A Call to Leadership

In November 2017, APLU released a report examining the state of campus internationalization efforts at its member institutions. Based on those survey results, the report issued recommendations on what steps APLU institutions must take to advance internationalization as they strive to maintain and enhance their place as the world’s leading universities.

The report, Pervasive Internationalization: A Call for Renewed Leadership, surveys the landscape of internationalization efforts and discusses how internationalization goals and strategies are impacted by our changing global context. The report emphasizes the urgent need to re-examine public research universities’ responsibility in meeting the demands that globalization places upon our societies and urges university leadership to focus on inclusiveness through their internationalization strategies, expanding access to global education opportunities for all students.

Embracing the notion that a global education is essential for today’s graduates, the report issues a series of recommendations for senior public university leaders:

• University leaders need to articulate a vision and build institutional support across all stakeholders to achieve pervasive internationalization that is aligned with the core institutional mission and values.
• Chief academic officers should facilitate the engagement of an inclusive network of stakeholders to drive internationalization across all aspects of the institution.
• Senior international officers should remain attuned to balancing the unique needs and challenges of colleges and offices as they aim to integrate internationalization on an institution-wide basis.

The report was developed by APLU’s Commission on International Initiatives under the chairmanship of Colorado State University President Tony Frank. The study builds on two APLU internationalization reports published over a decade ago and gauges progress made toward internationalization goals since those reports were issued.

In 2004, the APLU Task Force on International Education developed a report with a set of recommendations tailored for both the large, public, research-intensive universities and smaller public institutions. The key recommendation was that presidents and chancellors take responsibility for internationalizing their campuses. That report, A Call to Leadership, was supplemented by examples of best practices submitted by APLU institutions as well as the task force statement of purpose.