About 70 people across 12 higher education institutions and ACE gathered Sept. 8 in Washington, DC and on Zoom to officially launch the 20th ACE Internationalization Lab cohort, familiarize themselves with their fellow cohort members and ACE advisors, and kick off a transformative, two-year Lab experience.
Following coffee and networking, Ted Mitchell, ACE president, welcomed the representatives to the first of three cohort milestone meetings. Mitchell set the tone for an energetic day by highlighting how much the world has changed, becoming more interconnected and interdependent in the 20 years since ACE established the Lab, and emphasizing the need to create opportunities for individuals across the global community to interact.
Kara Godwin, ACE director of internationalization, led the participants through introductions where they discussed what they hoped to gain from the Lab and shared fun facts about their institutions, which ranged from describing unique mascots, quizzing participants on their famous alumni, and sharing special gifts to create community.
Building on the energy and excitement representatives brought to the introductions, participants discussed in small groups what internationalization means to them, how it impacts higher education, and how to address misconceptions of it. Themes that emerged from these discussions included creating support for internationalization at an institutional level, putting ideas into practice, and further engaging with peers in these conversations moving forward. ACE Senior Vice President Derrick Anderson pushed their critical thinking further by encouraging the participants to imagine in detail the future of higher education. Groups then explored what leaders need to do today in order to meet the demands of higher education 10 years from now.
After breaking for lunch, participants learned about the ACE Model for Comprehensive Internationalization and the overall Lab process and met in small groups with their advisor. The daylong event closed with next steps, which included planning for upcoming site visits and Lab Chats.
This year's cohort includes four institutions from Ecuador, three U.S. Hispanic-serving institutions, and a range of other American institutions stretching coast to coast. Since 2003, more than 190 institutions have participated in the program. You can learn more about the Internationalization Lab here.