the newsprint or via email communications.
1.- What do you perceive as three strengths of PLU's current international education profile? Please consider and attempt to explain the source of these strengths.
STRENGTHS
Faculty Engagement/Involvement/Development (7) - opportunities for faculty to pursue initiatives
-faculty engagement in program development of Jterm, new semester programs, and ongoing programs abroad
- programming and development of international education at PLU is faculty driven and has strong administrative support for entrepreneurial spirit
-strengths arise from faculty interest, innovation
-faculty nurtured intentionally through hires and subsequent faculty development opportunities
-environment is open, faculty want to work as a team
-unless there are barriers, PLU faculty look for ways to work together Campus climate for development of international ed (6)
-campus climate that values international and cross-cultural education - climate, vitality, openness to new approaches, we are prepared to dream
-institutional ethos that values cross-disciplinary study (evidenced in the number of programs, willingness of people put their heads together on common interests, hires, etc.) -vision, resources, and energy around international education are in alignment
-support of the administration, grant initiatives, and 30 years+ of conversation -since mid-70's there has been open invitations to be involved
Curricular options and diversity (5)
-the number of requirements and options for students to engage in international and cross-cultural material in coursework
-diversity of programs, not all eggs are in one basket -"high profile" of study abroad possibilities
-diversity and depth of programming
-a strength of PLU's international education profile is that it is widely accessible and adaptable… there is a program for every student at PLU and, if there isn't, faculty are often willing to work with students to make things work
Qualitative features of PLU's international profile (5)
- innovative way in which international education has evolved at PLU largely through interdisciplinary programs
-we are not at a vacuum here at PLU, we are aware that we are part of the world and have made it possible for students to engage in it NOW given the long history and evolution of international ed at PLU.
-international education at PLU is not a last-minute market-driven tack-on or add-on -existence and knowledge of a continuum that guides and informs continued evolution -years of discussion, conversation, evolution
Administrative support (2)
-supportive, helpful, knowledgeable personnel
-WC support of faculty developing study away courses, particularly Jterm Student participation/involvement (1)
-current # of students studying in J'Term Financial issues (1)
-discount pricing for Jterms from 1994-1998 noted as a means to boost involvement in Jterm courses and shift culture
2.- What do you perceive as three weaknesses in PLU's current international education profile? Please consider and attempt to explain the source of these weaknesses.
WEAKNESSES
Lack of curricular Integration/cohesion/coherence issue (13) -lack of integration
-lack of cohesion as a result in a lack of the necessary infrastructure for the development of international education (for example, programmatic schedules, 4-1-4 calendar,
financial age, institutional expectations to have students complete their degrees in 4 years encourage Jterm use and discourage semester-program participation
-the challenge is to design a curriculum that works together, we need cohesion and coherence
-INTC not well-connected to other international activities -weak pre-and post- away programming
-the more widely used core-option does not reflect institutional vision -on and off-campus curricular integration
-need to work on First Year Experience -need to get first year students abroad earlier
-we're gapped, we have a great vision statements, etc. but still must do the hard work of weaving the connective tissue. How do we get students where we want them to go -students need to learn foreign languages and develop inter-cultural competencies -need for advising modules/templates/itineraries and advisor training in international ed trajectories
-quantity/quality issue… Fred Meyer vs QAT analogy
Need to develop on-campus international/intercultural climate (8)
-lack of diversity on campus (both in terms of international and cross-cultural faculty, students, staff)
-need for better interaction with local community
-need for better integration of returnees from study abroad -weak connection of international and intercultural on campus
-we need to develop a climate where important international issues are discussed -need to develop academic culture from the moment first year students arrive
-lack of a minor/major of any kind (such as ethnic studies) that looks at inter-cultural issues in a sustained and systematic way
Qualitative "deficiencies" in our student outcomes (4)
-we need to move students away from the "going to" or "going away" mentality
-weakness of the term "international"… we need to re-situate the going away to Mexico to their experience of Mexico in Tacoma
-lack of a strategic plan to meet goal of faculty and students who have demonstrated the competence of working on a common project with a person or persons of another culture in the XXIst century (where synergy, comfort, confidence, and trust go into the
development of a project, production of a product) -students engagement in/with other cultures is weak Uneven Student Participation/Involvement (3)
-lack of a consistent opportunity across campus for involvement in curriculum consistent with institutional mission. We are spotty
-insufficient incentives for advanced students in the international arena, not much for them to do their senior year
-uneven student participation in study away--need to reach benchmark as stated in 2010 Campus climate for international ed development (2)
-we're fragmented, we are not talking about the issue of how to move forward and take the next step… everyone is doing their own thing
-uneven presence of international in institutional literature, need for view book to bring it all together, presence on a website, training and educating admissions, etc.
Financial issues
-need to remove infra-structural barriers that reduce incentives for study abroad (i.e. financial aid not available in summer)
-need for creative financing that allows for R and D within programs
3.- Describe three things you would do to take PLU to the next level of distinction in the arena of international education.
Cross-campus curricular integration and involvement (11)
-a program that yields systematic, across-the-curriculum involvement -consider making the GLST major a stand-alone major
-better connect international with intercultural, apply the continuum idea @ home -increase number of students and faculty involved in Core II
-need to infuse FYEP with international/inter-cultural content and skill-development -expand the international core to become the primary (if not exclusive) general education curriculum (build on strengths!)
-increase foreign language study campus-wide -develop certification program
-strengthen/institutionalize post-experience reflection
-improve curricular cohesion between core II and off-campus opportunities -strengthen advising
Coop education and Internships (5)
-develop international internship experience for all academic programs
-articulate where Coop fits in, where the match is with program needs, and develop appropriate internship sites
-send/involve at least one student in every department/program in an international internship every year
-develop a scholarship, awarded annually, to cover all costs related to the internship -place the international internship program under the umbrella of the WC and in existing sites with existing partners
Off-campus programs (5)
-engage in systematic development of study abroad opportunities that relate to continuum range
-engage in planning of systematic opportunities both in terms of percentages and overall curriculum
-participate in consortia and partnerships to allow for the development of a wider array of opportunities for students
-maintain openness to pre-existing programs
-fold in intentional and systematic awareness of methods and methodology in study abroad programs
Long-range planning and financial Issues (2)
-develop a way to tell the story to raise funds and keep resources coming in -strategic budget planning especially for off-campus study
-a program that focuses our efforts and provides a way to help us decide what “not” to do Long Range Visions (2)
-in 5 years, have established five centers or partners that would offer three levels of study on the continuum: introductory (fun), advanced programs for majors (content-driven), and highly individualized opportunities (pre-career or graduate school preparation) for the students who embody the values/skill/commitments associated with the XXIst century and tie these to faculty development
-change structure, program, and culture. For structure, identify methods of integration in study abroad programs and barriers to integration then eliminate the barriers. In terms of program recognize lack of clear distinction among programs and in program offerings as a whole and then begin to outline and clarify clear expectations and outcomes. Develop a regional focus and move towards weaving study-away into the fabric of the institution. Move, then, to a culture in which students "study away" to a culture where students study with. Do this along a continuum of offerings.
International/Intercultural curricular and co-curricular programming (2)
-energize connections to local community through co-curricular programming initiatives, local internships, and partnering
-bring in community to participate in on-campus discussions on important issues Cross-campus integration and tie to mission (1)
-a program tied to mission Faculty Development
-insure that the faculty is fully internationalized (e.g., hiring people with second
language, inter-cultural, cross-cultural abilities; focusing faculty development programs on international themes).
Assessment
-Insure that each departmental major includes some provision for incorporating and assessing student learning in global and intercultural contexts (with Core II as exclusive core, this will insure broad-based curricular coverage)
Visibility, marketing, and recruitment(1)
-develop pithy marketing strategy garnering a higher number of student applications and yield which in turn would enable us to send more students abroad
4.- In evolving a strategic plan for international education at PLU, what should be the team’s three top priorities.
NOTE: The team didn’t complete this question but will do so in their next meeting. -Close the gap
-Clarification of infrastructure, duties and responsibilities for international education ( I appreciate the point about parallel processes and approaches, it’s just that duplication and lack of administrative focus is expensive!)
-To help us see our way toward an internal organization of our international effort that enjoys support, and is both efficient and effective
-Connect vision and goals to budgets and to fund-raising goals and strategies. (to bridge the gap between aspirations and accomplishments, goals must be linked to budgets) -Build consensus for the strategic plan ASAP (my sense is that timing will be important and that faculty energy for this is running high; the longer the plan takes, the greater the risk of loss of energy.
-To develop more PLU “owned” programs that reflect comments above—tied to mission, philosophy, and integrated with the curriculum
