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Collegial Conversations, September 2007
Through these conversations NAFSA hopes to target the best practices and experiences of some of international education's preeminent leaders. Upcoming Collegial Conversations will focus on the findings of the Delphi Study of College and University Senior International Officers. Over the coming year we hope to have many unique and thought-provoking conversations.
Riall Nolan
Riall Nolan is Associate Provost and Dean of International Programs at Purdue University. Trained as an anthropologist, he worked overseas for many years in international development, mainly in Papua New Guinea, Senegal, Tunisia and Sri Lanka.
In the US, he did international programs at Pitt and Cincinnati before joining Purdue in late 2003. Purdue's International Programs office is responsible for study abroad programs, incoming international students and scholars, and a variety of other international education initiatives. Nolan's research and writing interests include international development, cross-cultural learning and adaptation, and the application of social science to real-world problems.
I feel like that a lot of the time. What's at the top of my list? Working with Purdue's ten academic colleges to help them develop plans for overseas activities which are relevant, sustainable, and interesting.
We often think that it's our students who need more international exposure. That's true, but it's really our institutions that need to "get it" as regards the world out there. It's a task that's never done, and although it's not done by me or my staff alone, it does take up a lot of my time and energy. And it really is the most important thing I can do, because if we can change our institutional cultures, it's much easier to open our students' minds.
During September, Riall answered questions and offered gems of wisdom. View the Archived Disucssion!
I'm very pro-faculty. I am a faculty member myself. But I also recognize that under the rules and policies in place in many if not most of our institutions, faculty are neither encouraged nor rewarded for international activity. And there is often an attitude that overseas study isn't as good academically as here in the US, that's it's not really academic at all but more for fun, and that it certainly shouldn't be driving our curriculum.
There are many reasons for these attitudes, starting with policies which do not give faculty points during recruitment, promotion or tenure for their international activities. Add to this is the quite natural feeling of "expertise" that faculty build up for themselves, often painfully, as they become specialists in their discipline. It occurs to them that if they were to go to another country, they might not be so expert anymore. And they might lose a measure of control over their students.
This threatens some faculty much more than others. We try to work with them all, to provide support, encouragement, reassurance, advice, and yes, funding where necessary. And it's wonderful to see faculty members blossom and grow as a result of their international involvement. So although this is one of my biggest problems, it's also one of my biggest personal rewards.
But at some point, our universities are going to have to decide to prioritize and reward international activity. Recruiting people as new faculty who already speak foreign languages, who've already been overseas, and who want to go again and take students with them – this will make our jobs so much easier. The sooner our institutions cross this particular bridge, the better for our society.
The folks who are working in international education are arguably some of the most alert, likeable and interesting people on earth. They make great friends and colleagues, and they are a continual source of inspiration to me. I have learned so much from them.
They're also unusual. They've all had unusual experiences of one kind or another, they do unusual jobs on campus, and they approach problems in unusual ways. They're interesting, in other words.
And the work they do affects lives, permanently. You can see it in the students and faculty who come back from overseas. The personal changes may be difficult to measure, but they are there, and to paraphrase Aldous Huxley a bit, once you get the doors of perception open, it's pretty hard to shut them again.
So if you're reading this wondering if international education is for you, I'd say jump right in, come and join us. It's more fun than anything I can think of, it makes you wise, and you touch lives in direct and very positive ways. What could be better than that?
Riall Nolan
Riall Nolan
In the US, he did international programs at Pitt and Cincinnati before joining Purdue in late 2003. Purdue's International Programs office is responsible for study abroad programs, incoming international students and scholars, and a variety of other international education initiatives. Nolan's research and writing interests include international development, cross-cultural learning and adaptation, and the application of social science to real-world problems.
What is at the top of your strategic planning list?
There's a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon which shows Calvin, the little kid, scowling. The caption reads, "God put me here on earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I am so far behind that I will never die."I feel like that a lot of the time. What's at the top of my list? Working with Purdue's ten academic colleges to help them develop plans for overseas activities which are relevant, sustainable, and interesting.
We often think that it's our students who need more international exposure. That's true, but it's really our institutions that need to "get it" as regards the world out there. It's a task that's never done, and although it's not done by me or my staff alone, it does take up a lot of my time and energy. And it really is the most important thing I can do, because if we can change our institutional cultures, it's much easier to open our students' minds.
During September, Riall answered questions and offered gems of wisdom. View the Archived Disucssion!
What are the most difficult challenges you face today to carry out your international mandate?
Changing the hearts and minds of faculty members is both the most challenging thing I do, and the most rewarding. Faculty can often constitute the most formidable obstacle to student participation in education abroad, and this isn't widely discussed, because it's a very sensitive topic.I'm very pro-faculty. I am a faculty member myself. But I also recognize that under the rules and policies in place in many if not most of our institutions, faculty are neither encouraged nor rewarded for international activity. And there is often an attitude that overseas study isn't as good academically as here in the US, that's it's not really academic at all but more for fun, and that it certainly shouldn't be driving our curriculum.
There are many reasons for these attitudes, starting with policies which do not give faculty points during recruitment, promotion or tenure for their international activities. Add to this is the quite natural feeling of "expertise" that faculty build up for themselves, often painfully, as they become specialists in their discipline. It occurs to them that if they were to go to another country, they might not be so expert anymore. And they might lose a measure of control over their students.
This threatens some faculty much more than others. We try to work with them all, to provide support, encouragement, reassurance, advice, and yes, funding where necessary. And it's wonderful to see faculty members blossom and grow as a result of their international involvement. So although this is one of my biggest problems, it's also one of my biggest personal rewards.
But at some point, our universities are going to have to decide to prioritize and reward international activity. Recruiting people as new faculty who already speak foreign languages, who've already been overseas, and who want to go again and take students with them – this will make our jobs so much easier. The sooner our institutions cross this particular bridge, the better for our society.
Reflecting on your past experience, what advice, resources, favorite website, etc, would you most like to share with your colleagues, or those aspiring to become a chief international education officer?
This is a great time to be in international education. I've never seen more enthusiasm for learning about the rest of the world, and I've never seen more need for it. There's growing support from presidents, provosts, trustees, parents, students, and virtually anyone who is thoughtful about our society and its future.The folks who are working in international education are arguably some of the most alert, likeable and interesting people on earth. They make great friends and colleagues, and they are a continual source of inspiration to me. I have learned so much from them.
They're also unusual. They've all had unusual experiences of one kind or another, they do unusual jobs on campus, and they approach problems in unusual ways. They're interesting, in other words.
And the work they do affects lives, permanently. You can see it in the students and faculty who come back from overseas. The personal changes may be difficult to measure, but they are there, and to paraphrase Aldous Huxley a bit, once you get the doors of perception open, it's pretty hard to shut them again.
So if you're reading this wondering if international education is for you, I'd say jump right in, come and join us. It's more fun than anything I can think of, it makes you wise, and you touch lives in direct and very positive ways. What could be better than that?
