NAFSA’s 15th annual report, Internationalizing the Campus: Profiles of Success at Colleges and Universities, reflects the continued 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 increasingly competitive number of applications each year from diverse universi-ties across the United States. Each year the selection committee seeks institutions where internationalization has been broadly infused into all facets of the campus. The 2017 award institutions feature the following characteristics:

• The campus has been widely internationalized across schools, divisions, departments, and disciplines.
• There is evidence of genuine administrative or board-level support for internationalization.
• The campuswide internationalization has had demonstrable impact for students.
• The institution’s mission or planning documents contain an explicit or implicit statement regarding internationalization or global learning.
• The institution’s commitment to internationalization is reflected in the curriculum.
• The campuswide internationalization eff orts have had demonstrable results within
• the faculty.
• There is an international dimension in off -campus programs, community engagement, and strategic partnerships.
• There is internationalization in research and/or faculty exchange.
• The institution supports education abroad as well as its international faculty, scholars, and students.
• There are programs or initiatives that are innovative and/or creative in their approach to campus internationalization.

NAFSA received many outstanding nominations from a diverse group of distinguished institutions. Four institutions were awarded the Comprehensive Award and are profiled in this report. They are: Florida State University, Santa Monica College, the University of Iowa, and the University of Pittsburgh. Three additional institutions received the Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Award for their outstanding accomplishments in a specific area of internationalization. They include: Spelman College, for its Spelman Going Global program; Texas Christian University, for its TCU Rhino Initiative; and the University of North Texas, for its Heart of Mexico program. 

These seven institutions will be recognized at the Simon Award Presidential Panel and Awards Reception, a special ceremony that will take place on November 14, 2017, in Washington, D.C., as part of International Education Week. The presidents will be featured in a moderated panel discussion about their institutions’ success in comprehensive internationalization.

The Simon Award celebrates the legacy of the late Senator Paul Simon of Illinois, a life-long advocate for international education and exchange, recognizing universities and programs that promote international understanding and a more just and peaceful world. NAFSA continues to support the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Act, which would create a program to incentivize institutional change to make study abroad an integral part of higher education. The Simon Study Abroad Act would advance the goal of ensuring that 1 million U.S. college students will study abroad annually, for credit; that study abroad participants will be representative of the undergraduate population in terms of gender, ethnicity, income level, and field of study; and that a significantly greater proportion of study abroad will occur in nontraditional destinations.

We hope that international educators will share this report with their institution’s top leadership and across all levels of their campus community to celebrate 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 2017 Internationalizing the Campus report for its outstanding work. These institutions truly recognize the importance of international education in the world today and building a globally competent workforce in the increasingly globalized economy.