The George R. Muirhead Center for International Education

Strategic Plan, 2003-2008

Introduction
The George R. Muirhead Center for International Education at Central Connecticut State University is the State of Connecticut’s Center for Excellence in International Education. Drawing on the intellectual resources of an expert and experienced faculty and a highly skilled staff of professional international education administrators, the Center champions the University’s vision to be "global in its perspective and outreach."

Through its centers, which exist to serve the needs and interests of Connecticut’s ethnic groups and promote globalization among faculty and students, the CIE provides academic and cultural programs that promote a better understanding of the peoples and cultures of Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Poland, and East Asia. Working with the International & Area Studies Committee, the CIE develops and supports programs beyond its primary staff areas which include study abroad, international student advising, courses abroad, international development, and teaching English as a second language.

All programs sponsored by the Center for International Education strengthen the University’s commitment to diversity. We promote academic freedom by providing forums for international scholars, activists, and political and civic leaders to share their ideas and open dialogue and lively debate on campus about sensitive and difficult world issues. Through externally-funded mobility and technical assistance projects, the CIE provides opportunities for faculty to inform their teaching. Through study abroad and course abroad programs, the Center provides opportunities for students and faculty to engage the world and its diverse cultures as their classroom. Most importantly, through the presence of over 400 international students on our campus each year, the Center promotes diversity as a critical component of the development of our students, our community and our thinking.

The Center is proud of the role it serves in providing Connecticut citizens with opportunities to learn more about the complex, rapidly changing and, yet "smaller" and better connected world in which we work, live, and learn. The Center strives to foster a greater sense of ethnic heritage among our State’s citizens, but at the same time, it brings people from different backgrounds closer to becoming world citizens.

The CIE Strategic Planning Committee (CIE-SPC) consisted of:
Ms. Lisa Marie Bigelow, CIE Interim Director and Chair, CIE-SPC
Ms. Christie Ward, Coordinator, Intensive English Language Program
Ms. Bonnie Cofer, Immigration Specialist
Ms. Colleen Larson, International Education Coordinator
Dr. Tony Rigazio-Digilio, Chair, Educational Leadership
Ms. Beth Engwall, Graduate Student

In addition, six sub-committees focusing on Study Abroad, Courses Abroad, International Students, International Grantsmanship, IELP, and Studies Centers were also convened. Each subcommittee was chaired by a member of the CIE-SPC and had at least 3 additional members representing faculty, staff and students. Subcommittee members included:

Mr. Peter Ansel, IELP Instructor
Dr. Richard Benfield, Associate Professor of Geography
Ms. Jeanne Dunnett, IELP Instructor
Dr. Doug Engwall, Professor of Psychology
Dr. Sylvia Halkin, Professor of Biological Sciences
Ms. Natalie Hunte, International Graduate Student
Dr. Ki Hoon Kim, Director, East Asian Studies Center
Mr. Dean Kleinert, Director, Office of Sponsored Programs
Ms. Susan Lesser, Program Developer, Continuing Education
Dr. Penelope Lisi, Professor of Educational Leadership
Dr. Charles Mate-Kole, Director, Africana Center
Mr. Kevin Oliva, Associate Director, Graduate Admissions
Dr. Evelyn Phillips, Professor of Anthropology
Prof. Jarek Strzemien, Professor of Theatre
Mr. Sebastian Szpackowski, Undergraduate Student, Study Abroad returnee
Prof. Ron Todd, Professor of Art
Dr. Shizuko Tomoda, Professor of Modern Languages
Ms. Josie Vesci, Unit Supervisor, Recruitment and Admissions
Ms. I-Chun Chien, IELP student in Transitions Program
Dr. Leyla Zidani-Eroglu, Professor of TESOL

The CIE-SPC and subcommittees met weekly since November 6. During the strategic planning process, each committee performed a SWOT analysis on their area of responsibility and the CIE-SPC performed an analysis on the CIE as a whole. The SWOT analyses proved useful in that they identified the Center’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats not only from the point of view of CIE staff members, but also from the vantage points of some of the constituencies the CIE serves. The committees also helped to prioritize current and planned CIE programs and activities, as well as develop the goals described in this Plan and the strategies that will be employed to achieve them.

The Mission of the Center for International Education, though not changed, was re-stated as part of the current strategic planning process. The CIE Mission Statement now reads:

Mission Statement
The George R. Muirhead Center for International Education engages faculty and students in the pursuit of global understanding. The Center promotes knowledge and awareness by providing opportunities for people from different cultures to interact and exchange ideas. The Center values diversity, and fosters an environment that advocates cross-cultural understanding and international cooperation.

The CIE Mission Statement supports the University’s mission and vision to be "global in its perspective and outreach" by establishing the CIE as the functional unit responsible for raising campus awareness of the need for global understanding, promoting and coordinating programs and activities that increase global understanding, and creating links between students, citizens, businesses and governments of different countries.

The strategic goals of the Center for International Education for 2003-2008 are:

1. to revitalize the Center for International Education’s image and reputation as a Center for Excellence, and develop an effective administrative structure to support the University’s growing array of international programs;

2. to assist CCSU faculty to develop the international component of their teaching, research and service to the University;

3. to diversify the University’s student body by: establishing an effective plan to recruit students from different ethnic, cultural and linguistic backgrounds; working to create a welcoming and supportive campus environment; and promoting retention by strengthening access to academic and immigration support services, providing cross-cultural training programs and promoting participation in extra-curricular activities;

4. to create and promote a wide range of international education opportunities accessible to all CCSU students;

5. to support faculty teaching and research interests abroad and facilitate student mobility by pursuing external funding from private, state and federal sources; and

6. to promote responsibility, accountability and compliance in all international education programs.

The Center’s current high priorities are:

§ To champion international education as a critical component of higher education. As Connecticut’s Center for Excellence in International Education, the CIE is responsible for educating internal and external constituencies about the importance of international education; promoting the awareness and visibility of the educational opportunities it provides; and supporting the internationalization of CCSU’s curriculum. Above all else, the CIE must tirelessly promote international education as a critical component of higher education in the 21^st century.

§ To advocate for international students. As the conduit between international students and the academic, support and extra-curricular programs and services at the University, the CIE places high priority on creating a campus-wide atmosphere that is supportive and understanding of the special needs of international students that come as a result of rules and regulations imposed on them by state and federal governments.

§ To promote experiential learning through study abroad, courses abroad and on-campus cross-cultural programming. There is no alternative to the depth and scope of cross-cultural understanding that can be achieved through immersion in another culture. The study abroad and course abroad programs provide CCSU students with the opportunity to use the world as their classroom. The CIE will continue to expand these programs, providing opportunities that both meet the academic needs and personal interests of our students.

§ To promote international development/grantsmanship as a means of informing teaching and research. As state and university resources steadily decline, the need to raise external funding to support international teaching and research has increased to an unprecedented level. At the same time, as the federal government devotes resources to specific geographic and political priorities, opportunities are created for CCSU faculty with critical expertise to participate in international training programs. The CIE must fulfill its role as a "matchmaker," by connecting the right fiscal and human resources to develop outstanding international programs that not only inform the teaching and research of our faculties, but also benefit the wider global community.

§ To teach English as a second language to a growing population of non-English speaking permanent residents and non-immigrants. The CCSU Intensive English Language Program serves two vital roles: it is currently the University’s singular means of international student recruitment and the CIE’s main form of community outreach. The program’s high curricular standards and well-qualified faculty and staff contribute to their current record-setting enrollment, at a time when intensive English programs nationwide are closing because of diminishing enrollments.

§ To ensure compliance and manage risk. The events of September 11, 2001 changed dramatically how international students and overseas study programs are viewed and managed. The role of the international student advisor has changed significantly, and much of the flexibility previously afforded this position has been removed. The Immigration Specialist is now responsible for interpreting and ensuring compliance with rapidly federal regulations that are, in some instances, changing on a daily basis. The regulations and deadlines imposed by federal authorities are now stricter, and the consequences of non-compliance are more sever than they have ever been. The risks associated with overseas study programs have also increased, as have the penalties for non-compliance in the area of withholding taxes on payments made to non-resident aliens. As risks and responsibilities have increased, so have the expectations placed on international educators who are charged with protect the institutions they serve. Viewing all programs through the lens of the risk manager is now absolutely essential.

The Center currently places medium priority on the following areas:

§ New and Existing Exchange Agreements/International Partnerships. The institution currently has sixty-five international linkage agreements. The CIE is currently in the final stages of evaluating all linkage agreements with the International and Area Studies Committee and recommending renewal of those partnerships that serve current faculty and student interests. At the same time, the CIE is: recruiting faculty to develop academic programs to support new and existing partnerships; seeking additional partners in Latin America, an area currently underrepresented; and developing externally funded joint programs with very active linkage partners.

§ Area Studies Centers. While the five area studies centers are critically important to the mission of the CIE, less emphasis is placed on them because they are charged with the responsibility of being self-funding and self-sustaining. The CIE provides a modest level of financial support to those Centers that seek it, but continually scans the environment for new programs which would utilize the studies centers’ expertise and complement their academic programs.

The Center’s low priority areas are currently:

§ Service to other CSU campuses. When the International Affairs Center was established in 1986 and designated a Center for Excellence in 1987, a more favorable fiscal environment provided the Center with significant supplementary funding. This funding came with the expectation that the Center would serve as a resource to the other CSU campuses by developing programs that involved faculty and students across the four CSU campuses. Over the years, the supplementary funding has evaporated and, in fact, CCSU funding of the CIE has also diminished. In direct response to the level of funding available to support its programs and, in some cases to limit CCSU’s exposure in areas where other CSU campuses are non-compliant, the CIE has had to evaluate and prioritize its efforts. As a result, programs that primarily serve CCSU faculty and students have taken precedence over those that serve the wider CSU audience.

§ Recruitment of International Students (other than IELP). International student recruitment is currently of low priority. Through the strategies outlined in this Plan, however, the CIE hopes to coordinate efforts with the offices of Admissions and Enrollment Management to elevate the priority given to this aspect of the University’s recruitment efforts.

§ Cross-Cultural Training and Follow-up Programming. Incoming and outgoing students who participate in the study abroad program experience certain cultural phenomena. Programming to help these students process their experiences fully and integrate their learning into to their daily lives is important, yet it seems to fall to the side when topics such as risk management require more attention.

Gaps currently exist in the following areas:

Image: There is a disconnect between the image and reputation of the Center for International Education and the quality and scope of the programs it manages; the faculty, students and other beneficiaries of individual programs recognize and comment about the high levels of service and support they receive from CIE-supported programs, yet there continues to be widespread confusion on campus concerning the utility, role and scope of the CIE.

Exchange Programs: New exchange programs need to be negotiated to fill geographic and curricular gaps.

Support Staff: The Immigration Specialist position needs to be adequately supported by the addition of a full-time support staff person.

Funding. The CIE budget has diminished steadily over the past several years, particularly over the period in which there was not a permanent director.

The goals listed below address the gaps that have been identified.

1. Define what it means to be a Center for International Education in the context of a comprehensive metropolitan university in the 21^st century.

2. Establish the CIE as the administrative home of all noncredit international programs sponsored by CCSU by communicating the value-added benefits of housing all campus international programs within the Center for International Education.

3. Through NAFSA and other international education professional resources, continue to research and implement national "best practices" in international education.

4. Develop a CIE staffing plan, through reallocation of current positions and the addition of one new clerical line, which will allow the CIE to adequately address the internal needs of the institution and external demands placed on the institution by federal agencies.

5. Increase formal communication with the academic deans to: promote international education as a critical component of higher education; inform them of faculty interest in international programs; and raise awareness of the fiscal and human resources available in the CIE to support institution-wide programs.

6. Continuously update the Center for International Education’s website to ensure that it accurately represents the scope of CIE activities and provides current information on CIE-sponsored programs.

7. Develop entrepreneurial programs, international in nature, that include faculty led travel seminars for alumni and the community at-large and contract training programs for domestic and overseas businesses and professional organizations.

8. Provide senior management and University Relations staff, on a regular basis, newsletters, articles, talking points and "sound bites" for their use in speaking engagements at Commencements, Convocations, Presidential Lectures, awards ceremonies, etc.

9. Work with the Office of University Relations to develop a CIE presence on-campus, throughout the CSU system, and statewide.

10. Market CCSU by bi-annually providing each overseas exchange partner and select embassies and consulates with a complete set of CCSU promotional materials, including undergraduate and graduate catalogs, view books, videos, and CD-ROMs.

11. Work with the Office of Institutional Development to seek an endowment for the Center for International Education.

12. Develop and widely circulate a web-based CIE Annual Report that both describes annual international education activities in detail and markets the CIE to on- and off-campus constituencies.

13. Work with the Alumni and Development Office to establish alumni association chapters in overseas locations that have significant alumni populations.

14. Work with the Alumni Office to recruit graduate and undergraduate students to CCSU; identify overseas businesses willing to host CCSU co-op experiences, and invite successful alumni back to CCSU to present guest lectures.

15. Develop a Speakers Bureau through which CCSU international students may make visits to on- and off-campus organizations to promote international education and raise awareness to global issues.

16. Work with the Campus Bookstore to identify, commission, and purchase a range of appropriate institutional gifts for use at official international events.

1. Investigate the barriers to faculty exchanges and work to systemically reduce these barriers and provide incentives.

2. Promote the idea of incorporating a faculty exchange experience into sabbaticals and professional leaves and, where necessary, eliminate disincentives.

3. Provide logistical and financial support for faculty exchanges for teaching and research.

4. Inform faculty of partner institutions worldwide and facilitate the connection between CCSU faculty and their overseas counterparts.

5. Provide assistance for faculty who wish to identify potential funding sources for international research, training, or development projects.

6. Develop a Faculty and Student International Expertise Guide, cross-referenced by country, language(s) spoken, and areas of expertise; update it and electronically disseminate it annually.

7. Create a series of topic-specific monthly electronic bulletins to inform faculty of international programs and opportunities.

8. Work with the Office of Sponsored Programs to enhance the Faculty Research Grant program by providing supplementary funding to be used to fund proposals for international projects, such as travel to attend conferences, conduct research, or teach.

9. Recruit course abroad directors from non-represented departments.

10. Annually update and provide guidelines and training for faculty who wish to conduct overseas educational programs for CCSU students.

11. Work with the International and Area Studies Committee to create a 1-credit lab course to connect to course abroad programs in order to award credit for the overseas experience and compensate faculty for the additional effort organizing a course abroad program requires.

12. Sponsor symposia and conferences on current global issues that include presentations by CCSU faculty, faculty from partner universities and world-renowned experts.

1. Clarify international student admission requirements and processes and work with the Admissions Office to remove all unnecessary institutional barriers to international student admissions.

2. Work with the Office of Admissions to develop and implement a comprehensive recruitment strategy and admissions process that will expand the international student population, both in number of undergraduate and graduate students, and in geographic diversity.

3. Increase the matriculation of IELP students at CCSU by introducing them to the concept of matriculation early on and facilitating the application process.

4. Provide clerical support to the Immigration Specialist so that the professional incumbent may devote more time to immigration counseling and less time to data entry.

5. Develop a cross-cultural training program for faculty and staff and establish a schedule to train personnel in key university offices (ie., library, bursar, academic advising, registrar, housing, cashier’s, cooperative education, health services).

6. Work with Health Services to clarify requirements and effectively communicate requirements to international students prior to their departure from the home country.

7. Promote the University overseas by providing U.S. Consulates with current recruitment materials and application forms.

8. Investigate international recruitment fairs and tours to determine their usefulness in recruiting academically strong international students.

9. Identify barriers to servicing international students through periodic surveys to assess satisfaction and identify problem areas, and exit interviews to detect trends and threats.

10. Identify and work with the affected departments to reduce barriers to servicing current international students by conducting monthly informational meetings to discuss student issues and efforts to resolve them.

11. Designate a CIE staff liaison to work with a designated counterpart in each student services office so that the interests of international students may be represented as policies and processes are developed and/or changed.

12. Work with academic departments that do not currently have internship courses to encourage them to create such courses so that international students may engage in domestic internships within parameters established by U.S. government agencies.

13. Encourage the International Relations Club to expand its work with other campus organizations to co-sponsor programs that benefit the wider campus community.

14. Collaborate with the Alumni & Development Office to establish overseas chapters of the Alumni Association in countries with significant alumni populations.

15. Collaborate with Career Services to establish informational materials and identify appropriate international and domestic opportunities for graduating international students.

1. Educate academic advisors about the importance of international education and the options available to students to "internationalize" their academic program.

2. Work with the International and Area Studies Committee and other faculty to identify geographic or academic areas not represented by existing exchange programs and encourage the development of new programs to meet geographic and curricular needs so that any student in any major can find an appropriate program.

3. Work with academic departments lacking an internship course to develop an academic vehicle through which international students may participate in domestic work experiences that relate to their academic major and be in compliance with federal immigration regulations.

4. Encourage development of courses abroad with an interdisciplinary approach and recruit course abroad sponsors from academic departments that have not previously participated in the course abroad program.

5. Develop work abroad/internship programs that allow CCSU students to gain valuable overseas work experience prior to graduation.

6. Work with the International and Area Studies Committee to explore the feasibility of awarding academic credit (i.e., for IS 230) to study abroad participants to recognize the learning that occurs outside the classroom during a study abroad experience.

7. Work with Career Services to encourage the promotion of and recruitment for non-traditional international education experiences such as overseas academic internships and work experiences, and post graduation opportunities such as Peace Corps, and other international service programs.

8. Work with the academic departments to encourage the establishment of a required international experience in selected majors, such as modern languages, international studies (undergraduate), and international business, as well as the Honors Program.

9. Develop/expand financial resources available to support widespread student participation in international experiences, such as study abroad and courses abroad.

10. Promote collaboration between CCSU students and their counterparts at partner universities by encouraging faculty to work with their overseas counterparts to joint student learning programs.

11. Work closely with the Career Services and Cooperative Education Office to create and identify appropriate domestic and overseas co-op assignments for interested CCSU students.

1. Develop an institutional strategy for seeking funding from private, corporate and government sources to support a well-balanced portfolio of international projects that are consistent with the mission and goals of CCSU.

2. Pursue a student mobility grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education to provide for funding for faculty and student exchanges between CCSU and five of its linkage partners worldwide.

3. Develop an inventory of faculty expertise and interest in conducting international development work.

4. Identify a pool of internal and external funds that can be leveraged to acquire federal, state and private foundation grants.

5. Identify/expand external and internal scholarship funds to support international students matriculated at CCSU and domestic students participating in international programs such as the study abroad and course abroad programs.

6. Work with the U.S. State Department to promote the University and establish CCSU as a resource for technical assistance projects undertaken by the State Department.

1. Identify and implement national "best practices" in all functional areas of the CIE.

2. Ensure compliance with SEVIS regulations and administrative reporting requirements by devoting additional human resources to the immigration function.

3. Establish regular and effective means of communicating internal policies and procedures and external rules and regulations affecting incoming and outgoing students and scholars (i.e., enhanced website).

4. Monitor, evaluate and revise international education risk management practices on a semester basis.

In order for the Center for International Education’s Strategic Plan to be realized, several changes need to occur:

§ Campus-wide recognition of and support for a centralized international program must occur. What currently exists on paper in the form of the University’s organizational chart must be brought to life in practice by involving the Center for International Education in all programs concerning the transfer of knowledge and/or individuals across borders. Centralization of international programs will:

• Enhance student learning by creating a campus environment that champions international education as a critical component of higher education in the 21^st century. The programs sponsored, co-sponsored and supported by the CIE will provide for a wide range of opportunities for students to engage other cultures, whether domestically or through international travel.
• Provide opportunities for faculty to further -develop their knowledge by creating a network of professional development programs, including faculty exchange, funded research, and overseas teaching opportunities.
• Assist the university to fulfill its vision to be "global in its perspective" by systematically infusing an international component into all facets of campus life.
• Allow all international programs to benefit from the cultural and technical expertise of the CIE’s staff of nationally- and regionally-recognized professional international educators.
• Leverage human and fiscal resources by reducing overhead costs of programs scattered across campus.

§ The CIE needs to be able to retain or at least share a percentage of the revenues generated by the Study Abroad application and placement fees. The funding generated by these fees would be reinvested in the study abroad program in the form of student scholarships and funding for the International Education Coordinator to make periodic site visits to partner universities to ensure that our students’ academic needs are being met and that the partnership is in compliance with CCSU’s risk management practices.

§ Professional positions in the Center for International Education need to be evaluated and human resources redeployed in support of the initiatives outlined in this Plan. Specifically:

• The existing Associate Director position needs to be redefined to provide room for added emphasis on entrepreneurial (grant and contract training) programs.
• The existing Immigration Specialist position needs to be supported by a new full-time clerical position so that the incumbent may spend more time counseling international students on immigration matters and limiting CCSU’s exposure in this area, and less time performing the additional clerical tasks required by SEVIS.
• The existing IELP Coordinator position needs to be redefined and re-titled as the IELP Director position to meet the administrative and curricular needs of the self-supporting IELP program in the wake of Susan Lesser’s departure from the CIE (she was formerly the IELP Director). A recent analysis of the job duties performed by the IELP Coordinator, who is also assuming the director’s duties, indicates that the majority of the functions now performed are more appropriately classified as SUOAF-AFSCME duties.
• The existing International Education Coordinator position needs to be redefined in to include promotion and coordination of and recruitment for post-graduate international opportunities, including Fulbright experiences.

The CIE does not envision discontinuing any of its current programs or initiatives. Therefore, this plan does not provide for reduced costs. It does, however, promote increased efficiency that indirectly reduces costs.

The new initiatives/programs outlined in this plan are associated with the following additional costs:

1. CIE staffing:

A. Addition of a junior level clerical position (Clerk Typist or Secretary I) to support the Immigration Specialist.

Cost: $27,416 plus fringe benefits.

Benefit: Improve service to current international students by allowing the Immigration Specialist to focus on higher order concerns of student advising and counseling, which will have a direct impact on student learning and retention.

B. Review and re-design the Associate Director, Immigration Specialist, IELP Coordinator and International Education Coordinator positions.

Cost: Possible reclassification of Immigration Specialist and International Education Coordinator positions to Administrator IV level.

Benefit: Increase the array of programs and services to international students and domestic students participating in international programs; increase number of international students; increase geographic diversity of the international student population.

2. Exchange Programs

New programs to meet geographic and/or curricular needs.

Cost: can be absorbed into CIE operating budget.

Benefits: Provide an array of exchange programs that allow any student in any major to find an appropriate exchange program.

3. International Student Recruitment

Cost: approximately $15,000 annually for travel and recruitment materials

Benefit: Increased tuition and fees revenues; increase diversity of student population; enhance reputation of CCSU; attract high caliber graduate and undergraduate students. Just five additional international students per year would recover this expenditure.

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