So You Want to Internationalize Your Campus. Now What?

Thursday, October 4, at 12 noon, U.S. Eastern time

Philip G. Altbach is a professor of higher education at Boston College and director of its Center for International Higher Education. A scholar of developments involving higher education overseas, Mr. Altbach is also a guest professor at the Institute of Higher Education at Peking University, and has been a visiting professor at Stanford University and at the University of Mumbai, formerly Bombay, in India. This summer, he testified before Congress at a hearing on overseas campuses.

A transcript of the chat follows.

Beth McMurtrie (Moderator):
    Hello everyone. I'm Beth McMurtrie, international editor here at The Chronicle. We're so glad Philip Altbach is here to answer your questions about internationalization. Let's get to the first question.

Philip G. Altbach:
    Good afternoon! I look forward to an interesting discussion on issues relating to international higher education. I’m open to questions and comments on all themes related to this broad topic. If I do not know the answer, I’ll say so. I’m interested in your views and perspectives too!

A bit of background about the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College. We're a small research and information center. We do not organize or international exchanges but rather work on broader issues of relevance to international higher education.

At the end of this discussion, I'll give you my contact information. Feel free to follow up with me directly on any specific issues you have.

Question from Sam Shepherd, Int'l Ed consultant:
    What do you consider to be the 2-3 most important "ingredients" for a truly internationalized (globalized?) 1) medium sized liberal arts college, and 2) a research university?

Philip G. Altbach:
    To me key ingredients (for all colleges and universities) include:

1. A campus-wide international commitment and consciousness to bring together course offerings, curricula, faculty expertise, and the like.

2. Adequate foreign language offerings.

3. A focus on world civilizations in interdisciplinary course offerings.

And many more....

Question from Martha Denney, Colorado State University:
    What aspects of internationalization do you feel are most critical for undergraduates, and if you were to design a program for a large public institution, what approaches would you use, and why? I am especially interested what you would do for the curricular and pedagogical aspects of internationalization.

Philip G. Altbach:
    To answer this question properly would take a semester--and is beyond my expertise. To me, foreign language study is key to the international knowledge of students. I also think that well organized interdisciplinary survey courses, for example on Islamic civilization or on South Asia, can be made integral to the undergraduate curriculum. I realize that this is a rather unsatisfactory response, but at least it gets as several key themes.

Question from Rahul Choudaha, U. of Denver:
    Internationalization has several dimensions and universities struggle with prioritizing their initiatives. If you have to recommend top three initiatives for effective campus internationalization, what would they be?

Philip G. Altbach:
    It really does depend on the priorities of the institution! To me important factors are:

1. Making sure that as many students as possible have an overseas academic experience--AND that that experience be substantive and academically rigorous. Important also is encouraging students to go to "non traditional" venues--in developing countries, etc.

2. Ensuring that foreign language instruction is adequate.

3. Fostering the study of civilizations on campus.

4. Making good use of international students on campus to internationalize the campus (this is seldom done)

Question from Richard Cornell, Professor Emeritus, UCF, Orlando:
    Increasingly institutions seek to establish international outposts, many of which are springing up across China. From my own experiences in Asia I realize there are numerous cultural gaffes Westerner's make in seeking international collaborators. What has been your own experience dealing with such situations?

Philip G. Altbach:
    Cultural gaffes. Financial gaffes. Legal gaffes. Quality gaffes. These are all part of the landscape of branch campuses, twinning arrangements and the like. US colleges and universities are increasingly involved overseas and in many cases this is a good thing and can work to the benefit of all concerned. But very often there is insufficient "due diligence" on all aspects--including how to work in other countries, what might be the academic and financial pitfalls of such arrangements, and even the regulatory environment in the country. So--care is needed!

Question from Dr. German A. Zarate, SUNY Cortland:
    What are the most effective ways to engage the faculty in the internationalization of the curriculum? Any pitfalls to avoid?

Philip G. Altbach:
    A key question of course. Among the things that schools do is to reward (at salary and promotion time) internationalization activities, providing specific incentives, using the bully pulpit to stress internationalization, encourage interdisciplinary international curricular activities. Implement, as we have done at BC, a certificate of international competence that students can fulfill as part of their undergraduate studies.

Question from Beth McMurtrie:
    Dr. Altbach, if I may step in here - tell us more about Boston College's certificate of international competence. A lot of colleges are struggling to define what it means to turn out internationally competent graduates. What are some of B.C.'s measures?

Philip G. Altbach:
    I might not have the exact title correct, but what has been implemented is a fairly systematic configuration of competencies, including a range of courses, language, etc. that a student in any major can sign up for and is then evaluated and if he or she has the appropriate skills by the time they graduate, they receive a certificate along with their degree.

Question from Geng Yiqun, Communication University of China, PRC:
    How can a university internationalize its courses? Can you give me a case to illustrate this?

Philip G. Altbach:
    A complex issue of course.

A first step is to encourage faculty to internationalize their courses, and to provide the resources needed to do this. This means that library and internet resources on international themes, access to worldwide data bases and so on must be available and well publicized on campus.

The university should have a clearly articulated policy encouraging such internationalization, and the top leaders of the institution need to stress this issue so that the entire academic community is well aware.

In many universities, cross-department and interdisciplinary work, central to internationalization, is difficult and not part of the culture. similarly, faculty need to work together on course--and in many cases this is not possible due to bureaucratic obstacles.

I am a firm believer in the value of "civilization" survey courses that are well designed and interdisciplinary-- "Islamic civilization" and so on. Most US schools in any case do not offer such courses.

On the other hand, I also think that there is the possibility to bring an international perspective to courses in sciences by stressing research and examples done in international settings. Often this does not happen.

Again--much more could be said about this theme.

Comment from Boston College:
    I'd be happy to discuss with anyone about BC's Global Proficiency Program as I created it. Feel free to contact me at nussbaua@bc.edu.

Question from Louis B. Rizzo, Ph.D. candidate, Loyola University Chicago:
    In the expanding global market for higher education, how can universities better market themselves to diversify their international student body?

Philip G. Altbach:
    Another biggie. I think that US universities can make even better targeted use of the internet for marketing than then already do. Making use of alumni who live overseas is another thing that can be done more than it is. Many schools participate in "education fairs" in other countries--I wonder how effective these are.

I wish that the US government, through the State Dept, would do more about making information concerning US higher educ available overseas--the British do much better than we do! It might be that the IIE and others could work more closely on this issue.

Question from Beth McMurtrie:
    What do you think are some of the most significant international trends in higher education -- either within specific countries or transnationally -- and how do you anticipate their effects on the American higher education system?

I'm thinking about things like the demand for U.S. degrees, competition for foreign students, opportunities to set up study abroad and degree programs overseas, and research opportunities for academics.

Philip G. Altbach:
    This of course is a question that would require a semester to properly answer. To me, the most significant force worldwide in higher education over the past 60 or more years is what the Europeans call "massification"--the expansion of access around the world. This has major implications for everything, including how US higher education works internationally. It has increased the numbers of international students in the US and other major host countries. It has increased the prospects for branch campuses and "twinning" arrangements overseas where systems cannot copy with demands for access.

There are other factors too--such as the growth of English as a key language of higher education worldwide including in many non-English speaking countries.

And more too.....

Question from Chris Bennett, Taylor University (Indiana):
    Dr. Altback, what impact, if any, do you foresee the Bologna Process in Europe having on international collaborations for US institutions of higher education?

Philip G. Altbach:
    The impact of Bologna will be substantial but is as yet unclear in my view. Among the likely elements:

1. Maybe lowering barriers within the EU will raise them for those,like the US, outside of the EU. Cost of study for outsiders might also increase. I think it is important for the US (and especially developing countries) to engage the Europeans now to make sure that this does not happen.

2. A consistent course credit system will make it easier to transfer courses to US schools. and for Americans to bring credits from one European university to another.

3. There is likely to be more programs in English.

4. The European universities are likely to be more internationally focused themselves.

No doubt there are more....

Question from Charles Reafsnyder, Indiana University-Bloomington:
    If you were going to advise on setting up a "thematic" interdisciplinary international research and education center at a major university, what global issues or topics (in any field) would you advise such a center to focus on that would remain timely over the next 20 years.

Philip G. Altbach:
    The answer to that question really depends on the specific goals/strengths/interests of the university and its faculty. For example, it makes good sense for the China Ocean University in Qingdao to focus on marine issues internationally.

A decision on this would also require an "environmental scan" of what would be important globally and locally. What international themes would makes sense for Indiana and the American midwest? What are other universities already doing well? What might be a useful/successful "niche market" for a particular school?

Of course, I think that there should be more attention paid to higher education in an international perspective--not too many focus on this (excuse my own plug here)

Question from Charles Reafsnyder, Indiana University-Bloomington:
    China has many fine, comprehensive universities, and identifying a potential strategic partner university there is straightforward. India represents a more complex and diverse higher education environment with fewer centers of excellence, apart from IIT and IIM and perhaps one or two other universities. How should US universities approach developing partnerships with higher education institutions in India?

Philip G. Altbach:
    Carefully. What you say is exactly right. There are few "top end" academic institutions in India. The comprehensive universities--more than 300 of them--are ill prepared for international linkages and most of the undergraduate students study in separate colleges that are affiliated to these universities. It would be important to locate some of these comprehensive universities that are of decent quality and that are interested in international linkages and have the infrastructures to make such linksages successful.

At the present time, India, in my view, is a bit of a "black box" when it comes to higher education. The Indians themselves are trying to think through a strategy to approach the rest of the world too.

Comment from Adrienne Nussbaum, Boston College:
    I apologize for interrupting the dialogue again but I've already received a few e-mails. The website for the BC Global Proficiency Program is bc.edu/gp.

Question from Charles Reafsnyder, Indiana University-Bloomington:
    Off-shore degree programs (including joint degree programs) are growing increasingly attractive to some faculty and departments at US universities. The North Central Association has a set of "principles of good practice" for such programs. Do you know of any individual universities that may have explored this option and established a more detailed set of guidelines and policies? What are your own views of the utility and pitfalls of these programs?

Philip G. Altbach:
    I do not know that anyone is tracking comprehensively off shore degree programs, but there are many of them, and they are driving the accreditors in the US crazy since it is very difficult to monitor them. Many US universities have explored and are involved in offshore degree offerings of many different kinds, including a growing number of branch campuses. Michigan State has just announced its new major branch in Dubai. There are numerous US institutions in the Arabian Gulf. There are many joint programs in China. The Univ of Chicago Business School is in Singapore and London--and on and on.

I hope that it is possible for the accreditors or perhaps others in the US to come up with good guidelines for such programs that insist that US institutions have high standards.

Some British universities, more active than the US in this area, have been much criticized for poor programs, lax management and oversight, and so on. We do not want to let that happen.

I was asked to testify at the House Science and Technology Committee during the summer, and one of the major concerns of Congress is maintaining the "good name" of US higher education overseas. I was gratified by this--the US is considered by many the "gold standard" and we need to protect high quality abroad!

Question from Martha Merrill, International Partnership for Service-Learning and Leadership:
    In your answer to Rahul Choudaha, you used the term "academically rigorous." An international graduate student of mine once said that by "academically rigorous," most US universities mean "like us." Could you give us some thoughts about "rigor" vs. the encounter with "difference" in eduation abroad, when that "difference" may mean less up-to-date resources than the home campus, and, more fundamentally, different attitudes toward learning (e.g. challenging a professor, emphasizing one's own opinion in an essay, etc.)?

Philip G. Altbach:
    The following response might seem a bit insensitive to cultural and academic differences, but it is not intended that way. My opinion is that we (US institutions) should do what we do well and if others would like to have access to the overall pattern of US higher education, teaching style, etc. then we should provide it. We should not try to shape ourselves into academic institutions that we are not. we would not do this successfully--and my own view is that there is much to admire in the US approach to higher education. Having said that, of course, we should be culturally sensitive and understanding of the norms of other academic systems.

Question from Anonymous, Federal Government agency:
    Dr. Altbach: Because I work for the US Dept of State, Fulbright Program, I need anonymity if you use this question, please!

Question: How can universities bring academic specialists and offices of international programs together productively to produce the desired effects in the curriculum? The status differences seem daunting, yet neither can be successful without the other. thanks.

Philip G. Altbach:
    If I understand the question correctly--many campuses have international committees made up of academics and international staff. This seems to work well in the few cases I know personally. I think that organizing campus international programs so that they include both is possible and effective.

Question from Anne Peterson, Institute of Education, London:
    When a University president makes internationalization a key objective, are there drawbacks/challenges to implementing such a top-down directive?

Philip G. Altbach:
    Well, one would hope that the president would have consulted on campus and have a "buy in" from relevant campus constituencies. And, as your question implies, the president cannot actually "do" internationalization and cannot ram it down the throats of unwilling academics. But top leadership is absolutely keep to campus wide internationalization--as I said in respond to another question both the "bully pulpit" AND follow up resources are needed.

Question from Ted Schwalbe, SUNY Fredonia:
    When you speak of a campus commitment, can you be more detailed? Are you talking of a "plan?" What should such a plan contain?

Philip G. Altbach:
    Good question. Yes, a plan. Yes, money for program development. A campus commitment should be both general (broad goals) and specific--programs to be supported, areas of internationalization to be fostered, numbers of students to be provided with a study abroad experience, specific curricular areas to be developed, and so on. Each campus must of course do its own planning.

All too often, as your question might imply, there is much "blah blah" and little follow up. The follow up is need and of course the "devil is in the details". but success is also in the details!

Question from Michelle Spinella, University of Central Florida:
    Has there been any cost comparative analyses of: an international student getting a degree on campus from a U.S. university vs. that student staying in their home country and doing an on-line degree program from the same university.

I suspect that even though the international student may have to pay out-of-state tuition, it would ultimately be more economical. Any thoughts, resources to make the case?

Philip G. Altbach:
    I do not know if there is any data on this. It would be interesting to see such analysis. While it is certainly possible now to get a US degree on line, most students much prefer to have the actual experience of studying in the US and experiencing the direct academic environment as well as US culture. When people overseas have been asked about this, they always stress this.

Question from Rodolfo Schweizer, Arcadia university:
    In your opinion, can the study of US internal diversity (foreign community work experience in US) make up for international studies, meaning by this the study of foreign cultures using native material (papers, articles, movies, etc)produced abroad, in their original language, and/or going abroad to have a direct contact with others' culture.

Philip G. Altbach:
    I think, off the top of my head, that these are two different things, although the theme of the immense cultural diversity that exists in the US is of great importance both for the nation and for the study of cultures. But for this discussion, I think that international means other countries essentially. I might not like to be pinned to the wall on this however.

Question from Tom Knab, Case Western Reserve University:
    What role do you see for global communications technology in expanding and supporting international educational experiences for undergraduate students? We have a "Worldwide Learning Environment" initiative here supported by the McGregor Fund. Faculty propose pilot projects using advanced communication technologies, and innovative teaching and learning initiatives that result in expanded international experiences. http://www.case.edu/artsci/wle/index.html

Philip G. Altbach:
    Of course IT is important both for communication and the delivery of academic programs worldwide. I simply do not have the expertise in this area to comment intelligently on it other perhaps than to note that care needs to be taken to ensure quality in distance higher education.

Question from Brooke Cutler, Michigan State University:
    Do you think the many ultra-short term study abroad programs (2 weeks to a month or so) actually harm this process, or do you believe they "wet the appetite" of undergraduates to a larger world?

Philip G. Altbach:
    I don't think that they harm anything really, so long as universities and colleges do not place too much stress on them and do not "overaward" credit for them--but in my view they are definitely not the best way, or even a very effective way of having a productive international experience or learning significantly overseas.

Question from Matthew Baysden, Texas A&M; University - Corpus Christi:
    In responding to the top three initiatives for effective campus internationalization, you responded "Making good use of international students on campus to internationalize the campus." Would you mind elaborating and providing some detail on specific ways make "good use of international students on campus."

Philip G. Altbach:
    I did not mean to rank my responses. almost all US schools can make much better use of their international students in helping to internationalize the campus. So often, the international students are ghettoized, not by design but just by paying little attention to them, and tend to mix mainly with other international students. We should ensure that there is better mixing, set up programming to help this, etc. We should try to involve international grad students more in the life of the campus so that the might bring their perspectives to the wider campus community. Grad students are really limited to their departments and labs and have such a wealth of knowledge about their home countries. The first step is to recognize the issue and many possibilities will present themselves.

Question from Sandy Long, Carson Newman College:
    Any advice for making international experiences affordable to lower income students?

Philip G. Altbach:
    A key problem of course. Perhaps providing financial aid specifically for overseas study. It would also be important to publicize international study more actively among nontraditional students and to assure them that overseas study is not necessarily more expensive. But it is a major uphill battle, especially since many low income students must work and this does not permit overseas study.

Question from Jeanie Forray, Western New England College:
    Based on your experience, can you describe some of the creative or unusual ways that small colleges and universities are enhancing international education on their campus?

Philip G. Altbach:
    I'm afraid that I do not have much direct expertise on this. The American Council on Education, the Institute of International Education, and NAFSA have all done work in this area and have published "best practice" guides, given awards for international programming, and the like.

Question from Bryan McAllister-Grande, Brandeis University, MA:
    Dr. Altbach, We've been hearing a lot about GATS (General Agreement on Trade in Services) and its impact on international higher education. Do you have a sense of the latest developments, and what U.S. colleges and universities should be thinking about now?

Philip G. Altbach:
    This too requires a seminar to discuss. At the moment, due to the sort-of collapse of the Doha round of the WTO, GATS is at a low roar and not much is happening. this gives a chance for US universities to study what GATS may mean for them. Few have any idea. There are some summaries available through the OECD, the National Education Association, and elsewhere. Jane Knight is one of the key scholars who has written on this topic. Our Center for International Higher Education here at BC website has some background information too.

There are also some bilateral trade discussions between the US and some other countries (such as Korea) that may have some implications for higher education too.

This just scratches the surface.

Beth McMurtrie (Moderator):
    We're closing in on the end of the hour, but we'll stick around a bit longer to see if we can get to more questions.

Question from Charlene Douglas, Desire2Learn:
    In your opinion, how do we currently rate? It seems that higher education institutions abroad are "getting it" by offering courses/programs in English, the concept of massification, etc...especially in the developing countries where they are realizing that a solid international education system will greatly assist them become "developed" countries. Are we in fact falling behind in this area?

Philip G. Altbach:
    I don't think that the US is falling behind in terms of the quality or attractiveness of our HE system. But there are more competitors "out there"--Australia, the UK, New Zealand, Canada and others. And as you point out, some countries--China, Korea, and others--are developing good programs in English and in their own languages. I believe that the US remains the preferred destination for higher education and if we can "fix" the visa mess -- the difficulty that many have in getting into the US -- we will be in fairly good shape despite growing global competition.

Question from Gerry Cherry, University of Central Oklahoma:
    Is it better to manage study-abroad programs in house, or to contract them out to a company?

Philip G. Altbach:
    Very complex and these days controversial question. It depends on capabilities of the institution, I guess. Overall I prefer that study abroad be in-house so that institutional leadership and accountability can be maintained.

Question from Varo Duffins, Drexel University, Student:
    From a recruitment perspective: How might a U.S. higher ed institution that does not already have a critical mass of foreign/international students begin an active recruitment campaign? Or, what might attract international students to a U.S. college/university that might be little known to them?

Philip G. Altbach:
    this is related to a question asked earlier about recruitment. Foreigners, especially Asians, are very "name brand" conscious, and so the schools with a reputation are at a significant advantage. Getting known if one is not already known is not easy, but the use of the internet, getting access to IIE and State Department information centers in other countries, and so on may help. International students may be attracted to schools in the US that will accept them and there is a good deal of sophistication overseas about how to get information about US higher education

Question from Mary Jane Chase, Westminster College, Salt Lake City, UT:
    Many institutions are considering where their diversity and internationalization efforts can support each other. Can you think of some best practices that you'd be willing to share?

Philip G. Altbach:
    I'm afraid that I do not have any useful expertise on this topic other than to say that there is not an easy relationship here.

Question from Charles Reafsnyder, Indiana University-Bloomington:
    Thinking "futureistically" (i.e., beyond interactive video-conferencing) what kind of technology applications and arrangements might be used or developed to foster more international collaboration with a university's partners abroad.

Philip G. Altbach:
    As I said in response to another question, I do not have sufficient expertise on distance education to give a good response. The Chronicle should organize a session on distance international issues!

Question from Nathan Wallace, Erie Community College:
    What are some challenges that community colleges face as they internationalize?

Philip G. Altbach:
    Key issue here. A few community colleges--Miami Dade is much discussed--have an active international profile, Few others do. The challenges are immense--lack of knowledge overseas of what US community colleges are and mean, the fact that the AA degree is not in the lexicon in other countries, and of course the fact that the large majority of international students coming to the US are grad students. The above is mainly about recruiting and international enrollments

About internationalization--the challenges are greater than in the 4 year sector in my view. Fewer CC faculty will have international experience/interests. The curriculum might not lend itself as well.

So more thinking (at least by me) is needed in how to approach this.

Question from Mark Schneider, U. of Minnesota:
    You mentioned that it an important aspect of internationalization to make good use of international students to internationalize the campus and that this is seldom done. I agree with this but have yet to hear anyone articulate a way to do this that fits into the curriculum and connects the presence of international students' to the academic core of a college/university. Are you aware of any existing models or ideas that do this?

Philip G. Altbach:
    I am not, but the American Council on Education has done some "best practice" studies on a range of internatization issues, and I suspect that this is part of their efforts.

Question from Martha Denney, Colorado State University:
    Will you talk about the resource collection at the BU Center for International Higher Education, and how you envision it being used by International Educators? What do you think are some of the key resources for international educators to read?

Philip G. Altbach:
    Hey, I am at Boston College, not BU (a sensitive topic around here). Anyway, we try to provide a wide range of information on most of the topics we've been discussing here for people to use from our websites. we publish INTERNATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION quarterly--available electronically on the site--that covers news and analysis of international HE issues.

Question from James DeVaney:
    What types of opportunities should large research institutions consider with the emergence of initiatives like the the Dubai International Academic City and Qatar's Education City? What are the key risks to mitigate when the decision is made to participate?

Philip G. Altbach:
    I think that major "due diligence" is needed before a university gets involved in any international program even like the ones in the Gulf that offer facilities and funding. Sustainability is a key issue--are there the good students available on into the future? Can US faculty be enticed to teach in these branches--especially faculty from the home campus, is support in the region secure and ongoing? and so on.

I am not arguing against these initiatives--just that much is at stake, including the "good name" of the institution!

As you probably know, the University of New South Wales in Australia recently closed its Singapore branch, having lost lots of money and reputation!

Question from Susan Sutton, IUPUI:
    What have you learned about how Chinese institutions are approaching internationalization?

Philip G. Altbach:
    The top Chinese universities, and many others as well, are very much concerned about internationalization--being part of the global higher education community. They are linking with universities elsewhere, offering programs in English, and some of them are building infrastructures to lure international students to their campuses.

Question from Andy Gillespie, Purdue University:
    Philip, How do you contrast the future for research institutions vs community colleges and similar smaller institutions? What unique opportunities does each have?

Philip G. Altbach:
    Well, the research universities are the name brands overseas and have a huge advantage in luring international students and also building up their own internationalization efforts on campus. I do think that four year colleges can create niche programs and expertise and this can be useful.

I am less clear about how community colleges can do this and what they can bring to the table--but this may well reflect just my own lack of knowledge.

Beth McMurtrie (Moderator):
    I'm afraid we're going to have to wrap up the session now. The response to this Brown Bag has been overwhelming -- more than 80 questions, which I think has set a record. That tells us we need to do another one soon! In particular, we received many questions on internationalizing the curriculum and integrating foreign students better into campus life. So look for answers to those questions - and more -- at a future brownbag. Phil, thanks very much for being with us today.

Philip G. Altbach:
    It has been a pleasure to participate in this conversation--and I really appreciate the questions. I hope that it has been valuable. www.bc.edu/ciheOur website is www.bc.edu/cihe www.bc.edu/cihePlease take advantage of the information there! www.bc.edu/cihePhilip