This weeks ACE reading includes the challenges faced by higher ed institutions pursuing  international partnerships. Among the issues are cultural awareness.  ACE provided examples of institutions with programs that can act as a blueprint for others wishing to pursue partnerships abroad. I wanted to further investigate these programs and the strategies that make them successful.

Kennesaw State University’s ‘Year Of’ program is an immersive annual program designed to increase cultural competence and build international partnerships. Georgia’s KSU started the program in 1984, focusing each year on a specific country or geographic region. The chosen area is a result of strategic planning by KSU faculty and staff, with international partnership as a key goal. Select faculty travel to the chosen area to develop cultural knowledge and perspectives. Program activities for the year are developed students, faculty and staff, which include lectures, films, performances and special courses. Leaders from the selected region are heavily involved and events are open to the public. This current academic year focuses on the Portuguese speaking world. Events center around nine Portuguese speaking countries and include a panel from the Centers for Disease Control on health issues in Africa and roundtable on business in Brazil.  Through the Year Of program, a bachelors student at KSU will have an immersive experience in four different countries/regions and gain a multicultural awareness without having studied abroad. Year Of is presented as an example of a successful higher ed partnership due to KSU’s engagement with members from the country being studied. However, it can also be viewed as a way to approach internationalization at home, bringing a global perspective to the campus as a whole.

The University of Alaska Anchorage has developed worldwide partnerships through the ‘Sister Cities’ of Anchorage. With a goal to develop cultural and educational exchange, international students who are residents of Anchorages sister cities pay in-state tuition at UAA. The 33 sister cities are located in twelve different countries, including China, Russia, Norway, and the Philippines. The UAA international student population is small, numbering just 223 in Fall 2014. Of this population, 52% were from sister cities or other special agreements. Offering resident tuition to international students could be seen as a politically controversial move. However, for an institution like UAA which attracts so few students from abroad, it is a way to increase internationalization on campus. The agreement has also led to dual degree and study abroad programs with institutions located in sister cities.

International partnerships require a high level of organization, transparency, planning and cultural awareness. The programs at Kennesaw and University of Alaska Anchorage can serve as an example of how to achieve these goals.

Allison Olly

Resources

Kennesaw State University http://dga.kennesaw.edu/yearof/index.php

University of Alaska Anchorage https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/