International staff and diversity in missions

Contemporary universities have many different tasks. Next to the traditional research and teaching mission, universities are also expected to engage in other activities that create social value. A balance between these different tasks varies across higher education systems, institutions, and individuals. This chapter examines the position of international staff on this landscape of different missions. International mobility is usually associated with research excellence. In this chapter we empirically examine the difference between local and international staff to test this image about international staff. The analysis shows that international staff is indeed significantly more oriented towards research and less on teaching, both in their intrinsic interest and time investment. Difference with respect to ‘third mission’ activities is small. International staff is equally or even more active in activities like patenting or creating spin-off companies. On the other hand, they are underrepresented in activities that are embedded in a local context, such as serving on expert committees or undertaking consultancy work. This triggers a question about an optimal engagement of international staff in the diversity of missions.