Internationalization Forums

Internationalization Task Force Forum
General Work Session 1
February 4, 2005

Question 1: What do you think are the two most significant factors that keep students from acquiring a global focus while at NMU?

• Financial Barriers – How to solve the additional cost of going abroad.
• Financial relief – need to create scholarships for study abroad and faculty research.
• Curriculum Changes - Going abroad how do you transfer credits back to NMU
• Courses that have some internationalization should be highlighted at NMU.
• Need promotional materials that emphasis the international experience and make students aware of the different opportunities available.
• FYE blocks that are specifically focused on international issues
• International Affairs office not staffed properly.
• Credits don’t count towards degrees.
• Increase awareness of the different opportunities available on campus.
• Fear of increasing diversity.
• Attitude – Don’t see the need to cross the bridge and/or travel abroad. Why should students study abroad and how does it benefit them.
• Students want to stick close to home.
• Students don’t come
• There is a lack of information about how and where to go abroad. Need to provide information (pictures) for people to view of the different programs students have went on.
• It is the individuals responsibility to acquire the international experience because of the lack of support by the university.
• Lack of individual initiative.
• Lack of international presence – need more international students and faculty on campus.

Question 2: What suggestions does your group have to remedy this/these situation/s? List the 3 best ones.

• Financial Barriers – Scholarships at NMU need to students that go on international experiences. Make it more affordable for students to have an international experience.
• Have international students come to NMU.
• Create more internationalized experiences.
• Incorporate current news happenings into each class and discuss how they affect that discipline/profession.
• More CLEA’s available for students.
• Begin with WebCt discussions between classes in different countries, start with Sister City (Japan/Finland) universities.
• Students with international experience share their journals, have a presentation with groups of students or create a virtual web journal.
• Increase the penetration of global awareness.
• Encourage more global activity
• Provide more opportunities of personal involvement.
• Inform students of the benefits of study abroad.
• For individuals still not interested in a study abroad experience, have a variety of other experiences and courses that let each different learning style adapt.
• Have a Global Studies course and have it specific to each major
• Make sure NMUs marketing reflects what our focus is all the way down to high school sophomores and make it a value for them, make it expected, allow them to really see what it will be like before coming.
• More education on campus – more languages
• Have an outreach program for students who are interested in international issues.
• Own our own study abroad programs.
• Curriculum changes – count courses as special topics. Students get specialized advising for going abroad. Have a single course call “Global Cultures”
• Have an international fair
• Better articulation so credits abroad will count towards degree.

Public Forum on Internationalization

Organized through the Internationalization Task Force: Curriculum for the 21 st Century

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Targeted Work Session II
04 February 2005 

Disclaimer: The opinions provided below represent those of participants at the Public Forum on Internationalization and are provided as a courtesy to interested persons. Publication/Dissemination of these results does not represent the endorsement of the Internationalization Task Force.  

Question 1: Which two new ideas/new projects discussed in your targeted work session group (curriculum, “traditional study abroad, “ CLEA, extracurricular, practical experience, etc.) would your group like to propose for adoption at NMU. Why?

Group 1: Curriculum: Foreign Language Requirements/World Cultures Requirement/New Requirements such as a Global Issues course/s

1. Instead of having several classes that qualify for world cultures, develop one or two classes that are not dedicated to any possible department (UN 102).

Problem: Faculty, Administration structure
Solution: Direct the EPC to internationalize the faculty

2. Different options to fulfill. A semester abroad, CLEA, foreign language 2 years (Arabic, Hebrew, Pharsi), yearly theme (international topics 6 different sections taught by a couple of different professors about a particular topic like natural disasters).

Problem: Proficiency? Same languages/different languages? Languages must be non-western by current structure of world cultures requirement.

Solution: Change wording from foreign to World languages. Language should be double counted for world cultures and formal communications. Throw out formal communication

3. Use the majors as a means of facilitating pertinence for all students. This would be associated with travel over seas.

Problem: Finances

Solution: We need to look at how courses are being taught and focus on the importance of the need to prepare students to look at issues from different views

Group 2: Major/Minor programs: Integrating internationalization into existing Majors/Minors/Creating new Majors/Minors

1. Redesign the International studies minor to be more flexible

2. Recognize many international concentrations with many minors (example: International business minor)

Problem: Many courses are not taught on a regular basis and getting different departments to agree to it.

Group 3: Practical Experiences: Internationalization and Service Learning

1. Need to have a single place for individuals to access information.

2. Have at least one faculty advisor for study abroad in each department

3. Have past study abroad students mentor upcoming study abroad students.

4. Have an office or an e-mail where students returning can answer questions with faculty advisors.

5. Get a service learning suffix for each program to help transfer back credits.

6. Need a place where students can receive advice on how to raise funds, perhaps even a central fund on campus they could apply to.

Need more emphasis on teaching students how to articulate their experiences and leverage those for future.

Problem: We would need volunteers from faculty and students.

Organizational/administrative and financial. Would have to be resolved through administration devoting some funding/time toward these initiatives.

Group 4: Faculty-led Learning Bursts: Study Abroad through concentrated Learning Experience Abroad (CLEA)

1. Need one office to coordinate educational experience in other areas/countries (separate from an office which coordinates exchanges of international students).

2. Need centralized committee at NMU to oversee all CLEA programs, to assure standards for credits/liability issues/emergency contacts/regulations etc…

Problem: Recognition of CLEA as being an academic course

Solution: Have one committee that can work across departments providing academic standard for the guidelines, syllabus, credits, etc.

3. Develop an easy method for students to attain credit for NMU educational programs abroad.

Problem: Follow pre-determined guidelines for meeting departmental guidelines for the course.

Solution: Need standard guidelines across campus

Group 5: “Traditional” Study Abroad – Semester Long Programs

1. Need to develop overseas discipline (cross discipline) where NMU would operate an overseas campus sending faculty and students to study for a semester (three faculty, 30-40 students).

Problem: Financial

Group 6: Internationalizing our population: Brining international students, guest faculty, and visiting international administrators

1. Need to increase the amount of international students on campus.

Solution: Commitment from the university and need to reestablish recruiting of international students.

2. Need to increase awareness of the different international opportunities available to faculty and students.

Solution: Market the Fulbright Scholarship

Group 7: Using technology to internationalize the student experience

1. Need a central place that is easy to access on the NMU homepage for all information regarding internationalization for current and prospective students.

Problem: Coordination to get all information to one page.

Group 8: Post-Graduate Education: Internationalizing Graduate Education

Need to encourage students who go abroad to know the language so they can communicate and not ghettoize, create home stays, have compliment of ESL for our students to learn a language of another country, focus on departments that have large graduate programs that can develop internationalization, consider exchanges of students and faculty, have floating position that can be filled by an international faculty – provide faculty housing and graduate stipend for them to teach here.

1. Duel institute for students from abroad and for our student going abroad. Reverse ELS: Problem: Money and Marketing

Solution: Money problem can be addressed through summer Continuing Ed program which are self funding, using the model for English training for grad students, marketing problem could be worked in with other efforts.

2. Facilitate exchanges for graduates and faculty both ways.

Problem: Territorialization

Solution: Do not be territorial

Group 9: Internationalizing Extra-Curricular Experiences: Forums, Speaker, Performers, Social Events.

1. Per students perspective: Mission of internationalization should be communicated to all students organizations and that organizations understand the importance of co-sponsorship, especially organizations who have reputations for drawing audiences.

Problem: There is not one central coordinator of all the student organizations.

Solution: Have a meeting with organization presidents and decide upon events to co-sponsor (perhaps presidents of the larger organizations meet first.). Set goals for organizations to sponsor one large event and one small event.

2. Require attendance at a given number of international events by students in FYE, Superior Edge …

Problem: Need to encourage students to get out of their rooms.

Solution: Students are willing to attend events that are for entertainment purposes as to educational purposes.

3. Faculty perspective: Have a central funding source for sponsoring international events.

Group 10: Facilitating Departmental Exchanges

1. Need to provide a central place for information to be displayed and links provided on the different exchange opportunities available. Capitalize on the different exchange opportunities that are already set up at NMU.

Problem: Getting all information available to a central place

2. Create interdisciplinary programs in other countries

Problem: Money and the need to create a university embassy abroad.