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Institute of
International Education
809 United Nations Plaza
7th Floor
New York, NY 10017
USA
Tel: +1 (212) 984 5367
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Press Release 2008 |
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PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION
INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
BACKGROUNDER
Winners of the 2008 Andrew Heiskell Awards for Innovation in International Education
The Institute of International Education (IIE) created the IIE Andrew Heiskell Awards for Innovation in International Education to promote and honor the most outstanding initiatives that are being conducted in international higher education by IIENetwork member universities and colleges.
CATEGORY 1: STUDY ABROAD
Rice University and the University of Tulsa
WINNER - Study Abroad
NanoJapan: Summer Nanotechnology Research Program for Undergraduates
As international partnerships become increasingly indispensable in solving major science and engineering problems, U.S. researchers and educators must be able to operate effectively in teams comprised of partners from different nations and cultural backgrounds. The NanoJapan program, administered through the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of Rice University and the Center for Global Education at The University of Tulsa, provides future scientists and engineers with these skills by combining a traditional study abroad experience in Japan with a targeted research internship in the field of nanotechnology.
NanoJapan was established with a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF-PIRE) in 2005. The program is a twelve-week, summer program that involves sixteen first and second year science and engineering students from U.S. universities in research internships with Japanese nanotechnology laboratories. The program has already had a large impact on the students who have participated. Six of the sixteen students who traveled to Japan in 2007 have taken immediate steps to continue their studies in Asia. President David W. Leebron of Rice University notes that NanoJapan also encourages international research collaboration among Rice faculty and staff.
In the past, most engineering students were forced to choose between spending their summer in a traditional study abroad program unrelated to their future academic or professional career or staying within the U.S. and completing a traditional research internship in academia or industry. “Programs like NanoJapan fill a critical void in international education offerings available to U.S. technical students,” says Roger Blais, Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Tulsa.
Grand Valley State University
HONORABLE MENTION -- Study Abroad
Barbara H. Padnos International Center
The number of Grand Valley State University (GVSU) students studying abroad has doubled in the past four years. Most significant is the fact that, contrary to the national trend, more GSVU students study abroad individually, and on longer programs, than on short-term, faculty-led programs. To accomplish this, PIC staff advises students to pursue individual programs and backs up these efforts with scholarships and grants for students participating in longer and individual study abroad programs. They also focus staffing requests on areas that support independent study abroad and no longer encourage faculty to propose new faculty-led programs.
Since 2004, GVSU has consistently had more students participate in independent programs than on faculty-led programs. “We simply have not taken the easier path to increasing study abroad participation through large gains in the group programs,” explains Thomas J. Haas, President of GVSU. The innovative strategies implemented by the Barbara H. Padnos International Center serve as model for all practitioners in guiding their students to select long term and individual study abroad programs.
State University of New York at Buffalo
HONORABLE MENTION --Study Abroad
International Comparative Urban Planning “Studio”
The Urban and Regional Planning Department at the State University of New York at Buffalo created the International Comparative Urban Planning Studio to provide students with the global skills imperative to their future careers and address the limited participation in study abroad by its Masters-level students. Students who participated in the Studio visited the University of Stuttgart in Germany for two weeks during the summer, then returned and spent two weeks with their German counterparts who were studying in Buffalo. Part of the program’s success resulted from partnerships formed with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the University of Stuttgart, the Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo, and the Green and Growing Group, which gave the studio feedback on its efforts to plan for a greener and healthier Buffalo-Niagara region.
Especially exemplary is the way the International Comparative Urban Planning Studio was designed to cater directly to the needs of the Urban Planning Masters students. “This new studio provides advanced Master’s students an opportunity to simulate international consulting experience within urban planning while also answering the demand for international education among planners” says Satish K. Tripathi, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. The comparative nature of the project, for example, allows for students to obtain substantive international experience with a relatively short amount of time spent overseas. This enables students to work during the summer and reduces their anxiety over foregone wages.
CATEGORY 2: INTERNATIONALIZING THE CAMPUS
St. Louis Community College, Forest Park
WINNER - Internationalizing the Campus
Global Education Committee
When the St. Louis Community College (SLCC), a two-year institution in Missouri, announced its decision to make global education a priority, the Forest Park campus took the lead and created a way to make it happen. Forest Park is SLCC’s urban campus, in the heart of St. Louis, with a student population that is 46% African American. To implement a plan to meet the needs of this diverse community, Forest Park convened a Global Education Committee, consisting of more than 35 campus administrators, district administrators, faculty, and staff, which now works throughout the year to implement the school’s comprehensive internationalization plan. The Committee reports directly to President Morris F. Johnson, who names global education “one of SLCC-FP’s three campus goals.”
Key to the Committee’s success is its partnerships with Washington University, St. Louis University, and community organizations, as well as an active collaboration with the Missouri Consortium for Global Education. These partnerships have resulted in a range of opportunities—both academic and co-curricular—for SLCC-FP students including a global curriculum, foreign language classes in 8 different languages, International Education Week activities, and study abroad programs and funding. The Global Education Committee is currently focusing on building SLCC-FP’s Chinese studies program, expanding course offerings and increasing enrollment in Chinese language courses.
“Our institution is committed to global education, and considers infusing students with global awareness and competencies to be a key component of the College’s mission to expand minds and change lives,” says John W Ganio, Vice Chancellor for Education. This model program approaches internationalization organically, tapping both institutional and community resources, to devise well-thought out and comprehensive ways to remove barriers to internationalization at this diverse, urban, two-year institution.
Florence-Darlington Technical College
HONORABLE MENTION -- Internationalizing the Campus
A Global Village for Two Year Institutions—Domestic & Abroad
Florence Darlington Technical College (FDTC) seeks to link domestic and international two-year schools together to form a global village. To provide an international experience in the short time that two-year programs allow, they created an innovative campus approach, which draws upon video conference technology and internships. “The synergies that we expect to realize will benefit not only our own two-year college but will include other two-year colleges throughout the United States and abroad, says Charles T. Muse, Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Using a combination of Internet course deliver technology (WebCT) and live sessions, Florence Darlington students and international students at partner organizations work together to identify actual products and services that translate into business opportunities. International students identify potential business niches in South Carolina and vice versa and both sides serve as consultants to one another. In addition, FDTC’s partnership with the South Carolina World Trade Center provides students with opportunities to engage in case study discussions with business people and students from various nations and, in some cases, with access to internships in the trade services department. This innovative platform provides FDTC students with tangible and practical interactions in the business sector, giving them the opportunity to develop a global perspective as more as more companies engage in international trade.
Leeds Metropolitan University
HONORABLE MENTION -- Internationalizing the Campus
Internationalization Strategy
Leeds Metropolitan University, in the United Kingdom, seeks to become “a university with world-wide horizons where an international, multicultural ethos is pervasive throughout our scholarship, curriculum, and volunteer and community engagement at home and overseas,” a goal articulated in its Statement of Vision and Character. In order to develop this, the university developed a comprehensive six point Internationalization Strategy and undertook a comprehensive series of activities in the following major areas: internationalizing learning, teaching and research; enhancing the international student experience; enhancing the international experience of home students; developing and fostering international partnerships and alliances; developing staff capability for internationalization; and effectively recruiting international students.
In addition to campus events, volunteer opportunities, websites, award programs, international partnerships and alliances, and professional development workshops—all having a global focus, Leeds Metropolitan University introduced a curriculum review mandate, which requires all course syllabi be reviewed against a document on Cross-Cultural Capability in the curriculum.
CATEGORY 3: INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS
University of Georgia
WINNER -- International Partnerships
The UGA Tunisia Educational Partnership
Identifying the need for educational reform in Tunisia, partnering with the Tunisian Ministry of Education to address it, and mobilizing university and community resources to collaborate with the Arab-Muslim world amidst the current social and political climate, the UGA Tunisia Educational Partnership serves as a unique model for international collaboration.
Established in 2002 by Professor Hamrita, a UGA Engineering Faculty member originally from Tunisia, the project aims to contribute to Tunisian educational reform efforts by building a sustainable e-learning environment to increase access to education; implementing international standards; promoting civic engagement among elementary, secondary and university students; and by strengthening the connections between higher education and K-12.
Community building and cultural understanding are integral parts of this partnership, and numerous events have been held at UGA to promote international understanding, including lectures on U.S./Arab relations by the Tunisian Ambassador. UGA project participants receive intensive Arabic language training and Tunisian participants receive training in English. UGA has also created a service learning course to enable UGA students to contribute to the projects. Arnett C. Mace Jr., senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at UGA says, “The program dovetails precisely with UGA core missions off teaching, research and public service and supports UGA’s strategic direction toward competing in a global economy.” Now in its sixth year, the program seeks to collaborate with other Arab countries and U.S. institutions to extend its efforts.
East Carolina University
HONORABLE MENTION -- International Partnerships
Global Academic Initiatives
East Carolina University (ECU) has engaged a consortium of over 20 universities in 17 countries to participate in distance learning programs that broaden the reach and impact of international education throughout the campus.
Since its inception in 2003, ECU has seen its relationship with its partners grow into several specific programs involving both students and faculty. In the Global Understanding course, for example, 15 students work with three international universities for 4-5 weeks each. In the International Lecture Exchange Program, ECU uses its contacts with its international partners to connect faculty willing to give lectures with appropriate classes/audiences at ECU and vice-versa. This innovative partnership effectively removes financial barriers associated with partnerships, as most universities already have the technological capacity necessary for participation. Moreover, the variety of partner institutions exposes students to a range of different cultures and perspectives.
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More detailed information of this year’s winning initiatives and a collection of profiles of the past seven years of award-winning programs are available online at: www.iienetwork.org/?p=BestPractices.
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