Internationalizing a Campus: From Colonial to Modern Times

In the March-April 2013 issue of "Change," Patti McGill Peterson and Robin Matross Helms described the disheartening status of internationalization on American college campuses. Despite internationalization being touted as a strategic goal in higher education, over the past 15 years little has changed at most colleges. Student learning goals generally lack an international component, faculty members receive little support to work abroad, and several highly-publicized global partnerships have failed. Against this backdrop, the authors of this article describe the internationalization efforts of the College of William and Mary ("the College"), a mid-sized public university in Virginia. At the time of their study in 2011, they found that, while the College was doing better than the national norm, internationalization had yet to be fully realized at either the individual or institutional levels. A commentary by Madeleine F. Green presents a list of the essential ingredients necessary for internationalization that she has identified based on her experience working with institutions in the United States and abroad. These are: (1) Commitment from top leadership and the board (in word and in deeds); (2) Faculty leadership and support; (3) An adequate infrastructure, usually including a senior international officer; (4) Financial support and other incentives; (5) A campus group that oversees internationalization; (6) Goals for student learning; and (7) A campus group that oversees internationalization. A list of resources is included.