CSUMB Internationalization Strategy
Internationalization is the “conscious effort to integrate and infuse international, intercultural, and global dimensions into the ethos and outcomes of post-secondary education.”*
The process of internationalizing a campus requires addressing "the internal dynamics of an institution to respond and adapt appropriately to an increasingly diverse, globally focused, and ever-changing external environment.”**
As a member of the 13th Cohort of the American Council on Education (ACE) Internationalization Lab, California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) embarked on such a process, producing an Internationalization Strategic Plan for 2017-2022 to both maintain current progress and set new directions as a global university with a regional commitment.
Having an international strategic plan will not only assist the campus in meeting an important mandate but also contribute to the new university-wide strategic planning process. This plan addresses an oversight mechanism to actualize the university-wide plan. We seek to ensure that the university develops key partnerships, that students develop vibrant global awareness, that the student body of both international and domestic students who study abroad are supported by efficient systems and express keen interest in each other and in global issues, and that the faculty is enriched by international research and other scholarly engagements.
During the 2015-16 and 2016-17 academic years, the CSUMB Internationalization Task Force conducted a comprehensive survey of personnel and resources, with a focus on integrating the goals and activities of the new International Programs office with the Academic Affairs and Student Affairs units. The plan identifies what is already in place and what is needed to move forward. In this planning effort, the Task Force continually referred to CSUMB’s current mission, vision, and learning goals statements and principles; focused on the institution’s culture; and considered current strengths, capacities, and potential.
The plan focuses on the development of six overarching goals. To ensure the development of the university’s campus-wide internationalization, the plan articulates each goal along with sub-goals and tasks to accomplish the goals. At this point, the plan does not assign tasks to specific individuals or departments. The identification of those responsible, key outcomes/results, and milestones/completion dates will be determined once the plan is approved and is ready for adoption after the visit by the ACE team and their recommendations. Implementation commenced in Fall 2017, with completion of the various elements occurring at stated times during the duration of the plan.
Create an ad hoc task force by Fall 2017 to oversee implementation of the Campus Internationalization Strategic Plan (2017-2022) and propose a permanent structure to coordinate and deliver campus-wide international initiatives by 2022.
Strengthen and promote partnerships and exchanges with international institutions and domestic institutions with international programs, ensuring that they serve the strategic purposes of the university.
Increase participation rates, diversity and linkages between incoming (international degree-seeking and exchange) students and outgoing (education abroad) students.
Integrate Education Abroad opportunities into student degree pathways.
Improve teaching, learning, and assessment of global learning outcomes at program and institutional levels.
Increase the development of globally competent faculty and staff through professional development opportunities, domestic and international partnerships, grants and initiatives, and teaching abroad.
References
*NAFSA: Association of International Educators. “Comprehensive Internationalization Defined,” NAFSA Task Force on Internationalization, 2008.
**B.J. Ellingboe, “Divisional strategies to internationalize a campus portrait: Results, resistance and recommendations from a case study at a U.S. university,” in Reforming the higher education curriculum: Internationalizing the campus, eds. J.A Mestenhauser & B.J. Ellingboe (Phoenix: Oryx Press, 1998), 199.