Research/Doctoral Institutions

University of New Orleans

http://www.uno.edu/

Contents

General Institutional Overview

1. Vision and Goals for Internationalization
2. Progress
3. Successful Strategies
4. Future Plans

General Institutional Overview

http://www.uno.edu/

The University of New Orleans (UNO), the first racially integrated higher education institution in the south, was established in 1958 on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain. The university's first study-abroad program, the Innsbruck International Summer School, was founded in 1976; today it is one of the largest such programs in the United States. As an urban institution with the mission of serving the citizens of the New Orleans metropolitan area, UNO recognizes its responsibility to engage in partnerships that are both local and global. UNO is a public research university and member of the Louisiana State University system. It is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, classified as a Four-Year Research II University by the Southern Regional Educational Board, and is a Carnegie Foundation Doctoral/Research-Intensive University. Approximately 17,320 students are enrolled, of which 13,189 are undergraduate students and about 770 are international students. UNO's six colleges offer 49 bachelor's, 39 master's, and 13 doctoral degrees. Program offerings also include a noncredit Intensive English Language Program (IELP), which serves approximately 100 students annually.

The university serves as an important link between Louisiana, the nation, and the world. UNO has developed a number of local partnerships to promote international opportunities and is actively engaged with the World Affairs Council of New Orleans, the World Trade Center, the Port of New Orleans, the Council for International Visitors, and the International Trade Development Office of the City of New Orleans. New Orleans' diverse history, its multi-ethnic population, and its international industries (most notably maritime and tourism) require that the city and its public university be globally oriented--a requirement that UNO has long recognized and continually strives to fulfill. This is reflected in the institution's vision: "The University of New Orleans is the university of a new, revitalized New Orleans partnership with Louisiana and the world for the 21st century: Committed to habits of creative discovery . . . standards of rigorous learning. . .and practices of responsive engagement." Similarly, the first few sentences of UNO's philosophy statement read, "Habits of creative discovery require acceptance of the principle of diversity. Differences among individual perspectives and the distinction of individual initiative open our eyes to new views. Seeing differently we see things better." The University of New Orleans' efforts to internationalize the campus go hand in hand with its commitment to the principle of diversity.

Overview of Internationalization Efforts

I. Vision and Goals for Internationalization

UNO seeks to educate all students to be globally literate citizens and provides opportunities for them to acquire detailed, specialized knowledge of transnational issues, other languages, cultures, economies, ecologies, and political systems. The university pursues the discovery and dissemination of new information, perspectives, and values that contribute to international understanding; it actively engages with institutions in the greater New Orleans metropolitan area and abroad to serve the interests of international peace, commerce, and cross-cultural understanding. On February 21, 2000, the UNO Internationalization Task Force finalized A Strategic Plan for Internationalizing the University of New Orleans, which was subsequently approved by the UNO Strategic Planning Group, the provost, the chancellor, and the Student Government Association. The planning document features four primary goals for international learning:

• Review and redesign all curricula in order to enhance the international experience of students.
• Vigorously promote opportunities to study abroad.
• Provide student support services and extracurricular activities that enhance internationalism.
• Increase international student enrollment. 

II. Progress

• Curriculum. The UNO undergraduate program offers four area studies minors (Africana, Asian, European, and Latin American/Caribbean), a major in international studies, and a Low Residency Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing that requires students to participate in selected study-abroad programs. The College of Urban and Public Affairs received a grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education to establish the Urbana program, which supports graduate student and faculty mobility between consortium partner institutions in Mexico and Canada and educates participants in the area of cross-border urban studies with regard to urban sprawl and related issues. The College of Business Administration has developed three joint degree programs, working closely with selected business schools in France. In addition to a well-established and successful program in Grenoble, which offers a combined master's degree in business administration from UNO and international business from Grenoble, students can now work toward a joint M.B.A./M.S. in European Union Management with the Université d'Orléans and a joint M.B.A./M.S. in Supply Chain and Distribution Management with the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce in Le Havre. Another contributor to the internationalization of the curriculum is Center Austria, which administers the Marshall Plan Chair and Marshall Plan Professor programs in Austrian Studies, designed to strengthen the UNO curriculum on Central European Studies. The center also facilitates the exchange of 25 to 30 Austrian students per year, organizes annual symposia, publishes two academic journals, and organizes regular lectures, art exchanges and exhibitions, literature readings, and concerts. Finally, the Internationalization Task Force has presented workshops for interested faculty and department chairs to provide guidance on integrating international learning into the curriculum.
  
  
• Study Abroad. In addition to formal degree programs, UNO has created summer study-abroad opportunities in Austria, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Italy, and Spain, as well as semester or year exchange programs in Austria, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, France, Slovakia, and Spain. The Division of International Education (DIE), which coordinates these programs, awards UNO students a number of scholarships for its programs. Faculty members have the opportunity to teach abroad and receive assistance in developing study-abroad opportunities in their respective fields. In addition to the exchange and summer study-abroad opportunities, the university has developed an academic year abroad program in Innsbruck, Austria, administered by UNO's Center Austria.
  
  
• Student Support and Extracurricular Activities. The Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) offers the university's international community an array of support services that includes general orientation, immigration advising, and tax assistance, and co-sponsors a number of extracurricular activities. These activities include an international film series called "Tea Hours," organized by various international student organizations; an annual International Night, showcasing the food, culture, national dress, and entertainment of UNO's international student population; and a number of other events held during International Education Week. In addition, the university has established a new chapter of Phi Beta Delta, an international honorary society that includes students and faculty members.
  
  
• International Student Enrollment. As recommended in the Strategic Plan for Internationalizing the University of New Orleans, the Office of Admissions and Recruitment is striving to increase the international student enrollment in spite of severe budgetary limitations. OISS reinforces this effort. Both offices have contributed to developing relationships with overseas advising centers by regularly supplying materials and cultivating personal contacts. In 2000, the OISS director received a grant from the U.S. Overseas Educational Advisors Partnership Program and visited overseas advising centers in three African countries. The university has also capitalized on faculty initiatives to boost international enrollment. Fulbright assignments of several professors have led to friendship agreements with universities abroad that include faculty and student exchanges, and the university's IELP has contributed to the increased enrollment of international students. As a result of all these endeavors, international student enrollment has increased by 62 percent since fall 1994. 

III. Successful Strategies

UNO's three most successful strategies for internationalization are: (1) the internationalization of curricula; (2) increased opportunities for local students to study abroad and international students to come to UNO; and (3) the promotion of international education at the state level among academic, business, and economic officials.

Internationalization of Curricula
Examples include the recently introduced Bachelor of Arts in International Studies, the Critical Languages Program (CLP), and the newly adopted diversity requirement. In March 2003, the Louisiana Board of Regents approved the Bachelor of Arts in International Studies at UNO. Administered through the College of Liberal Arts, this degree program prepares students for careers in diplomacy and government service, and with international organizations. The multidisciplinary curriculum includes coursework in anthropology, economics, English, fine arts, foreign languages, geography, history, philosophy, political science, and sociology. In addition, an internship in a governmental or nongovernmental agency or with an international corporation is required. Students can choose a concentration in one of UNO's area studies (Africana, Asian, European, or Latin American/ Caribbean) or opt for a topical concentration that focuses on a major problem or process of global concern (e.g., American foreign policy and practice; diplomacy and conflict resolution; economic development; environmental issues; international law and organization; population and migration; and sovereignty, ethnicity, and nationalism). In fall 2003, the endowed Janet Dupuy Colley Professorship in International Studies was created to help the development of this new program.

The CLP, established in 1997, provides an opportunity for students to learn less commonly taught languages at the undergraduate level either for credit or noncredit. The CLP began with only eight languages and fewer than 30 students and has grown to offer as many as nine to 12 languages to approximately 100 students each semester. Some of the languages regularly offered are Arabic, Czech, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Vietnamese, and Urdu.

Finally, the UNO Faculty Council recently adopted a three-credit-hour diversity requirement for general undergraduate degrees. The definition of diversity reads, in part, "Diversity is here understood in its widest application, as including factors such as ethnicity, gender, race, class, or a significant international component." Even though the international component is only part of this general education requirement, it is a step toward UNO's goal of educating all students to become globally literate citizens.

Increased Opportunities in International Education
Another focus of the University of New Orleans' internationalization efforts has been the development of a Division of International Education (DIE). This office manages both outgoing (study-abroad) students and some incoming international students (such as students enrolled in the noncredit English as a Second Language [ESL] program or in various other exchange programs). Ten years ago, the university sponsored 350 students in seven summer study programs. DIE's scope of offerings now includes both summer study and traditional academic year abroad programs in Europe and Latin America. Consequently, the total number of students participating in these programs has grown by 60 percent, to 575. The university has added programs in Latin America, partly to attract U.S. students with roots in that region and partly to strengthen the new degree program in international studies. DIE also offers both merit and need-based scholarships to help students participate in its programs.

The IELP--UNO's noncredit ESL program--was founded in 1995 as a full-time, noncredit, pre-academic program providing ESL instruction to both international and U.S. resident, non-English-speaking students in preparation for study at UNO and other U.S. institutions. This program has now served over 900 students from more than 80 countries and is a key component of international student recruitment at UNO. Former IELP students account for approximately 12 percent of UNO's international student population.

Finally, DIE manages the university's formal exchange programs. It advises both American and international students on semester-/year-abroad possibilities, administers exchange treaties, welcomes incoming exchange students, and assists them with enrollment, immigration issues, housing, and so forth. Since 1996, UNO has facilitated almost 150 student exchanges; it currently runs 13 official exchange programs.

Promotion at the Statewide Level
In addition to campus-based internationalization initiatives, UNO has taken the lead in promoting international education within Louisiana. In 2001, UNO initiated a statewide conference and for the first time brought together international educators, business representatives, and state economic development officials to discuss "International Education as Economic Development." As an outgrowth of that event, the Louisiana Board of Regents established an Advisory Committee on International Education to assist in the infusion of international awareness and academic efforts in all Louisiana institutions of higher education. UNO is well-represented on this committee, which was commended and supported by Louisiana State Senator Gerald J. Theunissen in the Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 25 on April 1, 2003.

The first action of the Advisory Committee was to design a survey of colleges and universities to ascertain the current state of international education in Louisiana higher education; in June 2003, the committee presented a final report based on the survey results, including recommendations for action, to the Board of Regents. These recommendations included (1) hosting the Postsecondary Education Symposium on International Education and Louisiana Business in spring 2004; (2) sponsoring an International Education Enhancement Grant Program in 2003-04; (3) including an international education component in all general education requirements by 2004-05; (4) encouraging the boards and campuses of all public and private institutions to include a significant international component in all honors programs by 2005; and (5) requiring each campus to complete an inventory of its international faculty, support services, and curricular resources by 2005.

IV. Future Plans

The Louisiana Board of Regents generally endorsed all of the recommendations presented by the Advisory Committee on International Education, but only recommendations #1 and #5 received an immediate commitment. The University of New Orleans will therefore be involved in planning the Postsecondary Education Symposium on International Education and Louisiana Business in spring 2004. As stipulated in recommendation #5, UNO will complete an inventory of its international faculty, support services, and curricular resources by 2005. Due to lack of funding, recommendation #2 (International Education Enhancement Grant) will be delayed. The Regents' Council of Chief Academic Officers will review recommendations #3 (general education requirement with an international component) and #4 (significant international component in all honors programs--already underway at UNO).

In the meantime, UNO will continue to strongly advocate the internationalization of its curriculum. Two concrete plans involve the new Bachelor of Arts in International Studies degree. First, the university hopes to add a study-abroad component as a requirement rather than a strongly recommended aspect of this degree program, since an education focusing on international issues is not complete without the experience of having lived and studied abroad; second, it plans to expand the Bachelor of Arts in International Studies curriculum by adding a business track, thus broadening the program's academic scope and making this degree option available to a wider student population.

Since 1999, the University of New Orleans has been working with the support of the Zemurray Foundation to establish the "Doris Zemurray Stone Center for Latin American Studies." UNO plans to apply for matching funding from the State of Louisiana to match this grant, which--if approved--will enable the center to operate on a self-sustaining basis and fulfill its goals. These goals include (1) facilitating study at UNO for Latin American and Caribbean students who are expected to use their U.S. education to help further their home countries' economic, social, and cultural development, and (2) advancing the programmatic development of Latin American studies at UNO through new courses pertaining to the field, guest speakers and lecturers, and graduate study and faculty field research. The Stone Center will support the existing minor in Latin American and Caribbean Studies and help increase the number of international students from that region.

The College of Urban and Public Affairs (CUPA) has successfully run its Urbana program for three years. While major funding for Urbana will be completed this academic year, CUPA intends to continue this international program, as it has contributed to international student enrollment, helped improve language proficiency, and broadened cultural awareness and understanding, as well as familiarity with comparative urban studies. CUPA further plans to develop other similar programs and to identify new sources of funding for such programs.

The College of Business Administration is working to establish a freestanding executive-style M.B.A. program in San Juan, Puerto Rico, beginning in March 2004. This program is modeled after the existing UNO M.B.A. program in Jamaica, and the College of Business is in the final stages of seeking a required license from the Puerto Rico Board of Higher Education to operate the program.

The College of Business has been involved with the planning and development of a multi-university endeavor to design academic programs that would assist Central American Free Trade Agreement nations increase trade capacity. This effort is coordinated by the Mayor's Office of Economic Development in New Orleans and involves several local universities. The activities of this group may culminate in the development of an M.B.A. program with a focus on trade capacity building that uses courses and faculty from all institutions and results in a degree conferred by a federal agency.

UNO has a strong hotel, restaurant, and tourism (HRT) program and offers its students study-abroad experiences in this field. However, the degree program has a real need for international internships that give students an international work experience, a highly sought-after qualification in the HRT field; the university hopes to develop them in the near future.

The College of Liberal Arts has drafted a proposal for a doctoral program in Pan-American studies. The proposal has yet to be forwarded to the graduate school and, ultimately, the Board of Regents. Lack of funding is expected to delay this project, but committed faculty members and administrators will continue to advocate for it.

The CLP intends to further develop innovative noncredit foreign language learning opportunities and, specifically, to initiate a new project, in the form of language camps, for the local community. The UNO World Language and Culture Camps are designed for elementary school students to learn the basics of new languages while exploring foreign cultures, peoples, and countries. The primary design of the language lesson is immersion-style instruction, using native-speaking tutors who conduct student-centered lessons. The tutors use music, visual arts, games, and skits as learning aids, facilitating all types of learners--visual, auditory, and tactile. The main goal of the camps is to teach children the basics of a new language while instilling an appreciation for a new culture. For the 2004 summer camps, UNO is considering the cultures and languages of Russia and Brazil.

In the field of study-abroad and exchange programs, UNO expects to create partnerships with other universities and develop new programs. In 2004 it plans to offer a summer abroad program in the Tuscany region of Italy for counseling students and practicing counselors. This faculty-led program will fulfill several goals of the internationalization agenda by giving another faculty member the opportunity to teach and conduct research abroad; providing a focused study-abroad experience for a large number of UNO students (considering that the College of Education is one of the largest and most reputable in the region); and fulfilling a service component to the greater urban community by offering continuing education units to practicing counselors.

Another step toward further internationalizing the university involves the introduction of a noncredit travel program for adults, which would function as a fund-raiser for other internationalization efforts on campus. Specifically, UNO plans to collaborate with a well-known New Orleans chef, who would take participants to his native country of Italy on a culinary journey. This idea has been well-received and has the potential to become a series of international tour programs designed for fund-raising purposes. One particular long-term goal that these funds could finance would be erecting a building devoted to international activities; this building would centralize the many ongoing initiatives around campus and provide a facility for future projects.

The final continuing goal in the internationalization effort is to raise awareness of international opportunities among students, faculty, and the general community. With this in mind, the university intends to organize a study-abroad fair for the UNO student population and faculty, following the example of several other schools in the area. To inform the local community of the university's commitment to international affairs and to stress that international education cannot begin too early, it will also initiate a sponsorship for the Children's World's Fair at the Louisiana Children's Museum. Another plan is to revive a series of international dinners. These International Horizon Dinners would bring the local metropolitan community and the UNO community together, showcase various destinations of study-abroad programs, and include international students and scholars of the university in different functions (speakers, artists, cultural representatives, and so forth). In addition, UNO hopes that this series of events will raise some funds for further developing international programs and realizing other plans on the internationalization agenda.

Last updated: April 27, 2005