Statement

AUCC Statement on Internationalization and Canadian Universities

The 21st century will be like no other. It will be distinguished by an unprecedented level and depth of global interaction in all domains -- economic, political, and cultural. Globalization has not only altered the way we do business and the way we produce and trade in goods and services, it is rapidly changing the very fabric of our society. Canada must continue building its capacity to operate effectively in this new global context. Our success will depend, in large measure, on the manner in which we educate our citizens.

Universities in Canada have a long tradition of international collaboration. Today, however, internationalization of the university means far more than inter-personal or even inter-institutional cooperation across borders. It is a necessary, vital, and deliberate transformation of how we teach and learn and it is essential to the future quality of higher education in Canada, indeed to the future of Canada. In a world characterized by challenges and opportunities of global proportions, universities are key agents of change.

This document, AUCC Statement on Internationalization and Canadian Universities, has a dual goal: it attests to the growth of interest, the effort and the extent of change that have contributed to internationalizing Canadian universities, and it encourages further advancement of this process by proposing a framework for action which should be considered and discussed in the context of each institution's mission, resources and priorities.

Nature and Objectives of Internationalization

A growing number of Canadian universities articulate in their mission their commitment to internationalization. This reflects the belief that an international perspective will assist us to maintain excellence in higher education and research, to contribute to the quality of life and to assure continued prominence for Canada in the world of the 21st century. Although the particular emphasis on international dimension varies depending on the history and character of different universities in Canada, all strive to strengthen internationalization by promoting most or all of the following objectives:

Developing Human Potential

Every university in Canada has the responsibility to prepare students and to familiarize the wider community with living and working in a context of global interdependence. In a world where human resources are becoming the key to economic growth and social well-being, Canada's universities play a key role. The economic and cultural advantages which flow from an active exchange of scholars and students, especially through undergraduate student exchanges, are not always clearly understood and universities should undertake to explain and promote them. Universities prepare highly qualified individuals who have crucial skills in areas that have a direct economic impact on Canada and which enhance the country's international competitiveness. Universities also teach humane values, ethical decision-making and knowledge of cultural and social diversity that form the foundation of how Canadians respond to change and to the rest of the world.

Providing a Forum for Ideas

Universities serve as a forum where views and ideas can be discussed. They provide an important service in raising the level of knowledge and understanding of the issues that affect us all. Universities instill a sense of the "global village" in the academic community, both in the way they welcome students and faculty from around the world, and in the manner in which their curricula reflect and integrate the international nature of knowledge.

Fostering International Cooperation

Universities have a tradition of leadership in international cooperation in research and scholarship, and have led the way in promoting partnerships and alliances that cross international and sectoral boundaries. Greater interdependence of issues makes scholarly exchange and international and inter-sectoral cooperation more important than ever in creating new knowledge and in offering new solutions.

Enhancing International Student Mobility

One means of better preparing students for the demands of life in the 21st century is to provide them with more opportunities to study and learn abroad. The personal, the educational and, ultimately, the social benefits of stimulating an international openness and understanding among students are immeasurable. International students in Canada are an important resource for our education system. A university without a cosmopolitan mix of students is missing an important dimension of learning.

Contributing to International Development Assistance

Canadian universities have benefitted incalculably from the education systems of other nations. Many of our faculty have been educated in whole or in part abroad. Many of the ideas and technologies that enrich our intellectual life and benefit Canadian society have originated elsewhere. Canada is a developed country in large part because of collaboration with others. It is right therefore, as well as prudent, that Canadian universities, together with Canadian governments and business, maintain a firm commitment to sharing their expertise and resources with other people who require them to realize their own legitimate aspirations.

The future of all nations are intertwined. Just as the objective of Canadian Official Development Assistance is to support sustainable development, reduce poverty, and contribute to a more secure, equitable, and prosperous world, Canadian universities, by helping to build the indigenous human resource capacity essential to any country's sustainable prosperity, contribute to these countries' efforts to find their own paths to development.

Ways and Means of Internationalization: A Framework for Action

In the context of higher education, internationalization is a multifaceted phenomenon, pervasive throughout the institution, and touching all aspects of the university mandate. It impacts on what is taught in the classroom, on how students learn, and on the make-up of the student body and the professorate. The impact of global interdependence is also reflected in research activities, reading lists, case studies, opportunities offered to students as well as in the activities and services offered to the wider community.

These changes to the university mandate are to some extent the normal result of the inquiring nature of higher education. In a successful process of internationalization, however, universities are undertaking a deliberate and proactive transformation of who, what and how we teach and learn.

A commitment at the most senior level of university administration, articulated in the mission statement of the institution, is an important step in an internationalization strategy, but it alone is not sufficient. This transformation is both a bottom up and a top down process of bringing an international dimension to the varied aspects of the university mandate, of building connections between these many parallel activities, and of promoting the recognition that students, faculty, and staff throughout the university make valuable contributions to the overall process of internationalization.

When translated into practice, a greater commitment to internationalization can mean action in any or all of the following areas:

Institutional Administrative Policy

• including internationalization goals and objectives in the university mandate and strategic plan;
• recognizing the international involvement of faculty and researchers;
• providing support, encouragement and services to Canadian students wishing to study abroad;
• providing support and release time for involvement in international development projects, and supporting developing country students, researchers and faculty;
• providing services for international students including assistance with housing, academic and social counselling;
• providing an administrative structure to promote, facilitate and coordinate international cooperation initiatives of the university;
• including, in the fundraising activity of the university, efforts aimed specifically to provide support for international activities;
• providing easy access to information on admission and acceptance requirements to students abroad, addressing issues surrounding recognition of credits from abroad and fostering an environment which strives to facilitate such two-way credit transfers.

Academic Policy

• offering programs of study with an international focus (such as development studies, area studies and languages), strengthening the international dimension in curricula of programs in all other disciplines, and encouraging second and third language proficiency for graduates;
• providing opportunities and recognition for study, work and other international experience abroad for Canadian students and encouraging exchange opportunities for faculty and staff;
• making full use of the expertise of international students in teaching and research.

Research Opportunities

• providing a research environment which facilitates participation in international research, for example by encouraging internationally oriented research projects and joint research endeavours with international partners.

Community Service and Extracurricular Activities

• promoting international clubs and extra-curricular activities of an international nature in and beyond the university community, for example in schools and among local businesses;
• facilitating the involvement of faculty and students in international colloquia, workshops or conferences, either as participants or as organizers and by inviting representatives from other sectors.

Provincial Policy

• promoting the recognition that provincial jurisdiction for higher education is compatible with Canada-wide efforts for coherent and coordinated approaches to many aspects of internationalization;
• promoting change in provincial policies to ensure governments and policies recognize the value of international cooperation and support universities in their internationalizing efforts;
• urging provincial governments to remove administrative barriers to greater student mobility and enact policies supportive of this trend.

Policy at the Federal level

• ensuring that policies made by various departments or agencies of the federal government such as Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, the Canadian International Development Agency, Human Resources Development Canada, the International Development Research Centre and the granting councils, among others, reflect the needs and opportunities for universities brought about by globalization in domains such as funding, immigration and employment policies, health insurance coverage, science and technology policy, Official Development Assistance, technical assistance, export of services and many others.

Preparing Canadians for the 21st century requires new knowledge, new skills, new approaches and new attitudes, none of which will be as complete or pertinent without an international dimension to our education. Continuing the process of internationalizing our universities is therefore a necessary aspect in this preparation, an integral part of the excellence of our higher education and a vital component of the future well-being of society.

The general membership of the AUCC, having adopted this statement at its 1995 Annual General Meeting, is committed to further internationalization of Canadian universities.

For more information, please contact Karen McBride, vice-president of International Affairs Branch.