evidence is there of systemic, campus-wide internationalization? What evidence is there that campus internationalization is stable, permanent, and part of the institution’s structure? Is there integrated planning for international education, and how is that accomplished? Is there an administrative framework that provides cohesive leadership for internationalization widely across campus? What good for the institution has come from internationalization? How has the effort persuaded elements on campus that might otherwise resist internationalization?

There is evidence of genuine administrative or even board-level support for internationalization.

Does the institution’s leadership actively affirm and support internationalization, and does it provide meaningful financial support?

The campus-wide internationalization has had demonstrable results for students.

What evidence exists of increased global knowledge and understanding within the student body? What evidence of contributions to student learning and life can be seen in internationally related coursework, co-curricular activities, and education abroad programs? In language study, for example, are there demonstrable outcomes (student competence versus seat time)? Are students challenged to develop cross-cultural skills in such areas as leadership, written and oral presentations, conflict resolution, and managing change? Do they have the opportunity to practice these skills in and out of the classroom? To what extent and how well are international students encouraged to participate in and contribute to the intellectual and social life of the campus?

The institution’s mission or planning documents contain an explicit or implicit statement regarding international education.

Is there a genuine institutional commitment to international education and, if so, how is that manifested? To what extent has international education become part of the campus culture or ethos? Does international education permeate campus life beyond the international or education abroad offices—is it promoted, for example, in alumni affairs, campus publications, and development? Do people across campus describe the institution in global terms?

The institution’s commitment to internationalization is reflected in the curriculum.

Is there evidence of internationalization in the curriculum, whether in majors or minors with an international focus, or in courses across disciplines and departments? Is internationalization included in graduation requirements? To what extent can international education be found and measured in general education, area studies, international studies, and foreign language studies? Is there evidence of internationalization in professional studies—do teacher education and business, for example, incorporate international subject matter or experiences? Is internationalization an apparent component of the institution's educational philosophy?

The campus-wide internationalization has had demonstrable results within the faculty.

How broad is faculty “buy-in” to the importance of internationalization, as reflected, for example, in meaningful changes in the curriculum or participation in education abroad? Is there evidence of innovative delivery modes in international education (such as language across the curriculum, for example, or immersion in language study)? Is there evidence of the use of distance learning or other technologies to increase student contact with the world at large?

There is an international dimension in off-campus programs and outreach.

To what extent and how well is international education made part of campus outreach efforts and community service? To what extent is the institution committed to increasing the level of intercultural awareness in the community? Can the institution document an example where it took the lead in advancing globalization at the local level, where it engaged with its community in a successful partnership with an international dimension, or where it successfully navigated a public policy debate in an area of internationalization at the local, state, or regional level?

There is internationalization in research and/or faculty exchange.

Is there evidence of interdisciplinary research across international boundaries? Is there evidence of international faculty exchange and interaction?

The institution supports education abroad as well as its international faculty, scholars, and students.

What evidence is there of institutional support for its international faculty and scholars and for sending students abroad? To what extent do international faculty and scholars contribute to the intellectual fabric of the institution? How well does the institution support international students, including meeting their social and cultural needs? How well does the institution support the families of international faculty and students? Does the campus encourage and facilitate students spending significant time abroad? Does the campus encourage and facilitate opportunities for intercultural learning for students unable to travel? How well does the institution provide support to students and their families before, during, and after the abroad experience? To what extent are students assisted in processing their international and intercultural experiences in order to integrate a global perspective into their own lives and the life of the campus community?


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