The 16th cohort of ACE’s Internationalization Laboratory is ready to tackle the process of enhancing campus internationalization after a successful kick-off meeting in Washington, DC, in August. Cohort members shared ideas, goals, and concerns as they looked ahead to the next 18 months.
The 11 members of the 16th cohort are:
- Albany State University (NY)
- Auburn University (AL)
- Florida Gulf Coast University
- Franklin & Marshall College (PA)
- George Mason University (VA)
- Holy Family University (PA)
- Monmouth University (NJ)
- SUNY College at Brockport
- University of California, Santa Cruz
- University of Maryland, Baltimore
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Many of these institutions already engage with the global community, but the Internationalization Lab will help them pursue comprehensive internationalization. As Lab Advisor McKenna Brown explained, the process of internationalization means moving international activities from the periphery to the center, weaving them “into the fiber of our institutions.”
At the meeting, participants learned about the history of internationalization and what to expect from the Lab, heard advice from past participants, and got to know each other and their advisors.
Participants asked questions about what types of challenges to expect, how to avoid committee fatigue, and how to present the work of the Lab to their broader campus community and stakeholders. On that last point, Tony Pinder, internationalization guru at Emerson College and Lab advisor, suggested emphasizing how internationalization supports the strategic priorities and other initiatives of the institution.
Although the formal Lab process will last until the spring of 2020—encompassing site visits from advisors, three meetings in Washington, DC, and a final report—its impact will last long beyond the end date.
Raluca Nahorniac, a past participant from the University of Maryland, College Park, told her colleagues, “You are never going to be done with this; this is just the beginning.” Two years after completing the Internationalization Laboratory, her institution is still using what she learned through the process.
The cohort will gather again to touch base at the midterm meeting in February 2019.
Interested in joining next year’s cohort? Contact Kara Godwin at KGodwin@acenet.edu.