IIE Discusses Ways to Promote International Education

The Institute of International Education (IIE) addressed how to give institutions of higher education a more international focus at its annual Best Practices Conference in March. Topics included how to support education in conflict-heavy areas around the world, how to forge closer partnerships with foreign institutions and how to “internationalize” curricula in areas like nursing or dentistry.

This was IIE’s eighth annual conference, as the organization strives to promote more international education opportunities for students, as well as closer connections between universities around the world.

The IIE’s Best Practices Conference was developed to bring educators together in a neutral forum to discuss ideas and new developments in international education. In last year’s conference program, IIE president Allan E. Goodman said the conference brings together global leaders who promote “peace, prosperity, and scientific progress around the world,” by connecting institutions and bringing future leaders a more internationally focused educational experience.

The IIE also helps conduct research about international studies, such as the Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange. The 2012 report, for instance, found that while the number of international students at institutions in the United States increased by 6 percent, to a record high of 764,495 in the 2011-12 academic year, U.S. students studying abroad only increased by 1 percent. That study also found that international exchanges nationwide contributed $22.7 billion to the U.S. economy — and, overall, international education has a positive economic and social impact for communities that participate.

This year’s best practices conference delved into topics such as making international experiences a part of career development and how higher education can promote international development through research, leadership training and curriculum development.

The conference also gives out awards to promote the development of creative initiatives for bringing an international focus to campuses. Susquehanna University, for example, was awarded for “Internationalizing the Campus” through its Global Opportunities program. That program requires every student to study abroad in an “immersion experience” of at least two weeks, and engage in a critical reflection on that experience when they return to the U.S. Other awards go for study abroad initiatives, internationalizing professions and creating international partnerships.

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