Elon University A National Leader in International Education

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1 Elon University A National Leader in International Education Introduction Internationalization is a core component of Elon s identity, permeating all aspects of campus life, from the classroom to co-curricular programs. It is central to the University s mission statement, which states in part, We integrate learning across the disciplines and put knowledge into practice, thus preparing students to be global citizens and informed leaders motivated by concern for the common good. Elon s efforts to internationalize the campus took a major leap forward in 1999, when Isabella Walton Cannon, a 1924 Elon alumna, former mayor of Raleigh, N.C., and extensive world traveler, made a $1 million gift to endow the Isabella Cannon Centre for International Studies. The opening of the Cannon Centre represented a significant achievement in Elon s efforts to centralize its international education programs. The Cannon Centre has become the locus of internationalization efforts at Elon, leading to an expansion and deepening of study abroad opportunities as well as managing international student and faculty scholar services. Elon is first in the nation among master s-level universities for study abroad participation, according to the 2006 Open Doors report. Sixty-four percent of Elon students participate in at least one study abroad experience during their college careers. The opening of the Cannon Centre is perhaps the single most important development in the internationalization of Elon s campus and demonstrates the University s commitment to internationalization. A second gift by Isabella Cannon in 2001 funded construction of the Isabella Cannon International Studies Pavilion in the University s Academic Village. The Cannon Pavilion is a dynamic living-learning community that pairs international with U.S. students. This nomination focuses on demonstrating Elon s institutional commitment to internationalization and explaining how internationalization permeates the University in the following four areas: Experiential Learning (including study abroad, student engagement, internships and international service learning) The Academic Curriculum (including faculty and student research) International Students and Faculty Faculty and Staff Development Furthermore, Elon s commitment to internationalization is recognized in an Internationalization of the Campus Plan, developed in Elements of this plan have been included in Elon s Academic Affairs Priorities ( , ), its Institutional Priorities ( ), which are endorsed by the Elon President and senior staff, and in Elon s current strategic plan (NewCentury@Elon, Phase II), which has been approved by the President and Board of Trustees. Internationalization through Experiential Learning Elon consistently scores among the nation s top colleges and universities in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), the most comprehensive assessment of effective practices in higher education. Elon s top ranking is attributed in large part to the high priority Elon places on experiential education, of which study abroad is one of the

2 most significant components. Almost 23% (nearly 1,100) of all Elon students participated in study abroad in 2006, attending programs in 48 countries. The participation rate of Elon students studying abroad has nearly tripled during the past 10 years. Elon s study abroad program began in 1969 with one Winter Term course in London. Elon added its first semester island program in London in During , Elon students will participate in 25 Winter Term programs, two island semester programs, 32 affiliate and/or exchange semester programs, seven summer programs, and a variety of other international education experiences, including internships, international service learning, international travel-embedded courses, independent research and co-ops. Because of Elon s success in study abroad participation, the Dean of International Programs was asked to speak before the Abraham Lincoln Commission in April Meteoric Rise in Study Abroad Participation Many factors have fueled Elon s meteoric rise in study abroad participation, including the following: The University s curriculum allows students to either remain on campus to take one course or to study abroad in January. The cost of Winter Term is included in students fall tuition, so the direct cost of Winter Term study abroad programs is reduced. Every Winter Term study abroad course must fulfill at least one of Elon s General Degree requirements. Students can study abroad during Winter Term and continue to make uninterrupted progress toward graduation. Elon s Curriculum Committee ensures that in the requirements for each major, students can spend a semester abroad and still graduate within four years. Faculty strongly support study abroad. Sixty faculty members each year design and lead all of the short-term study abroad programs. A study abroad committee evaluates and approves short-term programs and regularly reevaluates them. The Cannon Centre provides all logistical support to facilitate the programs. Elon has a language proficiency requirement, which can be partially or completely fulfilled by study abroad. Elon has a study abroad requirement for two majors (Foreign Languages and International Studies). Elon places no enrollment caps on student participation in affiliate semester programs. Elon offers scholarships and grants for study abroad, including more than $50,000 in need-based and merit-based scholarships and a $750 grant for Honors students and Fellows. Elon s Office of Institutional Advancement has made obtaining gifts to support study abroad scholarships one of its main priorities. Elon has created International Travel-Embedded Course Guidelines for select undergraduate and graduate courses.

3 Growth in international service learning opportunities The Cannon Centre also supports international internships and service learning opportunities, which may be in the form of classes or independent work. Elon has a seven-week summer internship program in London, which includes work and seminars in affiliation with the Foundation of International Education. Internships are offered during Elon s island program in London each semester. Elon s North Carolina Teaching Fellows are required to participate in an education-based internship in Costa Rica or London. Independent international internships and research projects, under the auspices of academic departments, are also supported and facilitated by the Cannon Centre. An outstanding example of international service learning at Elon is Project Pericles, part of a national movement started by the Eugene Lang Foundation to increase civic engagement and social responsibility. In the University s Periclean Scholars program, the centerpiece of Project Pericles at Elon, students take a series of courses together and dedicate themselves for three years to a social issue of local or global significance. Each time, Elon students have selected an international problem. The Periclean Scholars Class of 2006 chose to raise awareness of the spread of HIV/AIDS in Namibia, Africa. The Class of 2007 is currently focusing on malnutrition in Honduras. These initiatives culminate in a study abroad experience in the respective country. Each cohort invites to campus Pericleans-in-Residence who help educate students about the cohort s specific project. The Class of 2006 brought four guests from Namibia to campus during their focus on HIV/AIDS. Gifts from donors have also spurred growth in international serving learning opportunities. Elon recently received a $250,000 gift, part of which has endowed scholarships for international service projects. The donors, both Elon parents, made the gift after seeing how the University s study abroad program transformed their daughter, who taught Spanish to children in Guatemala and worked in an orphanage in Tibet. Internationalization in the Academic Curriculum Internationalization holds a central place in Elon s curriculum in the following ways: Each department must address its internationalization efforts annually in its end-of-year report. Each department is expected to have at least one course with an international component and/or a study abroad opportunity. Elon s required first-year seminar is The Global Experience, an exploration of public responsibility in a global context. Elon launched an International Studies major in 1995, one of the fastestgrowing majors on campus, currently with 162 students. Students must identify a regional concentration and participate in a required semester study abroad experience. Elon offers an International Business major and minors in Asian Studies, Latin American Studies, Italian Studies and German Studies, and is currently applying for a U.S. Department of Education grant to develop a regional concentration and a minor in Middle Eastern Studies. Elon has a foreign language proficiency requirement.

4 More than 33 Elon faculty have international scholarly interests. Eight faculty have been Fulbright recipients, and Elon has hosted four Fulbright visiting scholars in the past 10 years. Students who engage in international research are eligible for University grants to support their scholarship. International Students and Faculty Elon is committed to increasing the number of international students on campus and the quality of their experiences. In , Elon enrolled 87 international students from 44 countries. One of the stated goals of Elon s strategic plan is to significantly increase the number of international students within 10 years. The Cannon Centre and Elon s Office of Admissions have gone beyond traditional recruitment strategies to include the following: Last year the Cannon Centre established International Student Teams to visit offices and departments across campus to assess their international student friendliness. The Office of Admissions worked with selected faculty leaders during Winter Term 2006 to lead international student recruitment efforts, including visiting high schools abroad. Because of the enhanced Cannon Centre focus on developing exchange programs, Elon anticipates that it will bring 10 to 12 new exchange students to campus in spring 2007 and at least 20 new exchange students (in addition to the students that Admissions will recruit) for fall It is likely that Elon will exceed the long-range international student recruitment goal within the next few years. Elon also has more than 25 international faculty in nearly 20 departments. Faculty/Staff Development Key to Internationalization Elon demonstrates its institutional commitment to internationalization through a variety of faculty and staff international development opportunities such as the following: El Centro de Espanol offers lively, informal conversation classes for students, faculty and staff. For the past seven years, Elon has subsidized annual trips to Costa Rica and Spain for participants who have demonstrated significant improvement in their language skills. Initially funded as part of a Teagle Foundation faculty/staff development grant, Elon takes two groups of faculty and staff members to London annually for a 10-day trip in January. Elon makes its student flats in London available for use, free of charge, to all faculty and staff and their immediate families between the fall and spring semesters. Faculty receive developmental opportunities as leaders of short-term study abroad courses. Each Winter Term study abroad program (and some summer programs) has two course leaders. Sixty faculty members participate annually

5 (nearly one-quarter of the full-time faculty). Six to eight staff members serve as co-leaders of short-term study abroad programs annually. Staff co-leaders are an integral part of each course and serve as partners with the faculty leaders while abroad as well as assist with program preparation and student orientation. Elon has an exchange relationship with Southeast University in Nanjing, China, which gives two to three faculty the opportunity to teach English there each summer. Many faculty are funded each year by the academic deans and the Dean of International Programs to participate in international conferences. Faculty who teach new short-term study abroad programs are often awarded funds to visit their host country before the course begins. These faculty and staff opportunities benefit the institution as a whole. Faculty regularly bring international experiences back to the classroom, enhancing teaching and learning, and leading to new areas of research. Faculty and staff also report improvements in their abilities to work with international students on campus. Conclusion George Keller s book Transforming a College (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004) chronicles Elon s ascension on the landscape of American higher education. Internationalization at Elon has played an integral role in that transformation. At Elon, internationalization is at the heart of the University. It illuminates the curriculum and is at the center of University life, from student participation in study abroad to managing international student and faculty scholar services to faculty and staff development. At Elon, learning is framed as a global experience and the University promotes global citizenship through its commitment to the international experience. Elon already has firmly established itself as a national leader in international education and is well on its way to becoming a leader in campus internationalization.