Recently, I had the opportunity to meet with a number of community college faculty and administrators throughout the U.S. They descended on Baltimore for the Community Colleges for International Development (CCID) summer meeting. CCID is a global network of community colleges working together to advance campus internationalization and build a more globally competent workforce.
CCID president Carol Stax Brown has launched an ambitious plan of comprehensive internationalization, focused on three key steps: institutional self-assessment, collaborative discovery of existing resources and opportunities, and recognition of the international impact community colleges are already having.
This effort is so important because community colleges serve almost half of the entire undergraduate student population in the United States – about 12.8 million. Community colleges also count nearly 87,000 international students within their ranks. They provide open access to post-secondary education and provide important workforce development and skills training. According to the American Association of Community Colleges, “globalization is driving changes in our economy, and the need for an educated workforce has never been greater… Without community colleges, millions of students and adult learners would not be able to access the education they need to be prepared for further education or the workplace. Community colleges often are the access point for education in a town and a real catalyst for economic development.”
There was a tremendous amount of enthusiasm amongst the attendees for the need to internationalize campuses and curricula
During the conference, there was a tremendous amount of enthusiasm amongst the attendees for the need to internationalize campuses and curricula; however, one of the common themes I heard was that many find it a challenge to encourage students, faculty, and leadership to fully embrace these efforts. Many just don’t see the relevance.
My role in the conference was to share information about the Global Ties network and highlight the similarities between the core tenets of the community college world and our members: they are both deeply rooted in their communities, and work with professionals at all levels of experience to promote prosperity and mutual understanding. I discussed how Global Ties members have worked for over 50 years to internationalize their communities. The synergies between the two networks and efforts are so clear.
I brainstormed with attendees on how to make the case to skeptical students and faculty. Many of the same arguments our network uses to engage members of Congress ring true. We have to connect it to issues that are most important to people, like jobs, family, and economic and community development. It was a sharp reminder to me of how much work we still have to do to counter a growing spirit of isolationism that seems to be taking root locally and nationally.
Our network has a tremendous opportunity to work more closely with community colleges because our mandates are similar. We act locally to help build the skills and enrich the perspectives of the current and future workforce.
Global Ties U.S., in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, recently issued a request for proposals to our member organizations to host local public and citizen diplomacy summits across the country, called Diplomacy Begins Here. We want to help our members create new, exciting opportunities to demonstrate how there is really nothing “foreign” about foreign affairs any more. Community colleges are ripe for greater international engagement. They want and need our help and expertise.
Our network has a tremendous opportunity to work more closely with community colleges because our mandates are similar.
For those who are already working on your Diplomacy Begins Here proposal, I encourage you to reach out to your local community colleges to include them in your planning.
The regional summits are a great catalyst for engagement with community colleges, but they are not the only one. Through CCID and the Executive Director Carol Stax Brown, we would be happy to link you up with local leaders of community colleges who are working on internationalization. Feel free to contact me or our new Manager of Membership Franzi Rook for more information.
Jennifer Clinton, PhD, President, Global Ties U.S.