2015 Internationalizing the Campus

Introduction

NAFSA’s thirteenth annual report, Internationalizing the Campus: Profiles of Success at Colleges and Universities, reflects the tremendous growth in support for campus internationalization from campuses across the country since the creation of the Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationaliza...

NAFSA’s thirteenth annual report, Internationalizing the Campus: Profiles of Success at Colleges and Universities, reflects the tremendous growth in support for campus internationalization from campuses across the country since the creation of the Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization. The selection committee receives an increasing number of impressive applications each year from universities of all types from across the country.

Each year the selection committee seeks institutions where international education has been broadly infused into all facets of the campus. The 2015 selection committee was particularly focused on identifying institutions and programs with the following characteristics:

  • The campus has been widely internationalized across schools, divisions, departments, and disciplines.
  • There is evidence of genuine administrative or even board-level support for internationalization.
  • The campuswide internationalization has had demonstrable results for students.
  • The institution’s mission or planning documents contain an explicit or implicit statement regarding international education.
  • The institution’s commitment to internationalization is reflected in the curriculum.
  • The campuswide internationalization has had demonstrable results within the faculty.
  • There is a global dimension in off-campus programs and outreach.
  • There is internationalization in research and/or faculty exchange.
  • The institution supports education abroad as well as its international faculty, scholars, and students.

NAFSA received many outstanding nominations from a diverse group of distinguished institutions across the United States. Each of the five institutions chosen by the selection committee—Mount Holyoke College, North Central College, University of Delaware, University of San Diego, and the University of Virginia—is profiled in this report. NAFSA will present the award to the presidents of these institutions at a special ceremony on November 17, 2015, in Washington, D.C., as part of this year’s International Education Week events. The presidents will also participate in a panel discussion prior to the award ceremony to share their insights and first-hand perspectives on their campuses’ successes in internationalization.

Three other institutions received the Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Award and are featured for their outstanding accomplishments in specific areas of internationalization. Rice University is recognized for its Brasil@Rice initiative, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is recognized for the VCU Globe initiative, and Wake Forest University is recognized for its Workshop on Intercultural Skills Enhancement (WISE).  

The Simon Award celebrates the legacy of the late Senator Paul Simon of Illinois, who was a life-long advocate for international education and exchange, recognizing institutions and programs that promote international understanding and a more just and peaceful world at the student level. NAFSA continues to support the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Act, a legislative proposal, championed by Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, to increase access to study abroad for 1 million U.S. college students by 2020.

We hope that international educators will share this report with their institution’s top leadership and across all levels of their campus to underscore the value of well-planned, well-executed international education efforts and to broaden the reach of best practices in internationalization, especially those using innovative or creative approaches. Internationalizing the Campus is also of great value in communicating with communities beyond the campus. Legislatures and government agencies may find it a helpful tool in discussing and understanding international education and exchange.

NAFSA congratulates each institution recognized in the 2015 Internationalizing the Campus report for its outstanding work. These institutions truly recognize the importance of international understanding in the world today and building a globally competent workforce in the increasingly globalized economy. 

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Acknowledgements

NAFSA acknowledges and is very appreciative of the considerable work of five volunteers, from prior Senator Paul Simon Award campuses, who constituted the selection committee responsible for choosing the institutions profiled in Internationalizing the Campus 2015:  Joseph Rogers (Chair), ...

NAFSA acknowledges and is very appreciative of the considerable work of five volunteers, from prior Senator Paul Simon Award campuses, who constituted the selection committee responsible for choosing the institutions profiled in Internationalizing the Campus 2015

  • Joseph Rogers (Chair), College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University
  • Barry Bannister, Green River Community College
  • Kelechi Kalu, University of California-Riverside
  • Neal McCrillis, Columbus State University
  • Joanna Regulska, University of California-Davis

Their careful review of the nominations and thorough deliberations were truly invaluable. This report was researched and written by Christopher Connell, formerly the national education reporter for the Associated Press (AP), and later assistant chief of the AP Washington Bureau. Mr. Connell is a freelance writer, editor, and consultant who works with foundations, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies. He also contributed many of the fine photographs accompanying the profile articles on the Senator Paul Simon Award winners.

Many thanks go to the representatives of the colleges and universities who participated in the project, including all who submitted nominations. We especially thank the institutions featured in this report for their assistance in helping us research and report their stories. We continue to be indebted to the family of Paul Simon for lending the late senator’s name to the Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization and the Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Award, bestowed upon the five and three institutions, respectively, in the 2015 report. Internationalizing the Campus reports from previous years and information about the competition can be viewed online at www.nafsa.org/itc. 

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When Mary Lyon opened the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in western Massachusetts in 1837, the United States had 120 colleges for men and none for women. FDR’s path-breaking labor secretary Frances Perkins, obstetrical anesthesiologist Virginia Apgar
Comprehensive Award

Mount Holyoke College

Prepares Women for “Purposeful Engagement” With the World
When Mary Lyon opened the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in western Massachusetts in 1837, the United States had 120 colleges for men and none for women. FDR’s path-breaking labor secretary Frances Perkins, obstetrical anesthesiologist Virginia Apgar

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The message is impossible to miss. One day each fall at North Central College dozens of senior administrators, faculty, and students don maroon T-shirts emblazoned with a three-word imperative: Please go away!
Comprehensive Award

North Central College

A Deft Touch Nudged Internationalization Forward at North Central College
The message is impossible to miss. One day each fall at North Central College dozens of senior administrators, faculty, and students don maroon T-shirts emblazoned with a three-word imperative: Please go away!

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The University of Delaware (UD) was a recipient of the prestigious 2015 Comprehensive Award for Internationalization.
Comprehensive Award

University of Delaware

Emphasizes the Global on a Quest for Prominence
The University of Delaware (UD) was a recipient of the prestigious 2015 Comprehensive Award for Internationalization.

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University of San Diego is a recipient of the 2015 Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization.
Comprehensive Award

University of San Diego

A Global Mission Comes with the Territory for the University of San Diego
University of San Diego is a recipient of the 2015 Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization.

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Thomas Jefferson was the prototype of what every university today professes students need to become: a global citizen. The polyglot president, diplomat, scientist, inventor, and educator was friend to the Marquis de Lafayette and Simon Bolivar. He
Comprehensive Award

University of Virginia

Seeks to Emulate its Founder
Thomas Jefferson was the prototype of what every university today professes students need to become: a global citizen. The polyglot president, diplomat, scientist, inventor, and educator was friend to the Marquis de Lafayette and Simon Bolivar. He

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When Brazil launched its Ciência sem Fronteiras (Science Without Borders) initiative to send 100,000 students and researchers around the world, many prestigious institutions stepped forward to snap them up. Rice University went a step further
Spotlight Award

Rice University

Finds a Natural Partner in Brazil
When Brazil launched its Ciência sem Fronteiras (Science Without Borders) initiative to send 100,000 students and researchers around the world, many prestigious institutions stepped forward to snap them up. Rice University went a step further

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Virginia Commonwealth University is a recipient of the 2015 Simon Spotlight Award.
Spotlight Award

Virginia Commonwealth University

Students Live and Learn Global Engagement
Virginia Commonwealth University is a recipient of the 2015 Simon Spotlight Award.

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Wake Forest University is a recipient of the prestigious 2015 Spotlight Award for Internationalization.
Spotlight Award

Wake Forest University

Teaching Intercultural Skills Starts with Faculty
Wake Forest University is a recipient of the prestigious 2015 Spotlight Award for Internationalization.

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