Faculty Push For Internationalization Of ISU by Anne Dolan An enthusiastic group of 70 faculty members agreed that inter-nationalizing Iowa State no longer is merely an interesting option, but a necessity for growth and even survival. Internationalization--of faculty, students, curricula, attitudes--was the topic of the third annual faculty conference, held March 24-25 at Grinnell College. Michigan State University President M. Peter McPherson, who gave the keynote address, predicted a shift in the ranking of peer universities in the next decade. He said those that aggressively pursue change in favor of internationalization will do well. But McPherson warned that inter-nationalization should not be an auxilary effort. "It must permeate everything you do." U.S. NO LONGER ROLE MODEL Faculty members noted that the means to internationalization has changed since the end of World War II, when the United States was a model for the rest of the world. An "us" helping "them" approach needs to be replaced with partnerships between developed and developing countries, they said. "When other countries look at us now, they may not like what they see. Only countries in dire straits still want to be like us," said Steffen Schmidt, professor of political science. Faculty also discussed the best structure under which to internationalize the university. Some suggested a central office, perhaps at the level of vice provost, that would serve as coordinator and clearinghouse. Others said the notion of a "czar" for international efforts was a waste of money and only deepened the bureaucracy. The motivation and the legwork needs to come out of departments and colleges, they argued. Still others suggested a beefed-up role for the existing Council on International Programs, including long-range planning and campuswide communication. In his address to the faculty, President Martin Jischke urged them to "play to our strengths, institutionally" when looking for international opportunities. He also said Iowa State and its faculty need to be on the look-out for non-traditional sources of funding. Traditional sources, such as the U.S. Agency for International Development, may not exist, or exist at current levels, in the future. Citing example after example of international programs, people and plans, Jischke said the question no longer is whether ISU will internationalize, but how and how well it will do it. Faculty discussion, ideas In six small groups organized around the goals of the proposed strategic plan, faculty members brainstormed desired outcomes, strategies and obstacles to those goals. Following are some of the highlights of those discussions. --Faculty travel. Senior faculty have opportunities for travel and work projects abroad, but younger faculty also should have those opportunities. ISU should develop a mechanism to track whether faculty experiences abroad result in changes to the classroom and the curricula. --Promotion and tenure. International projects often are financially and logistically difficult to do. Officials need to encourage international projects and programs anyway and ensure that the reward structure mirrors this attitude. Internationalization shouldn't be viewed as a fourth means to gain promotion; rather, it should be imbedded in one of the land-grant three: teaching, research and outreach. --International faculty. Iowa State needs to commit the resources to recruit the finest faculty members in the world, not just within the United States. The university would benefit from the less-costly option of establishing itself as a welcome place for sabbaticals and improvement leaves. Housing and other temporary services aren't in place to do that successfully now. --International students. Competition for these students will heighten as world-class universities emerge in countries that once relied on the United States for quality higher education. Currently, about 6 percent of undergraduate students and 10.5 percent of all ISU students come from abroad. Iowa State needs to make better use of its international students--in the classroom, campus work opportunities, and residence halls--to open the perspectives and the attitudes of U.S. students. Part of the tuition and fees brought in by international students could be earmarked for international programs. --Curricula. Students need to be prepared for the workplace they will face, which increasingly is an international one. Coursework and class discussions need to have global components. Students should have the flexibility to include in their educations foreign travel or a semester or year abroad without facing graduation penalties. _____ contact: Anne Dolan, (515) 294-7065 updated: 4-6-95