Glen A. JonesOntario Research Chair in Postsecondary

Education Policy and Measurement

Globalizing Canada’s Universities: An Overview

Key Questions:

• Pressures and possibilities: The “Why?” question.

• Defining internationalization: The “What?” question.

• Problematic assumptions on going global: The “Why Not?” question.

• Internationalization, Public Policy, and Canadian Universities: The “Who” “Where” and “How” questions.

Pressures and Possibilities

Pressures

• Globalization and global competition: capital, communication, human resources, research funding, prestige, rankings

• Repositioning of the University as a key institution in an increasingly international “knowledge economy”: a national instrument of economic development within a global economy

Possibilities

• Learning about the world: its peoples, geography, knowledge, and problems.

• Cross-cultural understanding through new interactions (relationships, partnerships, collaboration, networks)

• Improving the quality of education (curricular change, faculty development, student mobility)

• Revenue generation (international students, research funding)

Why the current interest?

• Ontario Government 2010: international enrolment will increase by 50%.

• Changing demographics mean that the domestic demand for PSE will decrease in some areas – so there is excess capacity.

• International students fulfill a government promise, fill potentially empty spaces, and pay tuition.

Defining Internationalization

Internationalization of Higher Education

is the process of integrating an international, intercultural and/or global dimension into the purpose, functions (teaching, research and service) and delivery of higher education.

J. Knight (2006)

Internationalization is …

• A process (not a product)

• Integrative

• Multidimensional and complex – International/comparative/inter-cultural research

approaches and initiatives– Student mobility – Faculty mobility– Curriculum (inter-cultural dimensions)– Development and other service initiatives

Problematic Assumptions on Going Global

Problems

• International activities are not innately good.– Students can have terrible experiences and

learn little.– International research projects can be

second-rate and involve problematic power and status relationships.

– International networks can be nothing more than an excuse for travel.

Five Myths of Internationalization

• Foreign students as internationalization agents

• International reputation as a proxy for quality

• International Institutional Agreements• International Accreditation• Global Branding

(J. Knight, Winter 2011,International Higher Education)

Internationalization

• Can exacerbate inequities in power and economic relations:– Our brain “gain” is someone else's brain

“drain”– Can challenge existing relationships, but it

can also reinforce existing inequities

Internationalization and Government Policy

Internationalization and Higher Education Policy

• Prominent role in EU, UK, US, Australia, China, etc.

• Why have Canada’s federal and provincial governments placed so little emphasis on internationalization of Canadian higher education?

Policy Challenges

• Canadianization movement

• Canadian federal arrangements

• Concerns of displacement

Canadianization Movement

• 1967 Canada’s Centennial and Expo

• “What Culture, What Heritage?” 1970 study by A.B. Hodgetts

• “The Struggle for Canadian Universities” by R. Mathews and J. Steele, 1969

• “To Know Ourselves: Report of the Commission on Canadian Studies” T. Symons, 1975

Canadianization

• Problems identified:– Canadian school textbooks did not provide

enough content on Canada and were largely published in the United States

– Many new professors in universities were not from Canada and did not know Canadian history or culture

– Limited research on Canada– Need more Canadian content (journals,

music, television, film, art)

Canadianization

• Assumed that Canada was becoming increasingly international and multicultural BUT there was a need for a greater emphasis on Canadian studies

• Growth of nationalism, concerns of cultural imperialism

• Linked to national strategies and cultural protectionism of Trudeau era

Canadianization

• Expansion of Canadian graduate programs• Increased funding for research in social

sciences and humanities• Canada-first hiring policies• Funding for Canadian publications (journals,

books)• Development of Canadian studies programs

inside Canada, and the Canadian Studies abroad initiative by the Federal Government

Canadianization

• While many countries were focusing on internationalization in the 1970-1985 period, there was a strong “Canadianization” emphasis in Canadian policies

Canada’s Federal Arrangements

• A challenge for the development of internationalization policies:– Federal responsibility for foreign affairs and

international trade– Provincial responsibility for higher education– Until quite recently, very little federal emphasis on

international initiatives (research, student and faculty mobility) but Canadian Studies Abroad viewed as key program

– Some provinces have supported mobility programs

Concerns of Displacement

• Until the 1980s, most provinces did not have differential fees for international students

• While Australia was emphasizing revenue generation, the Canadian policy discussion was on the level of subsidy for international students

Concerns of Displacement

• View that international initiatives mean:– That international students will take the place

of domestic students– That great Canadian students will leave the

country through student mobility programs– That international research projects will mean

less money for increasing domestic capacity– That expenditures on scholarships for

international students is taking money away from domestic students (Ontario, 2010)

So …

• Federal government policies have not emphasized internationalization– Little support for international research initiatives– Most scholarship programs emphasize Canadian

students and Canadian universities– No special support to internationalize curriculum,

facilitate faculty mobility, etc.– Internationalization is seldom seen as a domestic

policy issue

But some signs of change …

• Modest new federal investments in:– International research initiatives– Graduate student mobility

• Some provinces have been running modest programs for some time, and there has been a growth in new initiatives (mobility, scholarships, etc.)

Internationalization and CanadianUniversities

Internationalization and Universities

• What we know…– Common component of institutional mission

statements– Many institutions have international strategies– Most institutions report that it is an area of

strategic importance (IAU surveys)– Some institutions are devoting tremendous

attention – but the level of activity and approach varies by institution

Internationalization and Institutions

• What we don’t know …– Little research on internationalization and

Canadian universities– Few case studies– Expenditures on internationalization

initiatives?– Comparative data on institutional experiences

Internationalization and Faculty

Internationalization and Faculty

• Graduate Education– Individuals holding doctorates born outside

their country of current residence:• Germany 12% (2004 data)

• United States 26% (2003 data)

• Australia 46% (2001 data)

• Canada 54% (2001 data)

(L. Auriol, OECD STI Working Paper 2007/2)

Internationalization and Faculty

• 34% of full-time faculty respondents earned their doctorate outside Canada

(Changing Academic Professions Survey 2007)

• Of 56,115 total university professors:– 33,220 were Canadian born (59%)– 20,620 immigrated/non-permanent res (41%)

(2006 Statscan data via CAUT Almanac 2010/11)

Internationalization and Faculty

• Research Activities– 84% of Canadian full-time faculty respondents

have collaborators on research projects– 64% collaborate with international colleagues– 37% collaborate with U.S. colleagues

(Changing Academic Professions Survey 2007)

Internationalization and Faculty

Teaching:

In a national survey, full-time faculty responded to the statement

…In your courses you emphasize international perspectives or content:

• Strongly Agreed/Agreed 62%• Neutral 22%• Strongly Disagreed/Disagreed 16%

(Changing Academic Professions Survey 2007)

Internationalization and Students

Destinations for International Students (Atlas of Student Mobility)

Internationalization and Students

• Complex intersections between “internationalization” and addressing the needs of an increasingly diverse domestic student population

• Challenges of categories (today's international student can be tomorrow’s Canadian citizen)

International Students

• Total count:– 1,670,772 all higher education students in

Canada – 161, 679 international students in Canada

(10%)(Atlas of Student Mobility – 2008/09 data)

International Students

• University Enrolment– 873,557 total FTE (2007/08)– 78,445 FTE International students (2007/08)

• 43,353 Full-time undergraduates• 11, 265 Full-time master’s degree students• 8,034 Full-time doctoral degree students

(Statistics Canada via CAUT Almanac)

International Students

• Top sending places of origin:– China 49,905 (25%)– South Korea 25,871 (13%)– United States 11, 275 (6%)– India 9,570 (5%)

(Atlas of Student Mobility from Citizenship Immigration Canada)

Outbound Student Mobility

• Between 2-3% of students study abroad (roughly the international average)

• Leading destinations:– United States (28,905)– United Kingdom (5,010)– Australia (4,039)– France (1302)

(Atlas of Student Mobility – 2007 UNESCO)

So … Where are we?

1.Our universities are quite international in orientation• They were built by a nation of immigrants.

• Most faculty engage in international collaboration and report that they consider international issues in their teaching.

• Canadian universities attract large numbers of international students.

• Many of our domestic students bring considerable international experience.

2. Universities Determine Policy

• No comprehensive government strategy, so institutions determine strategy and approach

• Healthy skepticism of internationization.

• Variations in the level of emphasis, support and approach by institution across the country.

3. Disconnected Conversations

• New conversation on recruitment (senior administrators and government) seems disconnected from conversations on:– International curricula– International research and development– International student support– Domestic student mobility

• Need for more research and a holistic, strategic approach.

4. Government Policy

• Internationalization of higher education is an important area of domestic policy.

• While important steps have been taken, there is little policy coherence and initiatives are fragmented and uncoordinated.

• Universities need government support to build partnerships, international research networks, and further domestic student mobility.

Thank you!gjones@oise.utoronto.ca