Internationalization in Higher Education: Four Issues to Consider

Abstract

1 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I am very pleased to write this column for the Journal of College an Character, a journal that has had an influential history in addressing issues that many of us in student affairs have always been passionate about—holistic student development, integration of the mind and heart, self identity, engagement in the world, experiential learning, values, and spirituality. I now suggest that we include internationalization in our thinking and actions as educators. How do we guide and challenge students to live productively and meaningfully in a more pluralistic and diverse world? In my travels to many campuses over the past few years, I receive whole hearted agreement and strong commitment, especially from presidents and boards of trustees that we in U.S. universities must better prepare students to be global citizens. But what does this " preparation " mean and how can we create an environment on campus and beyond that effectively fosters holistic global learning and development? I too am highly committed to this goal, but my level of understanding and experimentation needs to increase. Thus I see myself as a guide on the side in our journey, rather than the authoritative teacher. I want this column to be an opportunity for us to establish a loosely defined and inclusive " learning community. " I welcome you to submit your points of views and programs for sharing with the rest of us in future issues of this column. I cannot promise that I can publish everything, but I do intend to pass along what you have tried in making your campus a place that takes seriously internationalization. Some Context hy should we be concerned about internationalization today? Higher education leaders are not only concerned with intellectual development and learning but also moral, social, physical, and spiritual development of students, including intercultural competency or global learning and development (Association of American Colleges & Universities, 2007). Many colleges argue that this kind of development is the value added to a college education, i.e., students develop their thinking, gain a better sense of themselves, and engage in relationships with others not like themselves to a greater degree as a result of their attending college. In our pluralistic world today, students now need to develop a global perspective while in college. They need to think and act in terms of living in a world in which they meet, work, and live with others with different cultural backgrounds, habits, perspectives, customs, religious beliefs, and aspirations, as Art Chickering and I have recently argued (Chickering and Braskamp, in press). However, a gap still exists between the rhetoric and the reality of preparing students for a global society (Musil, 2006). Derek Bok, in Our Underachieving Colleges, concludes that our 1 Larry Braskamp is Distinguished Alumni Professor at Central College, Pella, IA, and a coauthor of the Global Perspective Inventory. He has held several administrative positions, including senior vice president for academic affairs at Loyola University Chicago.