2007 Internationalizing the Campus

Introduction

This year marks the fifth anniversary of Internationalizing the Campus: Profiles of Success at Colleges and Universities, a report on international education in the United States developed by NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Profiling institutions selected to receive the Senator Paul S...

This year marks the fifth anniversary of Internationalizing the Campus: Profiles of Success at Colleges and Universities, a report on international education in the United States developed by NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Profiling institutions selected to receive the Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization, the report cites exemplary practices, model approaches, and major trends, describing the current state of international education on U.S. campuses.

We believe this annual publication serves to highlight the power of international education to advance learning and scholarship, build respect among different peoples, and enhance constructive leadership in a global community.

NAFSA in 2007 received many outstanding nominations for the Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization from a diverse group of distinguished institutions throughout the United States.

In seeking out institutions where international education has been “broadly infused” across all facets of the institution, the 2007 Selection Jury was tasked with looking for some or all of 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 campus-wide 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 campus-wide internationalization has had demonstrable results within the faculty.
  • There is an international 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.

Each of the four institutions chosen by the panel to receive the Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization is profiled in this report. Among the 2007 winners are schools of widely varying sizes and resources: Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan; Elon University in Elon, North Carolina; Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia; and The University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma.

Two other institutions are spotlighted in this report for their outstanding accomplishments in specific areas of internationalization. Shoreline Community College in Washington state is recognized for its International Program Advisory Committee, and Valparaiso University in Indiana is acknowledged for its substantial, distinctive commitment to integrating international issues into the curriculum.

All four Simon Award—winning institutions were recognized in May 2007 in Minneapolis at a special ceremony held during NAFSA’s 2007 Annual Conference. It was there that the four institutions selected for their overall excellence in internationalization were presented with NAFSA’s Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization. The late senator served Illinois and the nation as a strong voice for civil rights, peace initiatives, and international education. He was a strong advocate throughout his career for international education, using his positions on various committees in the Senate to advocate for exchange. His leadership in this area was especially evident in his robust support, along with Senator David Boren of Oklahoma, for the creation of the National Security Education Program, which addresses critical national security deficiencies in language and cultural expertise. It is especially fitting that one of this year’s Simon Awards goes to the University of Oklahoma, now led by Senator Simon’s close colleague and collaborator, David Boren.

We hope that international educators will share this report with their institution’s top leadership—including their trustees—in order to document and underscore the value of international education. Internationalizing the Campus is also of great value in communicating with wider communities and regions. Legislatures and government agencies may find it helpful in discussing and understanding international education and exchange. Finally, we hope that it  not only presents knowledge and resources to help improve the practice of international education but also that it inspires new insights and activities in years to come.

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Acknowledgements

NAFSA gratefully acknowledges the considerable work of six volunteers who constituted the selection jury responsible for choosing the institutions profiled in the Internationalizing the Campus Report 2007: Their careful review of the nominations and thoughtful deliberations were truly invaluable....

NAFSA gratefully acknowledges the considerable work of six volunteers who constituted the selection jury responsible for choosing the institutions profiled in the Internationalizing the Campus Report 2007:

Their careful review of the nominations and thoughtful 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 Simon Award winners.

Many thanks 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 once again would like to express our gratitude to the family of Paul Simon for lending the late senator’s name to the Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization, bestowed upon the four institutions to receive campus-wide profiles in the 2007 report.

Finally, included for the first time in this 2007 edition is an index listing all previous Simon Award winners as well as those schools spotlighted for ccomplishments in specific areas of iternationalization. Internationalizing the Campus reports from previous years and information about the competition can be viewed online at www.nafsa.org/itc.

  • Stephen Dunnett, Vice Provost for International Education, University at Buffalo, State University of New York
  • Jon Booth, Deputy Director, Division of International Programs Abroad, Syracuse University
  • Linda Melville, International Advisement Specialist, University of New Mexico
  • Wendy Weiner, Director of Education Programs, Professor of Education, Chatham University
  • Ron Roberson, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Howard Community College
  • Brian Whalen, Associate Dean and Executive Director of Global Education, Dickinson College
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The Dutch immigrants who settled in western Michigan in the mid-nineteenth century brought not only their culture and Reformed Protestant faith, but a strong interest in establishing schools to impart their principles and religion to the next
Comprehensive Award

Calvin College

The Mission of Calvin College Leads Overseas
The Dutch immigrants who settled in western Michigan in the mid-nineteenth century brought not only their culture and Reformed Protestant faith, but a strong interest in establishing schools to impart their principles and religion to the next

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Elon University has gone on an extra-ordinary journey in the past 15 years, transforming itself from a regional college into a comprehensive university with a national presence that receives far more applicants than it can accept from across the
Comprehensive Award

Elon University

Charts a New Course
Elon University has gone on an extra-ordinary journey in the past 15 years, transforming itself from a regional college into a comprehensive university with a national presence that receives far more applicants than it can accept from across the

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The Georgia Institute of Technology was the recipient of the 2007 Comprehensive Internationalization Award.
Comprehensive Award

Georgia Tech

Well-Engineered Engagement with the World
The Georgia Institute of Technology was the recipient of the 2007 Comprehensive Internationalization Award.

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A stranger visiting the University of Oklahoma’s graceful campus in Norman, Oklahoma, who drives down David L. Boren Boulevard, or strolls into the David L. Boren Honors College, or spies the statue of David Boren in a cornice on Evans Hall might
Comprehensive Award

University of Oklahoma

Boren Is Expanding Horizons at University of Oklahoma
A stranger visiting the University of Oklahoma’s graceful campus in Norman, Oklahoma, who drives down David L. Boren Boulevard, or strolls into the David L. Boren Honors College, or spies the statue of David Boren in a cornice on Evans Hall might

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When Shoreline Community College was built in a Seattle suburb 10 miles from the Space Needle in 1964, the wooded, 83-acre campus was designed to look like a Japanese botanical garden. The student union, the PUB, was an acronym for Pagoda Union
Spotlight Award

Shoreline Community College

Explores the World Beyond Puget Sound
When Shoreline Community College was built in a Seattle suburb 10 miles from the Space Needle in 1964, the wooded, 83-acre campus was designed to look like a Japanese botanical garden. The student union, the PUB, was an acronym for Pagoda Union

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There is no ice hockey team at basket-ball-crazed Valparaiso University, but the Indiana institution completed a hat trick this spring when for the third time in four years a trio of seniors was awarded Fulbright scholarships. They are bound for
Spotlight Award

Valparaiso University

International to the Core
There is no ice hockey team at basket-ball-crazed Valparaiso University, but the Indiana institution completed a hat trick this spring when for the third time in four years a trio of seniors was awarded Fulbright scholarships. They are bound for

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