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Andrew Heiskell Awards For Innovation in International Education |
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Internationalization
TWENTY WAYS TO STRENGTHEN INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION ON THE CAMPUS
By Peter R. Kerrigan
Whether your campus has been reactive or proactive -- or just plain inactive -- in strengthening international education, you might find the following ideas helpful.
Globalization and internationalization are buzz words that seem to be cropping up everywhere. What does it mean to be global - or international? How does your institution measure up in the area of international education? Here are a few ideas to help you strengthen international education in your arena.
- Encourage all entering students to obtain a passport by including a passport application in the welcome packets for new students
- Set up an international information table at New Student Orientation.
- Do you have a Study Abroad office? An International Student office? How can they become more effective? How can you get them adequately staffed? Are they separate offices? If they are, be sure to coordinate as many aspects of these operations as possible to maximize results.
- Encourage your president's office to include internationalization and global education in your institution's mission statement. Why not develop an international mission statement for your office, as well?
- Recruit foreign students to your campus. Use currently enrolled students, faculty and staff and overseas alumni to help with this effort.
- Attend a US university fair outside of the United States. Visit www.iiehongkong.org/ufair.htm for more information.
- Send catalogs and information on your school to Educational Advising Centers around the world.
- Look at your institution's/office's brochures, catalogs and website. Is a global message being conveyed?
- Integrate international students into life on the campus as residence assistants, tutors, on sports teams, in intercultural sensitivity workshops/groups and in orientation groups.
- Link each of your foreign students as a "consultant" at a local grade or high school, or another institution. Offer your students as speakers to local clubs and organizations.
- Establish a partnership with an overseas institution.
- Hold international festivals, such as film/slide shows, folk singers, dancers, theater, food fair, displays. Celebrate international holidays.
- Provide training in cross-cultural communication for U.S. students and staff and for foreigners. For instance, schedule into Resident Assistant training and Orientation programs a session on understanding intercultural differences.
- Promote internships overseas. This could be a joint project with, or led by, your campus career office.
- Offer to make presentations to individual academic divisions about international students programs.
- Contact the Career Advisement and Placement Services about holding an international job fair, informing students about what foreign careers are available and how to apply.
- Assign students to submit one-line descriptions of current events at home to the school newspaper. Get students to write regularly for the paper, especially articles featuring international students and overseas study programs. You can also publish an international newspaper. Encourage international students to take part in the campus radio.
- Call University Public Relations and arrange for a reporter from the community paper to do a story on your international students or a US student who has returned from a study-abroad experience; send this story to the Alumni Office to include in their next Alumni Magazine.
- Invite international organizations to recruit volunteers on campus.
- Use your alumni as a source of information, encouragement, and guidance for your foreign students and for U.S. students contemplating going abroad. (They might be pleased to be asked for their advice rather than just for their money!)
This article is adapted from "107 Ways to Internationalize Your Campus" which appeared in the IIE membership newsletter several years ago.
Peter R. Kerrigan was Assistant Director in IIE's Higher Education Resource Group.
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