Campus leaders gathered in Washington Feb. 15 to exchange
ideas on internationalization as a sustainable social good at the ACE/AIEA Internationalization
Collaborative 2020, a meeting held each year in conjunction with the Association of
International Education Administrators (AIEA) Annual Conference.
The Collaborative comprised four main sessions interspersed
with group discussions and networking opportunities. During the first session,
Melissa Liles, chief global engagement officer at AFS Intercultural Programs,
pointed out that expanding how we look at global citizenship means thinking
about “interculturalizing” U.S. institutions, not just internationalizing.
The second session addressed environmental sustainability
and how to balance the environmental impact of international mobility with the
benefits of internationalization. Panelists represented a range of perspectives from climate science, to associations, to institutions.
After lunch, six panelists discussed the economic and
societal contributions of internationalization. Each speaker presented a
concrete initiative that could inspire and serve as a model for participants
and then facilitate a small group conversation related to their project.
Initiatives ranged from global health partnerships in Africa, to
Smart Cities initiatives in the United States, to hydrology research in Ecuador.
From left to right: Philip Rogers, ACE senior vice president; Jenifer Cushman, chancellor of Penn State Beaver; Kristi Behme, intern at CliftonLarsonAllen and undergraduate student at Penn State Beaver; Akshay Peshave, entrepreneur and PhD candidate at University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Freeman Hrabowski III, president of University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
The final session focused on presidential and student
reflections on the topics of the day. PhD student Ashkay Peshave and
undergraduate student Kristi Behme recognized the vital knowledge, skills, and
attitudes they learned in college that are preparing them to be citizens of a
globalized world, such as being adaptable and working and communicating across
cultures. They also talked about their own responsibility to address global
challenges and promote social good, whether by supporting ethical businesses
and brands or exploring and debating hot issues with their classmates. Penn
State Beaver Chancellor Jenifer Cushman and University of Maryland, Baltimore
County President Freeman A. Hrabrowski III talked about how their institutions are
preparing students to be global citizens and gave advice to other top campus
leaders on how to advance internationalization on their campuses.
Hrabowski emphasized the importance of building internationalization into the mission of one’s institution. “It’s not icing on the cake,” he said, “but part of the cake.
This event was sponsored by IES Abroad.
Information about the ACE/AIEA Internationalization
Collaborative 2021 will be available later this year.