2014 Internationalizing the Campus

Introduction

NAFSA’s twelfth 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 Internationalizati...

NAFSA’s twelfth 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 2014 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 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.

NAFSA received many outstanding nominations from a diverse group of distinguished institutions across the United States. Each of the four institutions chosen by the selection committee—Columbus State University, North Carolina State University, Rutgers University, The Ohio State University— is profiled in this report. NAFSA will present the award to the presidents of these institutions at a special ceremony on November 18, 2014, in Washington, D.C., as part of this year’s International Education Week events. Several of the presidents will also participate in a panel discussion prior to the award ceremony to share their insights and firsthand 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. Albion College is recognized for its relationship with institutions in Noisy-le-Roi, France; George Mason University is recognized for its Global Problem Solving Consortium; and the University of Texas at Austin is recognized for ­scholarships designed to help first-generation college students study abroad.

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 2014 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 2014:  Jenifer Cushman, (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 2014

  • Jenifer Cushman, (Chair) Ohio University Zanesville
  • Barry J. Bannister, Green River Community College
  • James Buschman, New York University
  • Harvey Charles, Northern Arizona University
  • Karen A. Holbrook, University of South Florida

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 four and three institutions, respectively, in the 2014 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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For a regional public university in western Georgia that sends barely 200 students a year to study abroad, Columbus State University (CSU) has something that few other U.S. institutions can match: its own house in Oxford, England, and ties with the
Comprehensive Award

Columbus State University

Oxford Perch Opened a Window on the World for Columbus State University
For a regional public university in western Georgia that sends barely 200 students a year to study abroad, Columbus State University (CSU) has something that few other U.S. institutions can match: its own house in Oxford, England, and ties with the

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Four words encapsulated the theme of Randy Woodson’s installation in 2010 as the fourteenth chancellor of North Carolina State University: “Locally responsive. Globally engaged.” The message was woven throughout the “Pathway to the Future” strategic
Comprehensive Award

North Carolina State University

Adds Global Engagement to the Land-Grant Mission
Four words encapsulated the theme of Randy Woodson’s installation in 2010 as the fourteenth chancellor of North Carolina State University: “Locally responsive. Globally engaged.” The message was woven throughout the “Pathway to the Future” strategic

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The recent move by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, to the Big Ten Athletic Conference might seem far afield from its ambitions to expand its international connections and stature. But even before playing Penn State and Michigan on the
Comprehensive Award

Rutgers The University of New Jersey

Aims to Play a Bigger Game at Home and Abroad
The recent move by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, to the Big Ten Athletic Conference might seem far afield from its ambitions to expand its international connections and stature. But even before playing Penn State and Michigan on the

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The Ohio State University (OSU) is imposing by any dimension. Its 64,000 students make it the third largest higher education institution in the United States. The research budget is closing in on $1 billion. Recently it generated nearly a half
Comprehensive Award

The Ohio State University

Strives to Become ‘Land-Grant University to the World’
The Ohio State University (OSU) is imposing by any dimension. Its 64,000 students make it the third largest higher education institution in the United States. The research budget is closing in on $1 billion. Recently it generated nearly a half

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Hundreds of U.S. cities have sister places around the world, with their interchanges usually centering on trade, tourism, and education. The custom took hold after U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower convened a White House conference in 1956 to
Spotlight Award

Albion College

A Sister City Partnership Blossoms into Albion College's French Connection
Hundreds of U.S. cities have sister places around the world, with their interchanges usually centering on trade, tourism, and education. The custom took hold after U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower convened a White House conference in 1956 to

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When 23-year-old Alfred Murerwa Kimathi returned to Nairobi from a two-week workshop at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, on global water issues, he enlisted fellow Kenyatta University students to prod their university to construct a
Spotlight Award

George Mason University

Starts Small, Dreams Big About Solving Global Problems
When 23-year-old Alfred Murerwa Kimathi returned to Nairobi from a two-week workshop at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, on global water issues, he enlisted fellow Kenyatta University students to prod their university to construct a

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The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) runs the country’s second largest study abroad operation, sending 2,800 students a year off to earn credits in other countries. It has found that those who study abroad are more likely to graduate. But it
Spotlight Award

University of Texas at Austin

Spurs First-Generation College Students to Study Abroad
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) runs the country’s second largest study abroad operation, sending 2,800 students a year off to earn credits in other countries. It has found that those who study abroad are more likely to graduate. But it

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