Excellence in Action: Proven Models for Impactful Partnerships

Over the past two decades, recipients of NAFSA's Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization have demonstrated that partnerships are at the core of successful internationalization. These institutions illustrate how intentional and reciprocal partnerships—whether they're global research collaborations, engagement with local and global business communities, study abroad consortia, or community-based initiatives—can transform higher education. Simon Award recipients offer insights into how effective partnerships are conceived, managed, and leveraged to serve students and communities.

Building Partnerships Across Borders

Higher education institutions that are located close to national borders can transform geographic proximity into strategic advantage by creating partnerships that address regional, binational, and global challenges.

San Diego State University's (SDSU) (2025 Comprehensive Award) annual RE:BORDER Conference brings together academics, business leaders, and government officials from Mexico and the United States to address critical transborder issues. The conference has generated concrete outcomes: In 2023, engineering teams from SDSU and Instituto Tecnológico de Tijuana received a $5,000 seed grant, which in turn led to a six-figure grant from the San Diego Foundation for developing water treatment technologies. The larger grant enabled labs at both institutions to develop standardized procedures for water pollution testing, allowing samples to be analyzed in either country.

Another institution, the University of Arizona (U of A) (2025 Comprehensive Award), maintains a comprehensive portfolio of cross-border engagement, including several public health initiatives that serve border populations and a training program for Mexican diplomats in U.S. law, which is administered through a collaboration between the College of